The wind howled, but no leaves swayed. The world descended into the state of silence as the invisible domain enveloped the Fleeting Emotions Ruin. The decree of the Mountain Emperor had suppressed every little movement of the Elements.
Abicel struggled to remain standing as her face showed a sign of suffering and pain. Her disguised human-like skin shrivelled and disintegrated into dust and ashes, revealing her nearly-naked figure. The vines and flowers embedded on her body began to wither, turning brown and grey in shades.
As a nature fairy, her body had already crossed the boundary of humanity into the realm of Elementals, which relied on the circulation of Elements and sorcery energy instead of blood. With her unique constitution, the damage bought by the suppression did more harm to her than to other sorcerers.
As she fell onto the ground, a delicate hand extended towards her and grasped at her wrist, supporting her fragile body from falling onto the ground. The smooth crystal-like skin of the maiden reflected the light rays into a dazzling glare, giving birth to the colours in this silent wildness.
"Keep yourself up, Abicel. The dirty ground is not where a lady should be." Ocelia smiled as she transferred a portion of her sorcery energy into Abicel, who gladly accepted it.
The circulating sorcery energy counteracted the suppression effect, allowing Abicel to get hold of herself and slowly regain control over her power. She looked at Ocelia with her eyes glittering, seemingly in dazed at the beauty of the crystal-like maiden.
As the couple had been to the last floor of the Tower of Succession, they had witnessed and withstood the pressure from the statues depicting the legendary characters, whose power sat above the second-ranked sorcerers.
Although the suppression came from the Mountain Emperor, a third-ranked sorcerer, it contained only a part of his power, and could not rival his full strength. Via adapting to the superior pressure, Forus and Ocelia could easily withstand the suppressing domain.
"Let us hurry towards the outpost before doing anything else." Forus interrupted the ladies' playful time and stepped forwards, leading the fragile Elemental maidens towards safety.
"Halt! Before the Mountain Envoy, you all shall bow." As the group came near the outpost, many brown-robed figures descended around them and formed a circular formation with Forus at the centre.
"My name is Ocelia Coruscare, the eldest mistress of the Coruscare Family. Please send my regard to the Mountain Envoy." Ocelia stepped forward and bowed. As the potential successor of the Coruscare Family, she had to learn about the surrounding world, including the existence of the sovereign of the Mountain Union, the Mountain Emperor.
Hearing the mention of the Coruscare Family, the brown-robed men nodded at each other before retreating, dispersing the circular formation and let a figure came in. He was the man who held the decree of the Mountain Emperor, the Mountain Envoy.
"No need to worry, my dear Ocelia. I've seen you once when you were little. Didn't your father tell you about me?" The Mountain Envoy smiled and spread his arms, letting Ocelia come forward and hug him. With his eyes filled with the kindness of an elder, he seemed to be reminiscing the olden day.
"Uncle, sorry for my lack of etiquette. If only your granddaughter knew of your arrival, she would gladly welcome you with her utmost effort." Ocelia spoke as she glanced at Forus and Abicel who stood behind her. The two positioned slightly away from her and lowered their face, expressing respect for the strong.
"As expected of your mother's daughter, you've inherited her beauty. I reckon that you've received both your mother's appearance and your father's wisdom." Observing her movement, the Mountain Envoy smiled as he complimented her. As he did so, he also swept his gaze past Forus and Abicel.
Although he was one of the peak-staged second-ranked sorcerers, with Forus' exotic knowledge and power, he was able to hide his strange fate and Death Aura from the Mountain Envoy. As for Abicel, with Ocelia's lingering sorcery energy, she could barely conceal her Elemental form in front of the man.
"Now, stay here until your father came. There's something that I, as the Mountain Envoy, have to do." The Mountain Envoy waved his hand and channelled his sorcery energy, creating invisible pressure that propelled him up into the air and floated away.
As their leader had departed, the brown-robed figures moved with the Mountain Envoy and quickly moved towards another direction, skirting around the Fleeting Emotions Ruin until they left the trio's sight.
Watching as the Mountain Union's force withdrew, Ocelia sighed as she looked back, observing Forus' expressionless face as well as Abicel's tired look. The fragmented power of the third-ranked sorcerer had drained her a great deal of her sorcery energy.
"Let's not get involved with the business of the Mountain Union. We could not create any significant impact on the overall situation yet." Ocelia said as the three resumed their journey towards the outpost. They knew their place and did not meddle with deadly secrets.
If the Mountain Envoy did not tell Ocelia, she would not ask him. The secret mission of the Mountain Emperor was too heavy for her to know. Her power was not significant to peer into such matter.
Although their journey resumed, the occasional chats between the girls did not occur. The atmosphere after encountering the Mountain Envoy was suffocating with everyone having many thoughts in their mind. Only Forus managed to remain cold and unwavering.
"Mistress, you are back!" As soon as Ocelia stepped into the outpost, the guards and servants of the Coruscare Family quickly assembled a carriage to come and welcome her arrival.
A few of them looked at Forus for a while before locking their gaze at Abicel, wondering about her relationship with their mistress. They knew that Forus was their mistress' favoured talent, but this female sorcerer did not come with her when she first departed.
"No need for any unnecessary celebration. Prepare the manor for us. I would be resting here for a while." Ocelia did not mention anything, and the servants knew not to disturb or ask anything carelessly. The ruthlessness of the sorcerer families was well-known.
"Let us go. Father is coming." Gazing upon the sky, Ocelia let Forus held her hand and led her towards the interior of the outpost. Abicel only chuckled and followed suit.
No one wished to stop their advance. Even the Ninguis Family did not come to cause any terrible. Their silence was as quiet as the sea. However, Ocelia and Forus knew that it was merely the calm before the storm.
"Strange, isn't it?" Inside a manor at the edge of the outpost, a figure stood in front of a large window and peered into a distance, landing his gaze onto Ocelia.
Behind him, a feminine lady sat quietly, listening to the sound of the heartbeat. The crimson robe that she grew fond of covered her expression, revealing only a devilish smile. Her cherry-red lips moved every once in a while, releasing a puff of air.
"Who knows what opportunity did they get? A treasure, an inheritance, or scrolls of forbidden knowledge?" Her mouth moved, uttering slightly hoarse voice, yet remained charming and naughty.
"Let's wait and see. When things unfolded, we'll naturally witness the result." With his back facing the lady, he spoke while running his finger across the surface of the window.
Golden light formed a trail behind his movement, illuminating the darkroom with its glow. Its pattern changed and evolved, revealing secrets and information unbeknownst to the ordinary eyes.
As the runes formed a vague picture, a subtle shake spread across the room, filling the atmosphere with a sense of dread. In an instant, the golden light completely disintegrated, returning the darkness to the world.
The man whose spell got interrupted trembled backwards as he panted violently, revealing a line of crimson blood that seeped out from his mouth. He had stumbled into a forbidden realm and got punished for his overextension.
The devilish lady quickly stood up and rushed towards him. While doing so, she employed her detection spells and checked for any abnormalities. However, to her surprise, she could not find anything.
"You can stop now. There's nothing to find, just a backlash from touching the path of the future." Although the man nonchalantly said it, his expression continued to worsen as a hint of fear and uncertainty permeated his mind.
...
"Reporting to the Elders, our remaining outposts at the mines had fallen!" A sorcerer barged into the meeting site and shouted on top of his lung, bowing his head to show respect while bearing the news.
"Impossible, how are they able to act this fast?" An Elder muttered as he looked at the frozen atmosphere of the meeting site. Although the death of the Grand Elder was a big matter and significant to the Sect, it would have to take some time before the other Sects knew about the circumstance.
At that moment, everyone lowered their gaze and surveyed their surrounding, maintaining high alert at all time. As the situation unfolded, even a fool could realise the only possible answer.
"Everyone, let us wait here and notify the Sect Leader of this news." As everyone descended into silence, a man clasped his hands together, producing a sharp noise that attracted attention.
"If Lord Siprytas wished so, then we also have no problems." Other Elders quickly agreed with his suggestion. In this situation, the most suitable person to lead the Icy Scorpion Sect was Siprytas, the sole disciple of the Sect Leader.
"Then, report the situation of the outside." With everyone restaining everyone else from acting, a delicate balance emerged from the chaos.
...
Purple clouds raised beyond the sky, filling the dark void above with golden-purple light. The array-like structure flashed in multi-coloured flares as various shapes and forms emerged from the ever-changing sea of nothingness.
A distorted figure remained motionless amidst the great darkness, cloaking in the imperial robe that moved according to the arrangement of the stars.
Her glowing pair of eyes rested shut as she felt the ripple of movement from the void, feeling the subtle quake of the darkness as various events were influencing this incorporeal realm.
Floating around her were thin layers of threads, weaving around her in strange motions, twisting every once in a while. Soon, some would intertwine while others would separate. The cycle would repeat itself yet remain slightly different in every way.
However, despite everything that was happening, the maiden's eyes remained closed. At least, until a particular string vibrated, triggering a series of resonance that threatened the collapsed the whole area of strands.
With a rapid yet elegant movement, her eyebrows lifted, giving way for the purple-golden pupils to shine their brilliance onto the void. The imperial robe trembled as it shimmered in bright, golden light, radiating the majestic authority of her sorcery mastery.
The purple clouds above the sky converged and gathered, forming an immense celestial body that turned darker in the shade, revealing the gloominess that hid beneath the dignified appearance.
The loud, thunderous noises echoed the void, instilling the sense of dread into the fabric of space and time. The strings vibrated and trembled, expressing horror directed towards the purple storm.
The empress extended her hand, making a grasping motion with her fingers. As she willed, the void above her hand distorted, opening a gateway for an antique pocket watch to slip through. As it landed onto her palm, her eyes flashed in a faint glow as her body relaxed before tensing up as she opened its case.
Before she knew it, the long hand had moved again, and it was about to complete its full cycle. As she watched the slow yet steady movement of the hand, pain and regret began to show in her soul, revealing a pitiful expression on her face.
It was two minutes before eleven.
