Some distance away from the open area where Sebastian and Sythris had fought, a person ran with all his might, dragging a white-haired girl behind him.
Fog surrounded them. It had formed from the dust and pebbles generated by the earlier fights and the King's fall into the pit. The structures around them had been almost completely decimated as Veer ran with all his heart. Eleana was behaving strangely, trying to free herself from Veer's grasp. He gritted his teeth as he tried to pull her along. He wasn't able to exert much force. He didn't even think about why his katana was with Sythris. He just wanted to take Eleana to safety. His long hair sprawled all over his face, making him look ragged.
Eleana shouted, her beautiful face not matching her words. "Stop, Veer! Why are you so mean? It's the same again. Last time, before Sythris left, you fought with her. And now, when she's in danger, we're running away. Let's go back!"
Veer's face darkened as he said, "Stop it... We need to move. Let's move quickly. Sythris will come after us."
"Sythris will come in a moment."
Eleana shouted as she pulled at his hands. "Don't lie to me, Veer. She was crying. It means she'll sacrifice herself... I need to go back."
Veer's heart stirred as Sythris's last visage imprinted itself in his heart. He wanted to help, but without any fighting powers, what could he do against such a monster?
He shook his head and bit down on his lips as he watched Eleana behave like a child, struggling against him. The strength of a Black Knight was too much for Veer to handle. He couldn't move forward.
There was only one thought echoing in his mind.
I need to escape with her... She needs to be treated.
Meanwhile, he also felt fatigued. He was exhausted and completely worn out, and he just wanted to rest. They were quite some distance from the plaza. Veer could see the blue lights flickering in the distance. That was where the mages were. The huge blue opaline barrier above Drudar faintly covered the area as the King fought the entity in the clouds. Though Veer couldn't see anything, he could feel slight tremors and roars from above.
If he could reach the blue mages, at least they would be safe for some time. Eleana might receive treatment and perhaps escape using her powers.
Suddenly, Veer's heart trembled. He felt his veins constrict, as though warning him. Veer noticed that the dirt around him was stirring for some reason. As Eleana struggled, Veer felt a sense of déjà vu.
Where had he experienced this before...? Huh? What was this?
It felt familiar. His skin was crawling.
Where had he experienced this?
Even though he couldn't remember, he felt an extreme sense of dread. Suddenly, he shivered all over as he looked behind. Since it was almost dark again because of the horizon eclipse, he couldn't see properly, but he noticed someone standing behind him.
It was a shadow.
Alarm bells sounded in his mind.
He remembered it.
It was the same sensation he had felt during his journey to Mythria. The same kind of shadow he had encountered there. This shadow also looked the same. It was very similar.
It had glowing, rotating white eyes and a white border running throughout its body. He remembered Eryssa's words about why they were so dangerous. They were born from the shadows of humans.
He gulped as he stopped pulling on Eleana's spotless hands. Eleana also stopped struggling and took a few small steps.
Eleana came before Veer and carefully gazed at the figure in the distance. Her whole body started trembling as she went behind Veer, hiding like a child and clutching his shoulders.
"Ghost, ghost... It's a ghost! Help me, Mother..."
"Veer, I'm scared! I'm scared... Please drive the ghost away!"
Veer was stunned as he watched Eleana's behaviour. Her white hair sprawled over his shoulders as she clutched him. Her body pressed against him as he felt her fear and trembling.
Veer looked at the shadow and saw that it was just standing there. As he looked around, he decided to take a gamble: a gamble that the shadow was after him, not Eleana.
He resolved himself and slowly withdrew Eleana's hands as he looked back. Veer patted her and hugged her briefly. As he hugged her, her spirits seemed to return, and she stopped shouting.
Veer consoled her as he said, "Do you see the blue lights?"
"Yes..." Eleana replied, looking into his eyes.
Veer gently patted her head and ruffled her white hair.
"Eleana, run there... I'll come there. I'll also bring back Sythris."
He looked into her eyes and said, "I'll drive this ghost away."
"Really...? Okay, okay..." She started running, but then glanced back. "Don't break your promise, or I'll be angry. Drive that frightening ghost away, just as you did that day."
Veer didn't know which day she was talking about, but he nodded as he watched Eleana run away. Her figure slowly disappeared into the mist.
Veer sighed and asked, as though talking to himself, "Is there no way I can escape today?"
He looked back to see the shadow shaking its head.
"Who are you? You seem different from the shadow we encountered in the ruins."
The shadow shook its head and pointed above. Veer didn't know what this meant. Was it a servant of the King? Was the other shadow different?
Veer knew he couldn't escape, so a sudden stillness settled over him. He looked above, where hundreds of emerald lights were flickering. Something briefly came to his mind, and he said absentmindedly, "Where did we see the firefly again?"
There was a blur as the shadow lunged. It attacked Veer directly.
Veer was still looking above, ruminating over what the flickering lights were, when he suddenly dodged a powerful leg strike from the shadow. He shifted his body downward and used his arm to roll over.
Shortly afterward, he screamed as the shadow looked at him. But more than the scream and the pain, he felt confused. Veer looked at himself as he groaned.
How had he even dodged that?
He saw the shadow smiling. It tilted its head from side to side, like a dancing clown, as though delighted by his performance.
Veer's body ached. He didn't know what was happening. More than that, he seemed unable to control his own body.
Was it instinct? How was he moving like that?
He couldn't feel a fraction of prana in his body. He couldn't feel any star cores.
The shadow blurred again as Veer sensed a grab approaching his throat. Veer felt his consciousness slipping away, but once again, at the last moment, he moved on pure instinct. He dodged at the very last second.
He rolled backward and screamed again in pain as his consciousness returned.
But amidst the pain, he wondered again how he was even dodging those fast attacks.
Was it because he was aware now? Then why couldn't he move during John's brutal beatdown? Was it because of shock?
He didn't know if someone was using him to perform magic.
He looked at the shadow as it spoke for the first time. From its voice, it was really hard to tell whether it was a man or a woman.
"Though this eclipse is the longest in decades, time is still of the essence."
"Come to me."
Veer suddenly felt the world spinning. What was happening now? He couldn't understand as something soft and cold touched his shoulder. It seemed even his instincts had frozen.
He couldn't move. He couldn't move at all.
His head started spinning as he wondered whether it was a hallucination-inducing spell or something else.
"It's not a spell," the shadow spoke, its voice eerie.
"Spells don't really work on you," the shadow added.
Veer murmured, dizzy, "Spells don't affect me? What are you saying...?"
Suddenly, his memory faintly stirred as he remembered the incident in which a man had told him he was invulnerable to spells. The incident in which he had witnessed his own projection emerging from his body.
"It's just an art. The art of misdirecting the soul," the shadow spoke eerily.
Veer was dizzy, but he questioned, "What's the difference?"
"You... You're asking what's the difference?"
After a slight pause, it added, "Oh, she damaged your memories."
"Well, it was really brutal... No wonder it hampered your mind."
Veer didn't remember what the shadow was talking about, but he had an inkling that it was related to his memory loss. That strange incident he had seen in his dream.
"Well, a spell is a sacred art of summoning spirits and allowing their guidance to bestow specific effects."
"It's just a subset. Soul Misdirection is a greater Mind Art."
"Anyway, let's go back. Sebastian is having his hands full."
Veer gritted his teeth as he tried his best to move. The only result was that he could barely move his nose before it started bleeding.
Was it truly hopeless to hope for hope? Why was he tied to all these things? What could he even do in this situation?
Why could he move when he surrendered, but now that he wanted to escape, he couldn't move?
Was there anyone who could help them?
Veer screamed and struggled as the shadow grabbed his neck, pulling him towards where it had come from.
He suddenly tumbled somehow and briefly escaped, but the shadow clutched his feet. It continued dragging Veer by his feet as he tried to crawl away.
Veer struggled as he was dragged. The shadow spoke in a voice that held neither urgency nor impatience.
"So, you met him, huh...? Is he still guarding the entrance to Mythria?"
Veer didn't answer. He only struggled as the shadow continued eerily, "Are you confused about why you're involved? Why do Sebastian and the King need you?"
Veer's pupils dilated as the shadow said, "It's plain and simple. You're just an ingredient in a recipe. A recipe for ascension."
Veer felt powerless as he slowly sighed.
"Eleana, it looks like you'll be really angry. I won't be able to fulfil my promise after all."
But he didn't stop struggling, even though it was futile.
The surroundings were bleak and deserted. The distant blue lights twinkled like stars in the night sky. Everything lay in ruins. Though the distant sky was magnificent, blinding emerald lights and white spears illuminated it.