Zane bit his lower lip. He didn't think he'd have to trade off 'that' this early. Plus, Shen had mentioned something. "The reason you are trapped here is because of the repercussions and the time cage, right? What if I make a proposal?"
[Oho. Proposal?]
"Yes. However, I want to see proof that you do guard the fetter and the ␣␣."
There was a short pause, and Zane noticed a message.
[The great monster, 'Fenghuang,' has used earned skill, 'truth unveil' lvl ␣]
[The great monster, 'Fenghuang,' has deemed your words true]
The thought as to why he could see such messages that weren't directed to him came to his mind. The reason wasn't specified, and neither did he have a sponsor who could pass him the skill of reading other people's direct messages.
[I suppose I shall show you the proof]
The Fenghuang rose, and Zane suddenly felt someone pull him back. "He's going to kill you," Rhian said.
"No, he's not," Zane replied.
The Fenghuang's scales shone brightly, and two objects in bright light made themselves known. The first was the fetter—a gold necklace with a red ruby as a pendant. The second one fostered a piece of neatly folded parchment. Zane's eyes widened as the descriptions of the two items came in front of him.
[Item: ␣␣
Ranking: ??
Grade: ??
Type of Magic: 'key'
Use: to unlock ?? In ??]
[Item: Vestige
Ranking: ??
Grade: A
Type of Magic: Component
Use: Part of ?? Fable]
[Item: Fetter
Ranking: Genesis
Grade: SS
Type of Magic: ??
Use: to unlock Circe in ␣␣]
"Okay," Zane said. "I'll show you the items that I'd like to trade."
He held the Stone of Immortality and then conjured items from the Clandestine Chest.
As they appeared in his hands, the Fenghuang's eyes narrowed as it got closer to Zane, as if scrutinizing the items. [Is this genuine?]
"Yes, they're from the Celestium," Zane replied. 'I had planned to use them elsewhere or to get free money, but… I suppose this is a way to land the two items I need.'
[Certainly I can feel mana radiating from them, which is far greater than anything I've felt for a while]
[A few
[However, players, as tempting as this is. My soul is split into two. I cannot leave without having gotten my counterpart]
Zane's eyes twitched. "But the Stone of Immortality will cancel the effects of the System on you. If you use these magic crystals from the Celestium, they should undo the repercussions."
[I'll still say that your words are tempting, but I'm afraid I cannot]
"Does that mean you're trapped here for eternity?" Rhian asked once Zane relayed the message.
[Does that matter? I am merely a guardian of the spire]
"Okay, hypothetically, if I were to find your incarnation body with your split soul, would you reconsider?" Zane asked.
[Funny thing. In that case, I won't perish; you will. Neither do I know where my soul is, and neither do you. You'll die]
Zane swallowed. They were playing a game not only with time now, but with their lives as well. He took in a deep breath as he thought over his next words.
"Do we get the items if you die?" Rhian asked the Fenghuang.
[You think I'll let you kill me and rob me?]
Zane suddenly felt the pouch at his waist move again, and he reached to open it. The moment he did, Shen jumped out and perched itself on Zane's shoulder. The bunny sniffed at the air before it turned to the monster. [Shen is glad to meet the Fenghuang]
Rhian was again pulling him by the collar, taking him by surprise. "How did you know about this?"
"About what?" Zane asked.
"Can you not see their cores?" Rhian murmured. "Their mana concentration is the same, and so is the color of their mana core."
"Wait… you mean to say…"
"No shit," Rhian replied.
[Hold on,] Shen murmured, then jumped off Zane's shoulder and hopped over to where the Fenghuang stood. [Shen knows you're a part of Shen. The mighty Fenghuang, the part of Shen that came into being once Shen was ripped off their power and inhibition]
[You speak with such confidence,] the Fenghuang said.
[That is because Shen speaks the truth. Look closer, look at Shen's heart, and tell Shen that the mighty Fenghuang does not find the chains binding the mana that is the same as yours.]
"Zane."
Zane glanced at Rhian. "Yeah?"
"How are you even understanding this…"
"Uh," Zane glanced at Shen and the Fenghuang. "It's a skill. I earned it sometime when I was young, and it is being activated now."
Rhian crossed his arms against his chest. "Then do tell me what is going on."
[I–It's impossible!] the Fenghuang exclaimed, moving back.
[The truth is not a subject to denial.]
[Are you jesting? Or is this a bluff so that the player gets what he wants?]
[Shen took Zane's help to find the mighty Fenghuang.] Shen hopped ahead. [It seems that you were made a vessel of your own. There are no memories in your head]
"If they are the spirit of the same person, can it… conjoin?" Zane asked.
Rhian pursed his lip. "I am unsure. This is one of the rituals in a grimoire I had read a while back. Otherwise, I haven't witnessed such a thing in real life."
"Well, better hope it's real, or our lives are on the line," Zane murmured, glancing at Shen and the Fenghuang.
[Let Shen show you.] The bunny extended its paw. Zane watched as the Fenghuang stared at the tiny creature before he ducked his head and let Shen's paw rest on his crown.
The surrounding area began twisting a little, akin to the vortex on The Way of the Forsaken. "What did they do now?" Rhian asked.
Zane himself didn't know. The scenery twisted, and suddenly they found themselves in pitch blackness. [The day the Fuzanglong had attacked us, we had been one.]
The surrounding scenery shifted to form a vivid scene. The surroundings were on fire, but Zane couldn't find the heat to be tangible. And in front of them was a woman; she wore robes that didn't seem to belong to the Hua Clan but were considerably familiar. She held a… 'Circe?' And there was a lotus between her eyebrows… Zane would have to inquire about that.
However, blood had stained her white robes from deep injuries, and in front of her was a dragon—namely, Fuzanglong. The creature spewed fire at her again, and she ducked, only to find herself being hit by the dragon's tail, which threw her back—her body passed through Zane and Rhian's before it hit a tree behind them.
[The Fuzanglong laughed at her. Then he gave her an ultimatum]
The dragon flew and landed in front of the woman.
Shen's voice cracked. [He would give her power and let her be one of the temple's 'guardians' or 'monsters.' If she didn't agree, then he'd kill her, and she would be forced to wander as a lone spirit forever.]
"Zane," Rhian whispered. "That woman…. She's Ahn Anxi—a legend that lives in the Northern Lu Clan. Her story was that she defeated the monster in this place and also died. But that had cost her—"
"Her life," Zane completed.
They watched as the woman pushed herself up. [She didn't trust the Fuzanglong. That is why she had known that if she were to die, it would be on her own volition. So, she split her mana core into two and agreed to the Fuzanglong's words]
The scenery changed to the woman lying dead on the ground, blood poured from deep gashes, and the scenery showed a stray bunny that came hopping near, and the second mana piece, the one that the Fuzanglong had missed, settled itself within the bunny.
[Thus, Shen came to be Shen. The Fuzanglong took away Shen's strength and the physical Circe that Shen owned. And Shen was left with only this much.]
The next scene showed the other mana core being put into a statue of a phoenix, which eventually cracked and came into being. [However, because of the repercussions of bringing another 'monster' into the temple, the Fuzanglong and the Fenghuang were cast away in a deep sleep. That was, until anyone came to challenge them.]
There was a short pause as the scenery around them changed and reverted to normal.
[Warning]
[Time left: 6 minutes]
[Does that mean… we're the split ends of the incarnation body?] the Fenghuang asked hesitantly.
Shen nodded. The bunny glanced back at Zane for a few moments before its nose twitched. [May Shen ask for a favor?]
Zane's eyes narrowed. He glanced at Rhian before he nodded. "Okay."
[For the transfusion of our mana, an external mana has to support us,] Shen explained. [That is, if the Fenghuang wants to become one and escape the System to drift peacefully]
[How do I know this is not an elaborate lie?]
[For eternity you wanted to experience a death that would not be in your comatose. Now, unless you've tried it, you will never know.]
The Fenghuang breathed fire before there was a change in its aura. [Zane—]
"I'll do it," Rhian said instead, and he was stepping ahead, piercing the Executioner into the ground near his feet and raising his hands to lock at his chest. "That bastard may seem like the real deal, but his mana cannot be unlocked fully yet."
Zane blinked at the latter man, then at Shen.
[Okay], the bunny said, and then it was joining its paw with the Fenghuang's scales. [Tell this human to emit ten percent of his mana and have it surround us. Then, I want the Stone of Immortality, and you should give the Celestium's mana crystals to the Fenghuang]
Zane nodded and did as he was told.
Rhian stood next to the two creatures and raised his hands to form a diamond with his thumbs and index fingers.
[
[The trial's status is at breach level!]
[Warning!]
Golden mana enveloped the bunny and the monster, creating a sort of warm haven for them. "Shen?" Zane asked. "Or Ahn Anxi?"
The bunny looked at him, and in his ears, Zane heard the reply.
[Shen]
Vibrant light burst around their surroundings, and wind whipped Zane's clothes as he stared in front of him. Inside the golden bubble, he could vaguely see a statue, akin to that of the Fenghuang, and in the corner of the bubble was the lifeless body of a bunny. In between the entire thing was a bright humanoid outline.
[Time remaining: 3 minutes]
[Current ongoings have breached the grade of the Trial!]
Zane could see Rhian's face scrunch up in pain, as the bubble of mana was literally pulling the energy from him. Around them, Zane could vaguely make out creatures that they'd killed start to twist and awaken.
He unsheathed Ember and mustered mana into his palm. The sword shone brightly.
[The first attribute of Ember, Lacerate lvl 1, is triggered!]
He sliced the air with it and watched as the mana sliced through the creatures. However, it did not kill them this time; it merely sliced some part of their bodies but couldn't even cut it off. "Shit," Zane cursed.
[You've invested 1000 species in the 1st attribute of Ember!]
[Ember Lacerate lvl 1 > Ember Lacerate lvl 3]
He repeated his motion, but the creatures merely bled; the lower-grade ones collapsed, but the higher grades merely roared and charged towards him. 'Shit. Shit. Shit,' Zane cursed as he quickly triggered Wisteria and used the whip to shock them.
"How much longer?" Zane shouted.
"I—I don't know!" Rhian shouted back.
[Time left: 1.5 minutes]
Zane could only do so much as to slow them down. This predicament merely reminded him of how helpless he had felt against the Yuis in his first life. He gritted his teeth and summoned a Dao from the Clandestine Chest. He conjured some mana into the sword before throwing it towards the incoming spirits.
The Dao managed to knock down a large beast but couldn't do more than that, and neither could Zane do anything else. He glanced back and noticed the creatures that were cornering them; some were approaching from behind Rhian. Zane let out a puff of air before he rushed to Rhian and used Ember to pierce through the flesh of an orc.
[Time left: 25 seconds]
Zane breathed through his mouth as he pushed himself forward and kicked the orc off him. The next was the Cursed Lycaon. Even without the grade of the System rising, this creature had been difficult to kill easily. However, Zane tried his luck.
[Time left: 13 seconds]
[Warning!]
The Cursed Lycaon managed to knock him to the other side before Zane could even use his sword to land a touch.
[
[
Zane stood up and pierced his sword through the Lycaon's abdomen before the creature could land its hand on Rhian. However, the sword seemed to be the least as Zane suddenly found a large hand wrapping around his throat and picking him up. His heart felt as though it had launched itself in his head, and Zane whimpered.
"Zane!" Rhian exclaimed, but he couldn't do much. Either he could risk everything they'd worked for, or he could let Zane die.
[Time left: 3 seconds!]
[Warning!]
Zane could feel his eyes tearing from the lack of breath, and he made a futile attempt to take the sword out of the Cursed Lycaon's guts. The grip around his neck tightened, and Zane let out a garbled sound.
[Warning!]
All of a sudden there were new messages popping up in front of him.
[You have killed one of the Temple's Monsters!]
[You have acquired three high-grade items!]
Suddenly, there was a female voice. "Both of you, get out of here. We'll meet soon."
Zane could only barely get a glance of the beautiful woman before he was being hauled by something stronger than what he could register. The Cursed Lycaon roared at him, but suddenly its hands were being cut off. The creature collapsed, and the last thing Zane heard was, "Thank you for feeding me."
After that, he opened his eyes to find himself back on the array formation in the old shack. He glanced at his hand to see Ember.
Rhian was already sitting up with a blanched expression on his face. "It's been sixteen days."