Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 867: A well-fabricated lie [1]

Julien’s steps continued to sink into the sand, his breath calm and even as he moved through the endless desert.

’The checkpoint shouldn’t be too far from here. I should almost be there.’

The more time he spent in the desert, the more he grew accustomed to the lack of senses. It had gotten to the point where he started to use [Mana Sense] less and less, and through such means, he was able to see outstanding improvement in his mastery over the spells.

But—

’It’s still not enough. I should turn things up a notch soon.’

The growth had been significant, but it still wasn’t to the extent he desired. Just then, he suddenly paused, sensing a faint shift in the land beneath. He suddenly stood still, basking in the silence as the world around him was completely dark.

"....."

He stood completely still.

Waiting.

His threads spread out in every direction as his feet slowly sank into the sand. The strong howl of the wind brushed against his face, yet Julien remained perfectly still.

He continued to wait.

His feet sank lower.

’Thump’

’Thump’

Something was coming.

It was drawing closer as he felt the vibration in his feet.

’Thump’

His threads continued to expand.

And soon—

The sand beneath him suddenly gave way. Julien didn’t hesitate for even a second. He drove his foot down hard and kicked himself up into the air. At the same time, his body twisted as threads shot out in every direction and several chains sprang out from his arm, forming a shield.

Clank!

Sparks flew as the shield came in contact with something powerful.

Julien’s body was pushed several meters in the air as he lost his sense of direction, the threads unable to help him find his bearings.

Despite this, he didn’t panic.

Instead, he doubled down, spreading even more threads around him. They stretched outward in every direction, forming a massive net across the area. The moment he felt something brush against the threads, he reacted immediately.

’...There!’

A magic circle formed in his hand.

At the same time, hands shot out from the sand beneath, circling over where Julien presumed the creature to be.

Thud!

Landing onto the sand, Julien felt something as he turned his head.

His brows furrowed.

However, regardless of where he ’looked’, he didn’t feel a single thing. He... didn’t see the figure that stood right before him, her dark eyes looking down on him as he shifted his head from left to right, his face slightly tense as he found himself lost within the world of darkness.

Under the strong howl of the wind, the woman’s clothes and hair remained perfectly still, while her flawless features stayed fixed on him.

"Am I imagining things? No, I should still be cautious."

Slowly, her arms moved forward, reaching towards his neck as they started to tremble.

But just as her hands were about to grasp his neck, she stopped.

Her expression changed subtly as she stared at the man in front of her. Something within her chest stirred at the sight of him, but the darkness within her mind made it hard for her to properly remember.

It was consuming every part of her.

’Who is... he?’

Her eyes slowly blinked.

Memories started to surface in that moment.

Memories that she had forgotten about.

’He’s...’

Her thumb slowly traced the ring on her finger, gently massaging its surface. Eventually, however, she stopped.

Especially when she took note of the owl that rested on his shoulder as it stared right back at her.

Ah.

Swooosh!

Her figure collapsed inwardly, fading completely as the owl continued to stare in her direction.

Eventually—

"Human, she was here."

The owl’s voice reached Julien’s mind.

His expression didn’t change despite the news.

"...I know."

In fact, he had known all along.

She might deceive his [Mana Sense], but not his emotive magic. He could see the jumbled and chaotic mess that stood before him.

Despite this, he didn’t say or do anything.

For he knew that her mind wasn’t stable enough to handle a proper conversation with him.

"Ah, I need to hurry."

Julien continued to walk ahead, a rune forming in his hand.

"I really need to hurry."

***

"Hey, Emmet."

His back faced him, his features hidden as he looked out over the cityscape below. A cigarette rested between his fingers as he took a slow, quiet drag.

Thin tendrils of smoke lingered in the air as a young teen stood behind him.

The young teen waited patiently, watching the man standing before him. The man seemed almost entranced, his eyes reflecting the slow movement of the cars far below.

After a while, he finally snapped out of it and took a quiet drag from his cigarette.

Though his movements were smooth, the slight tremble in his hand did not escape the young teen’s notice, causing his expression to tighten.

*Puff*

As smoke drifted in the air once more, a soft voice whispered in the air.

"This power is merely a shared power."

To whom he was speaking, the young boy wasn’t sure. Still, he remained standing there, his eyes fixed on the man’s back.

"We’ve somehow managed to integrate the Runes into our bodies, but ultimately our vessels aren’t strong enough to contain that kind of power. Our minds are slowly being affected, and the more we use this power, the more it takes from us. Yet..."

*Puff*

"We have no choice but to hold onto this power, even if it breaks us down. This isn’t out of necessity, but desperation. If we ever hope to defeat them, then we must cling to this power, no matter the cost."

"But will it be enough?"

The young boy couldn’t help but ask, his gaze fixed on the thin tendrils of smoke drifting away from the cigarette.

"If... we cling to this power, will we be able to defeat them?"

"No."

There was no hesitation in the voice.

"We’ll not be able to."

The young boy’s face trembled, but Emmet’s remained calm. He continued to stare at the cityscape below, his eyes gradually growing hazy once more.

"We’ll never be able to defeat them if we cling to this power."

*

The pale sun bled weakly through the land beneath, its light thin and sickly as it seeped into the endless gray sky.

What little radiance it cast failed to brighten the world below. It only washed the land in lifeless shades of gray. The air hung heavy, as though the sky itself pressed down upon the earth with unbearable weight.

Beneath that suffocating sky, a lone figure lay still, staring upward at the pale disk of the sun with a certain leisure.

To others, there was nothing unusual. Just the dull glow of ordinary daylight.

But to him, the truth was something that couldn’t escape his gaze.

His eyes could see through the well-crafted veil that looked like the sun.

That sun was nothing more than an eye.

A vast, blasphemous eye that humanity, in its pitiful ignorance, had chosen to call the sun.

Its radiance spilled across the land, bleaching the world in a suffocating glow. Yet behind that brightness lurked something far older than light itself.

Something ancient.

The great orb did not shine.

It watched.

It watched without blinking.

It always had.

A gaze older than memory, wider than the scope of human thought, resting silently upon the crawling insignificance of the world below.

And he knew it had never once looked away.

Nothing within the Mirror Dimension escaped the ancient being’s gaze.

Not the trembling grass.

Not the faint creak of branches bending beneath a wind.

Not the quiet breath of those who tried to crawl their way to survival.

All was within its realm.

The wind was nothing but its breath.

The ground was nothing but its flesh.

And the prison men called the Mirror Dimension was nothing more than a mask.

The sun.

The sky.

The earth.

Even the very air he breathed.

All of it was a lie.

A system.

A cage designed not merely to confine them, but to ensure that they never escaped their watch.

"How pitiful we are."

Extending his hand, the air before him wavered and distorted. Slowly, faint strokes began to appear, one after another, each line forming with careful precision as they connected together to shape a Rune.

"It’s not yet completed, but it’s almost there."

His voice carried a rare warmth, one that felt strangely out of place in the world around him.

He continued to stare at the Rune in his hand as it slowly began to glow, the mana inside of his body fading as his eyes closed and images flashed across his mind.

Past. Present. Future.

He saw glimpses of everything as the Rune continued to glow.

An unknown amount of time passed before he opened his eyes again, and the Rune in his grasp faded completely.

"Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I’m still not quite there yet."

He wasn’t in a rush.

He knew that it wouldn’t be long until he finalized the Rune. By then, he’d probably be able to take the next step.

"Isn’t that right, Emmet?"

A chuckle escaped his lips as he lowered his hand.

Lying on the broken, cracked earth, he remained still, quietly closing his eyes as voices whispered inside his head. Cries, laughter, and countless other sounds blended together, forming a chaotic murmur that filled his mind.

Yet he did not resist it. He simply absorbed it all.

He could feel the emotions lingering in the air around him. Thin tendrils of different colors drifted toward him, slowly gathering as if drawn by him.

Toren quietly absorbed the emotions lingering in the air as his eyes grew hazy. At the same time, his mind began to drift toward a certain memory.

A smile lingered on his features.

"I couldn’t understand in the past, but I understand now. Just how far ahead were you seeing?"

The smile continued to hang on Toren’s lips as he quietly closed his eyes.

’Ultimately, this is merely borrowed power. No, it’s not even accurate to say that.’

The power they wielded was the same power that "they" used. In a sense, they were taking a share that rightfully belonged to them.

If each source of power were a bucket of water, then they had merely taken a few cups for themselves, while "they" still held the rest of the bucket. The power was finite, and the more they took, the less share "they" had.

Ultimately, the only way to defeat them was to create a power of their own within the Source.

An entirely different and untainted sub-branch.

’A new bucket of water.’

Toren chuckled softly, his attention fixed on the numerous orbs floating deep within his body. They shimmered in many different colors, drifting slowly in the darkness. Yet among them, he could feel that a few shone far brighter than the rest.

They represented the six primary emotions, each accompanied by the many branching emotions that stemmed from them.

The deeper Toren’s understanding of emotions grew, the more branches began to form. The path of emotions seemed endless, with new ones revealing themselves to him every single day.

But at the same time, as his understanding deepened, he started to see an end to it.

He could see the ’Source’ of it.

He was close, but not quite.

"Soon."

His lips slowly stretched into a wider smile as his gaze climbed toward the sun above.

As if sensing his attention, the sun flickered faintly. The great eye shifted, turning its focus toward him.

Toren only smiled.

Then, casually, he raised his hand and waved.