Chapter 135: A Broken Soul (2)

In the calm watery emptiness of an ocean, a single skeleton hummed a tune. His Elven roots shone in the pleasantness of his voice.

He rowed a small boat with a canopy in the back, all the while not minding the sun as any undead should. His enchanted paddles occasionally gleamed with the magic infused in them. Though, it lacked the sheer presence of a draconic enchantment.

The paddles and boat, meant to be manned by two men on each side, was easily handled by the strong undead. An undead who for the first time in the brightness of the sun opted not to cover his bones as he had in the earlier parts of the trip. The sunlight in the Fae Realm was a bit different, and he had only been the in the snowy north since Rainer transformed him with his Arcane Magic.

But now, he fully confirmed the sun no longer felt unpleasant to his undead form. A welcome reminder that one day the Sorcerer would give him his body back even if this current result was unrelated to regaining his elven form.

A bit behind the skeleton, Sarah complained, “Lilia...trade spots with me…”

Rainer himself leaned against the back edge of the boat in a half-awake state. All the while he released a subtle amount of Arcane-Ice as a mist in the scorching and humid weather. Luna and Kara sat to his left and right while Lilia sat on his knees, reading a book, while Tiamat occupied Rainer’s hair.

Sarah, sitting on the ground, enviously watched the mist that didn’t quite reach her. She didn’t even care how embarrassing it would be actually to sit in Lilia's place.

It was that hot.

“I can’t,” The girl answered before returning to her book.

“Why…” she moaned melodramatically in response.

“It is an apprentice’s duty to study their master’s magic. How can I properly understand the icy air and cooling mist if I am too far from it?”

Sarah swore she saw a small smirk flash across the otherwise expressionless face of Lilia when she said the words icy and cooling. The [Manaborne] gave up with a huff and lay on the ground. At least she fit under the canopy Luna had made.

Her brother’s half-laugh half-yawn at Lilia’s words, somehow made the temperature seem hotter.

“Come and enjoy the sun,” Gunthar said amidst his humming, far too joyously for her.

A groan of discontent echoed out her obvious response to that.

--

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While the rest of the party slept, Sarah sat out over the front of the smaller boat, looking at the stars and the two moons, both nearly full. The sight truly told her she wasn’t on Earth anymore.

Letting out a long sigh, a voice from behind surprised her.

“It does not do for one so young to sigh so deeply,” A certain undead spoke.

“Weren't you only 52? Is that even old for an elf?” Sarah asked, hiding the fact that she hadn’t even noticed the meditating undead when she had gotten up. Perhaps it was how still he sat?

“No, Rainer would be older than me by that standard. At least, he would have been. That absurd class of his would give him quite a long life even if he were an ordinary man. But that does not change your sigh.”

“I can sigh if I want to. Sleeping on such a small boat,” She complained. Luna easily created coverings that removed most of the awkwardness of that, and easy access to conjured water and a cleansing flame removed most of the other problems. But being in close proximity for so long with a group of lovers who clearly wished to do more than just be around each other at all hours of the day and night was a bit annoying to Sarah who noticed these things, unlike Gunthar or Lilia.

“If you say so,” Gunthar responded, sitting back down in the boat but not returning to his meditation.

A comfortable silence went on for a few moments before Sarah started speaking.

“You know Earth only has 1 moon?” Sarah spoke.

“Vaner…ah my home,” he corrected, “had 3,” Gunthar offered, “These two make me truly realize how far from home I am,” Gunthar mused. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

“And out of the frying pan and into the fire,” Sarah added, referring to the both of them.

Gunthar was confused for a moment at the words but got the general gist of it from context. A frying pan must have been some instrument one places over a fire.

“It will not be this way forever. You’ve seen the progress of the Sorcerer, and yourself for that matter. You will be strong enough to live your life as you choose sooner or later,”

“And if I don’t want to be strong…” Sarah mused, not taking her words too seriously. Her reaction to Yazir had weighed on her. His fake smile and words gave her an almost instinctive reaction to view him as just yet another mage after her for her genes and his power offered an enticing route to make herself stronger. Something that always weighed on her mind every time she saw her grandfather cough or sleep just a bit too long.

Gunthar stood and placed a hand on Sarah’s shoulder.

“There is more than just your brother willing to be strong for you,”

Sarah only nodded in response before heading back to sleep. Not needing to get stronger… It was a comforting thought. But to her, strength was the safety of herself and everyone she cared for. Even if others were willing to be strong for her, she wouldn’t let go of her own pursuit.

Though, perhaps learning magic for once in only her own benefit, rather than the safety of her family, could be nice. She had such thoughts as she headed back to sleep.

Gunthar, sitting in meditation as the rest of the boat slept, only realized a moment later after Sarah patted his hand and he went back to meditation, that she had not reacted at all to his skeletal form.

He let out a quiet laugh. If he only went by the reaction of the Nvos brother and sister, he should be able to openly walk down the street as a skeleton.

And the night became quiet once more.

--

A week and a half went unnoticed, apart from the growing irritation of such close quarters travel, except by at least one member of the party.

Rainer himself did not find his mind all that tired from the daily flight. Partly in thanks to Gunthar taking turns rowing with the enchanted paddles and moving the boat quickly, albeit far slower than flying.

Every night Rainer’s party, except Gunthar, would train different things in an Auto-piloted [Sleep Learning], while Rainer tried still to create an enchanted version of Void-walking, finding himself coming up short.

He opted to just Auto-pilot [Sleep Learning] to let his mind rest from the constant aware uses over a longer period, only entering to set the rest of his party and check for Talvara. He focused on just performing Body Enchantments on the Demon’s corpse, raising [Demon Body Enchanting] from level 6 to 8 and [Internal Runic Formation] to level 6.

Finally, after two weeks at sea, they saw signs of a huge island on the horizon. With the far faster travel done with Rainer’s flight spell, compared to ordinary sailing, it was a quicker journey.

First to jump out of the boat onto the beach, Sarah plopped down in the sand. Towards the end of the journey, she found herself starting to suffer from sea sickness, among the severe lack of room on the boat. Even worse in her mind, she seemed to be the only one truly bothered by the lack of space.

They opted to search for any signs of civilization in the morning, and went to sleep, much to Sarah’s consternation, on the boat once more.

--

Entering the White Void and setting his party members on their auto-piloted [Sleep Learning] once more, Rainer heard a voice call out behind him.

“Missed me?” The Void-being asked at his surprised face.

“Nope.”

“Not even a little?” She asked in faux hurt, moving her void-dark hair over her shoulder.

“I’ll admit to a little.”

“How magnanimous of you, I forever am in your debt.”

“I am quite the generous person.”

Talvara glanced briefly at the [Archon]. Beyond her scheme to understand his title, she wondered when she last spoke so much to someone. Even more so, she recently heard a conversation between him and his party as she waited for him to sleep, something she couldn’t do for long periods of time. About why a Fae Prince, Laneth, became such a close friend.

She learned very quickly that the [Archon] was a man who honored debts to an absurd level. A bad thing for any who make themselves his enemy, but a great thing for the alternative.

And talking to her followers beyond commands would never do. They would lose the reverence they had for her sooner or later. And while punishing one or two was within her power, being a true ruler to the Abyssal Elves was beyond her so long as the Divine pursued her.

And so, she found a part of her enjoying this liaison. And knowing the mage in front of her likely shared an enemy only enriched the situation. After all, those who directly opposed the Divine were few. Those that did so with success fewer still.

Killing followers didn’t really count, as the Void Lords did. So long as they steered clear from Chosen, there was little risk, current situation notwithstanding. And the numerous and minor Divine of the Abyss that they often targeted were not the ones Vara feared. Even though now, many of those followers had the protection of the Elementals.

In the end, she needed a way to hide from the Divine. To finally be allowed into the world beyond the Void after countless millennia. But she knew gaining the knowledge of his title would not be easy. He may even cut off relations with her if she isn’t careful around such knowledge.

She needed some way to bring up her opposition to the Divine and get him to at least share his own displeasure. From there, it wouldn’t be strange to gradually draw the conversation towards his title sooner or later.

“I’ve come with a way to connect you to Aurora,” Talvara spoke, “Those captors of hers are getting disturbingly more able in their attempts to understand her power.”

“How did Aurora get captured in the first place? Or rather what was she even doing in the Southern Empire?” The latter wasn’t really important, but a part of Rainer was still leery of being led into a trap. There was no easier way to get her to slip up than by having her talk.

“I can gain power from the power of Divinity being sacrificed to me, from their strongest of chosen warriors,” Talvara opted not to mention even ordinary followers worked so long as they were ardent in their belief and had the tiniest slivers of Divinity within them as well. Though, it was so small as be to be inconsequential, gathered in enough number, she could use it.

“And in turn you grant them Void Will?” Rainer responded and after which she nodded, “I’m guessing her actions in sacrificing someone from the Southern empire didn’t go as planned?” Rainer admitted to himself to being a little bothered at how she gained her power, but he couldn’t see the so called strongest of chosen warriors being free from blood by nature of their profession as combatants.

“Yes. She aimed too high, along with her father who was with her, and ended up captured while he escaped. As of now priests of their Divinity seek to understand her Will abilities, having users of it amongst them.”

“So, what now?”

“Next you awake I’ll reach out to you and share the connection of Void Will I have to Aurora. It won’t last long, but it should be enough for you to find her.”

“How exactly am I to sense it?”

“Just grab ahold of it with your [Void Detection]. That should be enough.”

“Can you do it now?”

Talvara smirked.

“My how little trust you have. I can, it is a skill of the Void and Soul. As a gesture of goodwill, try simply to sense it from me.”

“Where should I take her?”

“Anywhere where she is safely away from capture. And we shall consider our trade done. There is a bit more you need to do to receive Void Will from me, regarding preparations…”

“We can consider the Void I already took as payment,” Rainer added.

Talvara looked at him in genuine surprise before hiding it away. She did not expect that.

“Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be visiting when I can. For such aid of saving such a promising follower, I do not mind it. And we have already decided to start anew. There is no need. Besides all, the part of our deal involving [Void-Traveling]”, and the secrets of your title, “is not yet complete. Perhaps I can convince you to accept the gift of Void Will, among others,” She said moving a bit enticingly, “at a later date. Return here after you clarify the connection worked for you and you've investigated what's at the other end. Then, you can keep up your end of the bargain.”

Rainer just raised an eyebrow at her, as if to get on with it.

Talvara closed her eyes, in a needless gesture to signify she was sensing Aurora’s location through her Soul and the power of the Void.

Rainer used [Void Detection] and having grabbed hold of it, awoke.

--

With a use of [Void Seer], still keeping [Void Detection] focused on the connection, Rainer used [Void Seer] towards the source of it. What greeted him was indeed the sight of an Abyssal Elf in strangely carved chains gleaming with Aura and something unfamiliar.

Rainer went to wake everyone up, telling that that Talvara had finally offered a way to reach Aurora.

“What’s wrong?” Kara asked, seeing Rainer a bit uncomfortable.

“I’m still not sure it’s not a trap. I still have only the connection Talvara gave me; I wasn’t able to progress enough to reach her on my own.”

“And seeing what lies ahead first?”

“I already did. It’s Aurora, I think, locked in a cell.” He never did see her face before, “She doesn’t even particularly look in that bad of shape,” Apart from only having poor and likely uncomfortable clothes to cover herself, she didn’t seem all the mistreated. Of course, in their efforts to understand her Will abilities, he had no idea what they could have done mentally to her.

He barely understood Will abilities in the first place nor why they were supposedly incompatible with magic as Talvara said. Said Void-being had mentioned her displeasure over what was being done, so something must have happened that wasn’t visible skin deep.

And in the end, Aurora wasn’t human in a non-human hating empire.

“Isn’t that evidence enough, Rainer? If it was really a trap, why wouldn’t they make her imprisonment look more convincing?” Sarah replied. If it was a trap, that seemed like a huge detail to look over.

“You don’t have to do this, Rainer,” Kara added.

Rainer noticed something strange about her tone when it suddenly hit him.

“If Talvara can contact me, even if it’s through the White Void, what if she can contact others through similar methods? Then...the Bounty. Who says her own followers have to fulfill it? She need only tell the Demon Princes Kara’s location or even just the Mage Guilds and Kingdoms around the world the existence of a Half-Demon.”

Kara nodded. She hadn’t wanted to bring this up even though it was on her mind when she learned both about the so-called Bounty and this Void-being talking to him in [Sleep Learning]. But, in the end, it was a large speculation. There was nothing to suggest she could organize such a thing or could even find others to communicate with.

Rainer had already given his theory that it was the Void Will inside him that allowed Talvara to find him in the first place.

“Even just knowing you have a Lady of the Fae with you, Sorcerer, can be used against you quite a bit,” Gunthar spoke.

“The barrier around Aurora is weaker than the one that covered the Ruler’s Palace in the Fae Realm,” Rainer added, looking through [Void Seer] again, “When I go, I’ll be back as quickly as I can and I won’t be bringing Aurora here. Talvara said to meet her again in the White Void to clarify the connection worked. I think we should first make sure this island isn’t deserted, or that if it is deserted, it’s not for a reason that’s dangerous to us. I can always ask Talvara for more time, she did not seem to be in a rush to help Aurora…”

Despite his willingness to go get Aurora and wipe away any enmity with Talvara and the Void Lords, making sure his party was safe behind him was far more important. Leaving them stranded on an island if his rescue took longer than planned wasn’t an option.

They all glanced out over the island they landed on. Its thick plant life was the only thing visible nearby along with the stretches of beach going up and down the coast.

Opting to make sure at least their surroundings were safe before Rainer went back to sleep and contacted Talvara again, their goals of exploration were more immediate. With a plan to stay along the beach, they moved forward, the light of Rainer’s armed [Arcane Bolt]s showing their way.