Chapter 366: Ch 365: The Tree’s Dungeon - Part 1

Lyra tried her hardest to stop Kael from moving. But she did not have the strength necessary to hold him back, and even she knew it.

But her instincts told her that if she allowed Kael to head toward that tree-shaped object, then he would no longer be the same person she was standing in front of.

So she tried her hardest to hold Kael in place, and she even used her powers, trying to cover Kael in them.

And it worked.

Kael suddenly staggered, and he breathed in heavily before he rubbed his forehead. He seemed like he was in pain, and he let out a pained moan.

"Ugh, my head feels like it is splitting... where are we?"

He asked, blinking and looking around, almost as if he was in a daze.

Looking at him made Lyra breathe a sigh of relief, but she felt terrified at the same time. She had never seen something affecting Kael like this before.

"I... don’t know where we are. We were walking home when we got pulled in here. And you were acting weird, so I—"

Lyra tried to convey what she felt and what she saw. But it was hard for her to be able to say exactly what she wanted to say.

Kael looked at her for a few seconds before he let out a sigh.

Now that he had more control over himself, he could feel that there was something wrong with this place. His instincts were telling him to get out of here and never come back.

So he could understand why Lyra was upset and having a hard time conveying her thoughts.

"Well, let’s get out of here for now. I will try and force a way out for us."

Kael told her as he raised his staff and used his magic.

But the second he tried to use it, he felt like his magic was not responding. Or rather, it was getting swallowed by something.

He looked behind him to check, but all he saw was that ominous tree that was still calling out to him.

Even now, he wanted to walk toward that tree without any regard for this world or anything else. But if he did...

"Kael, are you getting lost in your thoughts again? Do you need my help breaking out of them?"

Lyra asked and grabbed his hand. And that was enough to make Kael start moving once more.

"Sorry, I was not able to use my magic, and that distracted me. That tree-like thing is sucking me dry. What about you?"

He asked Lyra, and she looked down at her hands before she ignited her magic.

Unlike Kael, she was successful, but it was hard for her to maintain its form.

"I can still use it. But it’s taking a lot of effort. It’s almost like I can only use a fraction of the magic I can feel."

That meant that even her magic was being swallowed. Or rather, the magic she was manipulating was being swallowed while her innate magic remained the same.

"What a headache. This feels like a dungeon, but we cannot be sure. Let’s look for a way out now."

Kael told her, and they started to walk around in hopes of finding an opening. But this palace neither had an opening nor the core.

Moreover, Kael had no idea at what rate time flowed here compared to outside. It was entirely possible that this was a place cut off from even time and space. And if so...

’This will be horrible. Let’s hope that is not the case...’

He let out a sigh, and for now, he decided to lean back against Lyra.

"What are you doing?"

She looked startled to see Kael resting his head against her thighs, but Kael just let out a sigh and nuzzled against her harder.

"Just let me stay here for a few seconds, just like this. I want to close my eyes and fall asleep for now..."

He closed his eyes, and his breathing evened out. He was asleep before he knew it, and Lyra looked startled.

She looked down at Kael’s hair that was falling into his eyes and hesitated before she patted his head. It felt nice, and she wanted to do more. But when she tried, it felt awkward.

After all, she had never gotten to touch someone like this before.

But it did not take her long to notice that something was wrong with Kael and this place.

He was supposed to have woken up by now, but somehow, he was still asleep. Moreover, this place...

"Ugh, it gives me the creeps. Just where did I end up falling with Kael? At least we are together..."

She whispered, but the feeling of something going bad kept rising up more and more in the back of her mind.

It got so bad that she grabbed Kael and decided to run as far away from that tree as she could. But the further she tried to run, the more it felt like she was going somewhere she was not supposed to go.

"Darn it! Have you started to affect me as well?"

She yelled back at the tree, but the lack of an answer frustrated her. She covered a significant distance and decided to look back...

But something was wrong.

"The tree... why is it still so close? Was it not supposed to be further back? This does not feel right."

She complained as she started walking once more. But no matter how far she ran or how quickly, that tree always found a way to catch up to her. She had to wonder if it was her fault, or if this place was wrong...

"There is no fucking way this is happening. Just what kind of place did I fall into? Ugh, why me?"

She complained, and the tree started vibrating, making her panic even more.

But what was worse was the fact that Kael had not opened his eyes even once while this was happening.