Dyon and Ri sat comfortably, each on one shoulder of the stone puppet.
The world around them was a dense bluish-white fog… so dense, in fact, that it was hard to see even a hand they placed directly in front of their face.
Dyon could faintly feel that as they walked forward, the pressure around them was increasing.
'This is probably the part of the world that requires a True Empath to see through… what is hiding here? And this pressure it's… a time limit?'
Using his aurora to constantly keep tabs on Ri, Dyon felt more secure about her safety. But, he still kept his senses sharp. The reason was simple. In the past, a True Empath would have led the young geniuses through this area. These True Empaths would have been so rare that it was unlikely that it could have been anyone else but the King or Queen of the time… after taking that into consideration, how could the King or Queen of the ancient Elvin Kingdom be a mere lower Celestial stage being?
As such, Dyon lied to Ri to help her feel better… telling her that they'd be able to cheat their way through, when that may only be the case after they left this fog. After all, if even the almighty True Empaths of old couldn't protect all of the geniuses, how could a broken-down puppet do so?
Dyon knew that Ri most likely understood he was lying for her benefit. But, he still moved forward with utmost confidence in his actions. For one, he refused to give up such an opportunity… he had to use the energy etching the words into the sky for another purpose soon as part of his plan, so he couldn't use them to keep the castle vacant forever. The second reason was that he knew regardless of the danger, Ri would insist on coming. With that set in stone… the only option was to continue forward.
Ri wasn't a damsel to be protected. Dyon knew fully well that the only reason he handled the stone guardians better than she did was that he had been prepared. Ri could have adjusted on her own. If she couldn't have, how would a simple touch from Dyon snap her out of her fearful state?
Dyon's aurora suddenly picked up something odd. 'There's spatial distortion everywhere…'
"Ri?"
"Yes?"
"I'm about to command the puppet to make some odd movements so we can get out of here, be prepared for sudden movements."
"Mm," Ri sent a slight sound of confirmation.
Dyon silently chuckled to himself. He felt like the leader of a road trip who swore they weren't lost, yet had no real idea what they were doing.
From what he could tell, the fog was concealing what was happening to them, and manipulating them. When they wanted to turn right, they went left. When they wanted to go forwards, they went backward. However, Dyon was sensitive to things like this for one reason: it was an array.
'This array is too high level… how do I get out of here…'
Dyon closed his eyes in meditation, sending his waves of calm towards Ri so she understood he wasn't panicking in the least.
Just like that, a week passed.
With each passing step, Dyon memorized more and more of the array. And with each passing second, his brows furrowed more and more.
Dyon inwardly sighed. 'You're not meant to figure out the array… a True Empath would simply be able to feel the right path… but this is the only option we have. I'm not willing to use another.'
What Dyon didn't know, was that the wills left behind by the Elvin Kings and Queens of old were watching the scene intently. It had been too long since the last members of the younger generation had entered… and there had never been such an odd occurrence.
The crowd of them was endless. They all floated in a fog-filled, yet royally decorated, room. They themselves no longer held any power… not because the wills of the dead had the inability to do so, but because sustaining a special legacy world like this required some sacrifice.
Though, despite being Kings and Queens, they were an odd sight. No longer having humanoid forms, they were but lightly bobbing spheres of light. As such, the communicated with their minds, leaving the room completely and utterly silent.
'A human boy and a half-elf… is this what our kingdom has fallen to?...' A sigh rang out, 'they're just walking around aimlessly… if they had a True Empath with them, this wouldn't be necessary…'
A pause reigned over as no one seemed willing to speak. They had placed so much of their hope for the future in these kids. And, although they had no way of knowing what was happening in the outside world, the drastic declining in talent was clear for them all to see. In fact, since the Elvin Kingdom moved from their original universe, not a single monarch or genius had been worthy of being buried with them all.
However, just as they were about to resign to their fate, a voice of disagreement came.
'It's been a week… and yet they haven't stepped into any of the traps… they haven't crashed into the barriers… in fact, if you pay attention, you'll notice the fact that they're systematically stepping through every area of the array… as though they were studying it…'
This voice came from a will older than many here. It had been so long since they heard his voice, many had thought he had succumbed to his fate and officially passed on.
'Elder brother… what does this mean…'
They were truly confused. How does one study an array that can forcefully make you go in a direction you don't want to? It wasn't a simple matter of thinking you want to go left, but going right, just to force the array to send you in the direction you want. If that was the case, wouldn't it be too easy? No, the array read the will of the those it trapped… it was impossible to trick it in such a simple way.
'That boy, he has an innate aurora.'
'What?!'
