The Unwelcome Guest Behind the Shrouding Mist

Aethelria was built upon Type II Element. Because Luminous Matter resembled shining starlight, people affectionately called it "starlight."

More precisely, it was an ocean brimming with starlight. Countless Type II Elements filled the entire world, containing vast oceans of higher-dimensional information.

Everything here was composed of starlight—Type II Element—including life itself. Indeed, it was equivalent to life. Death merely represented the loss of starlight from a living body, not true annihilation. With the power of several deities—such as Mirela, God of Healing; Oli, Light of Justice; Aisha, the Pure Maiden; and Roman, Favored of Fortune—people in this world gained the ability to revive multiple times.

Only when the starlight within them was completely extinguished would a life-form return to its essence, truly perish, and be assimilated back into the world. Aethelria's natives seemed to have long understood this process. They viewed it philosophically and called it "the destination of all things."

For the Chosen, the process was nearly identical, though the outcome differed somewhat. Humans acquired starlight through synchronization with Luminous Matter. The amount of starlight in their bodies corresponded to the degree of their synchronization with the world. Once it reached absolute zero, the Chosen would be rejected by Aethelria's Sea of Stars, return to physical form, and permanently lose the chance to enter again.

Furthermore, since Aethelria's Star Gate itself was constructed from Everlight Matter, even a stowaway like Fang Heng could obtain a small amount of starlight.

About half as much as an ordinary Chosen, perhaps even less.

But for the Chosen, Aethelria had one absolute taboo.

The Zone of Silence—

Because the Zone of Silence directly repelled Luminous Matter, Chosen who died here could not communicate with the starlight within their bodies and would be directly expelled from the world by Aethelria's Sea of Stars.

Fang Heng had never dreamed that his first mission would bring him into such a situation. He had finally arrived in this world of his dreams, yet before his adventure had even truly begun, was he about to leave forever? His mind was a mess. The words stuck in his throat, and he could only vaguely hear someone calling his name, the voice seeming to come from the horizon, tinged with urgency.

"Ed!"

"Ed!?"

Fang Heng suddenly snapped out of it. Only then did he realize it was Scarpe's voice. It was as though he had found himself again, and he shouted, "Miss Scarpe, this place is—"

A cry of alarm answered him.

"Watch out!"

Fang Heng froze for a moment, then instinctively looked up.

At some point, a dark shadow had appeared atop the earthen mound and pounced down. The immense force slammed him to the ground. He heard a low growl laced with guttural snarls, and a fetid, fishy stench rushed into his face. Then he saw a massive maw full of snowy-white fangs. A crimson tongue lashed out from beneath its jaws, trailing long strands of saliva as it bit down at him.

A giant wolf—Fang Heng's heart nearly stopped. This creature had two subspecies. Forest Giant Wolves lived in Nurinari's Giant Tree Hills, while Wasteland Giant Wolves inhabited the Augu Wasteland of Luotao.

This was a Forest Giant Wolf. Its silver mane and massive build were its defining traits. It should not have been here. Fang Heng desperately thrust out his hands and braced the wolf's lower jaw. It helped somewhat, but its sharp teeth and claws still sliced several cuts across his hands, leaving them dripping with blood.

A whistle came from the forest.

The giant wolf suddenly changed tactics and bit toward the other side of his neck.

I'm finished. Despair flooded Fang Heng's heart. Only then did he understand why a Forest Giant Wolf had appeared here—because its master was a druid. But when he remembered this was the Zone of Silence, a surge of reckless courage arose from nowhere. He threw wild punches, one of them landing squarely in the giant wolf's eye socket.

The giant wolf's fangs had nearly torn open his neck, and blood poured freely. At that critical moment, it raised its head in pain and sent him flying with a swipe of its paw.

Behind him stood a section of ruined wall covered in purple vines. Fang Heng flew through the air and crashed into it, the pain nearly making him pass out. He finally managed to catch his breath, only to see the giant wolf shake its enormous head. Its two tawny eyes glowed faintly in the darkness as it looked in his direction again.

A sense of helplessness rose within Fang Heng. Even if he were unharmed and multiplied by ten, he might not have been this giant wolf's match, much less now.

The beast's sleek silver fur stood fully on end, making it look imposing. Its body seemed nearly a size larger. Even with all four paws on the ground, its arched back stood almost two meters high, like a sturdy bull.

It bared its fangs, a low growl rumbling in its throat.

It was the prelude to an attack.

Fang Heng could only pick up a piece of flint and grip it in his hand. His blood carried a refusal to yield; he did not know how to submit to execution. A dark figure shot out of the bushes and rammed into the giant wolf. With a deep roar, it knocked the beast flying.

It was Quilod. Fang Heng nearly cried out in delight. Quilod raised his sword with both hands and slashed downward, but the giant wolf rolled back, causing his blade to cut into the thick layer of fallen leaves.

"Careful..." Fang Heng opened his mouth excitedly, trying to warn him that this was the Zone of Silence. But it felt as though a wad of rags had been stuffed down his throat. He was too hoarse to make any sound at all, and could only grunt anxiously. He vaguely saw Quilod entangled in battle with the giant wolf, holding a slight advantage.

At that moment, a shadow slipped from the forest's gloom and stopped not far behind Quilod. The man wore filthy fur clothing and had a lean, tall build. His greasy black hair hung long, while his gloomy eyes were deeply sunken in their sockets. His cheeks were nearly skin and bone. He held a short sword in his hand, its blade dark and utterly without luster.

It was a short blade crafted from strange ironwood. In Nurinari, druids often used such material to make weapons and armor. He had appeared almost without a sound, and Quilod had not noticed him at all. Fang Heng was frantic. Somehow, he found enough strength to force a sound from his throat—but at that very moment, he felt a chill at his neck. A blade was laid across his throat, a hand covered his mouth, and he was dragged backward with force.

Fang Heng could only make anxious, muffled sounds.

A faint scent lingered behind him, somewhat like the fragrance of the fields around Kapuka, where lavender grew in abundance and filled the air with a light, pleasant aroma. Fang Heng realized that the person restraining him was a woman. She warned him with the cold edge of her blade, "Don't move—"

Fang Heng suddenly grabbed the dagger with both hands and wrenched it away with all his strength. The woman was startled. She had not expected him to be so fierce and failed to react in time. Blood streamed between his fingers, and beneath the torn flesh, white bone was nearly visible. Taking advantage of the slight looseness in her grip, he opened his mouth and viciously bit down on her fingers.

He put nearly all his strength into it. The woman cried out in pain and threw him aside. "Are you a dog?!" she shouted furiously. Fang Heng opened his bloodied mouth and yelled, "Watch out!" Before he could finish, she kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him flying several meters before he crashed heavily to the ground.

Only then did Quilod sense something wrong and turn around. The filthy man naturally entered his field of view. The latter thrust his short blade at him like lightning. Quilod parried with a backhanded swing, and sword met blade with a sharp ringing tremor that scattered sparks.

The druid wanted to press his attack, but an arrow came flying in from the side. His giant wolf companion reacted with astonishing speed, leaping up and catching the arrow in its jaws before crushing it between its teeth.

Scarpe emerged from the mist with a longbow in hand. The others followed behind her—but there were only a few left, and every one of them was wounded. Seeing Fang Heng's situation, Scarpe rushed toward him. But the woman reacted faster. She grabbed Fang Heng by the hair and pressed her icy dagger to his neck.

"This is your only alchemist, right?"

Scarpe stopped at once. "I suggest you run," she said seriously to the woman.

The woman was about to say something when the ground suddenly trembled.

There was a puddle in a depression not far from Fang Heng. He could see it clearly: circles of ripples suddenly spread across the mirror-still surface.

The druid froze as well. One hand soothed his giant wolf while he turned to look into the forest.

Fang Heng seized the chance and suddenly said something to the woman. He was so weak that his lips moved, but no sound came out.

"What?" The woman paused slightly and lowered her head, looking at him in confusion. "I said, watch your eyes—" Fang Heng whispered. The fingers of his right hand came together and flicked upward like a swimming fish. Silver Rail on his glove rattled sharply. A soft buzz came from his shirt pocket, and a streak of golden light flew out, striking directly into her eye socket.

The woman gave a pained cry and covered her eye. Without thinking, Fang Heng broke free and ran toward Scarpe. "Damn it!" The woman was nearly furious to death. Covering her eye with one hand, she rushed after him and reached to grab the back of his neck. But at that very moment, the ground began shaking violently.

As though an earthquake had struck, both of them fell to the ground.

The druid, who had been looking toward the forest, finally changed expression. He muttered something under his breath. Perhaps only the woman heard him clearly; her face went pale as she looked up and asked, "How could that thing be here? Aren't we still on the outer edge of the ruins?"

The druid said nothing more. He merely told her, "Run!"

Then, with his giant wolf, he vanished into the forest without looking back.

Fang Heng had not yet reacted when he saw the woman scramble to her feet nervously, apparently preparing to flee as well. But just then, the forest floor began shaking even more violently, and everyone lost their footing and fell.

"What exactly is happening?" Fang Heng could not help asking in a hoarse voice.

"That thing is here." Scarpe helped him up, her face somewhat pale as she answered quietly.

"That thing?"

Before he could finish speaking, he heard a scream.

It had come from the druid who had fled earlier—

Everyone instinctively looked in that direction, then froze. From the distant forest came the shrill blast of a whistle. Within the shrouding mist, an enormous shadow was emerging.

Fang Heng did not know how to describe what he saw. The first thing he heard was deafening thunder, the clanging of metal against metal, and the shrieking grind of interlocking gears. Then came a piercing hiss of exhaust. Streams of white smoke burst from the giant object's surface and merged with the pervasive fog.

A constructed "beast" gradually parted the mist and appeared before them all.

Fang Heng thought it might have been a centipede—a colossal creature made of countless gears, curled sheets of iron, and metallic limbs. Beneath its steel skeleton were innumerable reciprocating pistons, pounding rhythmically as they drove countless legs back and forth. The limbs were like sharp metal blades, propelling it forward at terrifying speed. Towering ancient trees were as fragile as toothpicks beneath its massive body, smashed apart with branches snapping and trunks breaking.

A dense network of pipes extended across the beast's back. From beneath its armored carapace rose countless exhaust stacks, forming a hideous, terrifying forest. Four pairs of compound eyes glowing red pierced the mist like fog lamps and settled upon every person present.

Fang Heng did not know whether it counted as a Magic Device, but he had never seen one in such a form.

The air around them seemed to grow colder, and even the trees began to frost over with a thin layer of white.

The giant beast suddenly lifted its head and let out a long, mournful cry—the roar of a whistle. It opened its gear-lined mouthparts, and only then did Fang Heng notice a greasy piece of fur hanging from its lower jaw, still stained with blood. It seemed to be the clothing of the druid from before.

Below its mouthparts were three parallel nozzles, wisps of white smoke still rising from them. Fang Heng's expression changed drastically. "Get down!" he shouted.

But it was too late. With a shriek, three white frost arrows shot forth like actual arrows. Only Scarpe had time to roll forward. The frost arrows swept across the crowd, leaving behind three or four frozen statues.

Everyone's scalps went numb. "Quick, get inside the buildings!" someone shouted. Only then did they notice a cluster of surviving ruin structures nearby behind them, and they hurried into them.

Scarpe helped Fang Heng up and followed them inside. Quilod was the last to enter, but soon afterward, the woman from Silver Veil followed them in as well. The entire forest seemed to be roaring. Fang Heng turned back and saw the rolling cloud of dust rising behind them. Only then did he realize that the damned thing was relentlessly pursuing them too.

"What the hell is that thing?" Fang Heng stared in disbelief. "...The Blade of Tara?"

"If that were the Blade of Tara, the Rainbow Alliance would have been wiped out long ago." Scarpe gave a bitter smile and made a grim joke. Then she could not help cursing, "Those damned people from the Major Guilds must have known all this from the beginning. They just treated us as cannon fodder."

Hearing that, Quilod suddenly held his sword crosswise, blocking the Silver Veil woman. "Do you want to die or live?"

The woman looked at him as though he were insane and nearly laughed in anger. "Are you crazy? Even all of you together aren't my match!"

"True," Quilod nodded. "But we can still drag you down with us."

The woman paused and looked back at the approaching cloud of dust. She stomped her foot in frustration. "Fine. What exactly do you want?"

"Tell us what that thing is, where this place is, and what exactly you're looking for," Quilod replied concisely.

"There's no time to explain all that!" the woman shouted.

"We can talk while moving."

"Deal."

Only then did Quilod turn to the few remaining Dawnstar members. "Leave two people behind to lure it away. Everyone else follows the group."

"Wait." Fang Heng finally managed to cut in. "We can't do that. This is the Zone of Silence, Mr. Quilod."

Quilod froze, his expression turning extremely grim. Scarpe even blurted out a curse. "Those bastard Jefflitte Redcoats! I knew they were up to no good!" The others began cursing as well.

But after a moment, Quilod still looked toward the two people who had decided to stay behind. One was a warrior, the other a rogue. They merely nodded to him, then turned without a word and headed in that direction.

Fang Heng watched the scene in surprise.

"It's not as if we've never fought in a Zone of Silence," Scarpe said softly after looking at him. "Sacrificing two people is better than leaving everyone here. That's what a team is. Besides, aren't you planning to go to the Second World? Let me remind you—there are only Zones of Silence on the Continental Bridge."

Fang Heng fell silent.

"Go on, then. What is that thing?" Quilod finally turned back and asked the woman.

"That is a Guardian, the crystallization of ancient alchemists' wisdom. More precisely, it is a Numenor Elf legacy."

"Your goal was to fight over that thing?"

"Unless we're insane." The woman rolled her eyes. "Guardians are a type of ancient Dragon Knight, but their control crystals have been destroyed. They only obey the last command they received, attacking any creature that hinders them from carrying it out."

"Then what is its command?" Fang Heng could not help asking.

"That's guild confidential. I can't tell you."

Quilod glanced at her but did not press the matter.

Only then did Fang Heng begin to feel the pain. Every wound on his body hurt, but the worst was the piercing agony in his hands, so intense that he began groaning. "Bear with it," Scarpe said gently, shooting the woman an irritated look.

The woman looked at her bloodstained dagger, then at Fang Heng's mangled hands, and could not help feeling a little embarrassed. "It's not my fault," she answered dejectedly. "I didn't intend to do anything to someone with a Life Profession. I just didn't expect him to be so..."

Fang Heng shot the woman an annoyed glare.

But just then, they suddenly saw the rogue who had left earlier running back. His face was full of terror as he shouted at Quilod, "Captain, we can't lure it away!"

"What do you mean?" Quilod was stunned.

He immediately understood what that meant.

With a thunderous crash, a building not far away suddenly collapsed entirely. Amid the swirling dust, the massive head of the Constructed Giant Worm appeared in that direction. Fang Heng did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt that all eight of that terrifying thing's beam-like eyes were focused on him alone.

"What is going on?" Quilod had clearly noticed as well and quietly asked the woman.

To his surprise, the woman was even more bewildered. Her face pale, she shook her head. "I don't know either. This thing normally never leaves the inner area of the ruins. Today, it's like it has gone mad..."

"Ed."

Fang Heng suddenly heard Scarpe calling him.

Scarpe stared fixedly at his backpack and asked, "What is glowing inside your backpack?"