Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 274: Off to Valerion 3

The farther they went, the heavier the air became. The sun had been climbing steadily above them, but the light no longer reached them cleanly. It was as though the sky itself had begun to dim, swallowed by a slow, creeping shadow. The mist that had been no more than a faint veil at first was now thick and sluggish, crawling around their legs like living smoke.

Captain Varran raised a hand for the group to stop. The guards obeyed immediately, weapons in hand though there was nothing yet to strike.

"Stay close," Varran said, scanning the distance ahead. "The air’s changing again."

Nyx frowned and glanced down. The mist had risen higher, swirling up to her knees and clinging to the fabric of her garment. "This is worse than before," she muttered, brushing at it though it didn’t move. "It feels dreadful."

Lira bent down slightly, letting her hand hover just above the surface of the black vapor. "Don’t touch it," she warned herself more than anyone else. "There’s death Qi in it. Not natural. It’s twisted."

Theron squinted ahead, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. "We need to know where it’s coming from."

The Empress, who had been walking at the front with Seraphine, came to a halt. She didn’t answer immediately. Her celestial senses reached far and deep, but even she struggled to read what she was feeling. There was power in the mist, foul, and boundless. It felt as though something beneath the earth was breathing.

Then, as if to answer their unspoken fears, Selene gasped and pointed to the horizon. "Look... there."

They all turned their eyes toward the distance, and what they saw made the strongest among them falter.

Far ahead, where the land dipped into a valley, a wall of shadow moved. It wasn’t smoke, nor was it a storm. It was something else entirely. Black clouds swirled from above, merging with the rising mist below, as if the heavens themselves had decided to meet the earth in darkness. The clouds were thick and unnatural, shifting with an oily sheen, and the ground beneath them was hidden beneath a black shroud.

The Empress’s voice came low and steady, though her face was pale. "That is not weather. That... is corruption given form."

Mirielle stood still, her eyes wide with terror. "It’s spreading," she whispered. "It’s joining the sky to the ground. Just like before."

Varran took a slow step forward, staring at the far-reaching gloom. "By the gods..." he murmured. "It stretches for miles. It’s like a wall."

The Empress nodded grimly. "It is not natural mist. It is a boundary. Whatever lies beyond it is no longer part of this world as we know it."

Lira turned to her, unease in her voice. "Then that means we can’t pass through it?"

"We could," the Empress said softly, her eyes narrowing. "But it would come at a cost. That is no ordinary barrier. Anything living that steps into that corruption may not come back out unchanged."

Selene hugged her arms to her chest, her usual sharp tongue quieted. "So that’s what separates Lechia’s outer lands from the rest..." she said faintly. "It’s like the land itself is bleeding darkness."

Theron ran a hand through his hair, the muscles in his jaw tightening. "Then how do we get around it?"

"There is no around," the Empress replied. "Not for many leagues. This corruption has taken root across the borderlands. If we wish to reach Valerion, we must find a way through.. or find someone who knows what lies beyond."

Silence followed her words. Even the Ice Belle, who hovered anxiously above Lucas’s unconscious form, gave a low, uneasy hum, her crystalline wings trembling faintly.

Nyx looked back at the horizon one more time. The black clouds churned slowly, a vast and living thing. She swallowed hard and whispered, "Whatever’s in there... it’s waiting for us."

The crippled grandmaster, who had been walking silently in the rear of the group, finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and low, but it carried clearly through the uneasy quiet that hung over everyone. "You should all stop here," he said, his eyes locked on the swirling darkness ahead. "That boundary... it is not something you walk into and come back from."

Varran turned in his saddle, frowning. "What are you saying, old man?"

"I’m saying," the grandmaster replied, his tone laced with certainty, "that stepping beyond that mist would be suicide. Even for a celestial."

His words drew the attention of everyone nearby. The Empress, who had been watching the black horizon with cold composure, slowly turned her gaze to him. "You speak as if you know what lies within it," she said, her voice steady but edged with suspicion.

"I do," the crippled grandmaster answered grimly. "That thing is not a natural formation of Qi. It’s a work of dark arts formed into a boundary...a fusion of dark energy and forbidden seals. The usurpers created it long ago, as a measure to contain movement and control regions that fell under their reach. It corrupts the air, the ground, and even the spirit of those foolish enough to cross it."

He paused for a while... allowing his words to sink in...then he continued. "I’ve seen its creation with my own eyes. In another land. Once the seal matures, it becomes a barrier no ordinary being can break. Only those who carry the Usurper’s brand can pass through safely."

Mirielle flinched, her hand tightening around her staff. "So they made this to trap us?"

"Not just you," he said, glancing around the group. "They made it to trap everyone. Every beast, every cultivator, every soldier. When this boundary is complete, it divides the land itself. You could call it... the chain that binds nations."

The Empress studied him for a long moment. His tone was not one of pride, but of resignation...like a man recounting sins too heavy to erase. Her eyes narrowed. "You seem to know much for someone who has already lost his power," she said coldly.

The grandmaster’s shoulders stiffened slightly, though he did not meet her gaze. "I was once an agent for the Usurpers," he said after a moment. "I’ve seen the corpses of those who tried to force their way through. It consumes their Qi, their soul, their very existence. Even a celestial’s light cannot outshine that darkness."

Nyx crossed her arms and looked at him with open distrust. "And why should we believe you? You’ve done nothing but follow behind us because Lucas made you."

His lips curled into a bitter smile. "You don’t need to believe me. I have no reason to lie. I gain nothing if you live or die. But I will tell you this...if you step into that boundary, none of you will reach Valerion. You’ll only become part of the mist itself."

Selene shivered slightly, staring out at the swirling black horizon. "That can’t be right. There must be a way around it, or through it."

"There isn’t," he said simply. "At least, not for you. The Usurpers hold the keys to every boundary they make. Their agents can move freely through what would annihilate others. That’s what made them unstoppable."

The Empress exhaled slowly, her gaze fixed on him. "So that’s why you served them," she said. "You believed in their power."

"I believed in survival," the grandmaster murmured. "And I regret that belief every day."

Her eyes hardened. She hadn’t spoken to him much since they began traveling together, and she had never understood why Lucas kept this man close. Now, as she looked at him, she felt the faint trace of disgust coil in her chest.

"You may have been one of them once," she said at last, "but remember that your time under our protection exists only because Xavier allowed it. Do not mistake that for trust."

He inclined his head faintly. "I don’t," he replied. "But if you truly intend to reach Valerion, you’ll need more than trust. You’ll need something the Usurpers fear...and that is not a thing I’ve ever seen in any mortal."