Chapter 229 - The Ashen Isle ( Part 1 )

The Demon Continent was waiting for them beyond the horizon.

Jennie was standing on the ruins of the palace in the middle of the courtyard. Her silver-white hair fluttered softly in the afternoon breeze, scattering moonlight-like fragments all around the place. Her golden eyes were fixed at something unreachable and unseen by anyone but her.

Morning had already become afternoon.

Seraiya was wounded.

The walls were destroyed, and their ancient stones spread throughout the streets just like the bones of a dead giant. Rubble and debris of buildings, statues, and fallen kingdom were everywhere; the smoke of fires rose from several locations of the city like prayers.

Nevertheless, life returned.

People started to rebuild the ruins. They moved through them like ants, rebuilding the city piece by piece. Some of them, together with healers, helped wounded soldiers while others, children, played there, laughing and having fun.

That is what victory looks like, perhaps.

Not untouched cities or celebrations. Just people standing up after they had been thrown to the ground.

Jennie’s gaze shifted downward.

Behind her stood Rudy. Her silver-white hair caught the light, and her golden eyes watched everything that was going on around. Her cloak was fluttering with the breeze while her hand rested casually on the handle of her dagger.

Snow was sitting lazily near the broken wall, his nine tails flailing behind his body. His divine eyes were half-closed, but his ears were sharp and attentive, watching all movements and sounds carefully.

Several meters away, standing Roxy and Lucas.

Lucas had already resumed his work as commander, and his armor was still full of dents and scratches made during the battle with Draven as well as blood of those people that died trying to protect Seraiya. However, he had refused to take it off, because the work was not finished yet.

However, Roxy looked quite different.

She did not wear her usual cheerful grin anymore. Her eyes were fixed at Jennie, still, unnaturally still, like she held her breath.

For several seconds nobody was saying anything.

Finally Jennie turned her head towards them. Her voice was quiet but determined.

"We should go now."

Lucas nodded. His voice was calm but his face showed that it was not.

"Then go."

He turned his head towards the ruined kingdom. His jaw clenched.

"Seraiya will survive."

Jennie looked at the ruined city—at its destroyed towers and walls, at smoke, rubble and people, not willing to surrender.

"Will you be able to handle it?"

Lucas smiled tiredly. It was the smile of someone who carried a lot of burden for a long time but had no intention to stop doing it.

"You’ve spent enough time worrying about everyone else."

He stepped forward and put his hand on Jennie’s shoulder. His touch was hard and grounding.

"Now go and save the Queen."

Jennie looked at his eyes. Brown looked into golden. Brother looked into sister—not by blood, but by something much deeper.

"I will."

Lucas nodded. Then he looked at Rudy.

"And take the other troublemaker with you."

Rudy put her hand against her chest in pretended shock.

"Don’t worry. I’ll take care that your little sister does not do something foolish."

Jennie frowned. "Who are you calling a troublemaker?"

Rudy smiled. "You."

Snow raised one paw. "Definitely her."

Jennie looked at both of them. "Why am I surrounded by idiots?"

Roxy finally laughed quietly. It was small but true.

Jennie looked at her.

Their eyes met.

The smile disappeared from Roxy’s face.

For a moment the whole world became much smaller—the world where only two people were standing on the ruins of the kingdom and unsaid words were hanging between them like a bridge that they did not dare to cross.

Unsaid words. Memories of the previous night. Warmth of a hug. Kiss, which Jennie did not know about yet.

Roxy looked away first. Her voice was almost inaudible.

"Come here."

Jennie blinked. "What?"

Roxy moved toward her. Her movements were slow and careful, like she was afraid that too fast motions would break the moment. She took something small out of the pocket of her cloak.

It was a charm.

It was made from a thin silver thread, wrapped around a tiny violet crystal. Little fox-shaped carving was attached to it, delicate and complicated—it was obviously handmade.

Jennie looked at it. "What is this?"

"Protective charm."

Roxy took Jennie’s hand. Her fingers were warm but they trembled a bit.

Without any warning she tied the charm around Jennie’s wrist. Silver thread was soft, and crystal started to glow quietly.

Jennie noticed the trembling. "You made this?"

Roxy nodded. Her voice was quiet. "It’s not very powerful."

Jennie looked at the little crystal. It was beautiful, simple and elegant.

"It does not have to be."

Roxy’s ears twitched.

Jennie smiled. "Thank you."

Roxy looked at her for several seconds. Then she whispered, "You promised that you would come back."

Jennie’s smile faded a bit. She recalled the same words from earlier. She promised.

But promises are fragile things, especially when walking in the territory of demons.

Jennie squeezed her hand, touching the charm. "I promised."

She looked straight into Roxy’s eyes. "I’ll come back."

Roxy stared at her. Then she nodded. "You better."

Jennie smiled. "I will."

For some reason these three words calmed Roxy. Her shoulders relaxed, and her ears lifted slightly.

Lucas stepped away from them. "Enough sentimental nonsense."

Rudy raised an eyebrow. "You’re jealous."

Lucas looked offended. "I’m not."

Snow yawned. "You are."

"I’m surrounded by idiots."

Jennie smiled quietly.

Then she turned to the courtyard. Smile slowly disappeared from her face.

It was finally happening.

Jennie raised one hand. And the air changed.

The five Divine Swords appeared behind her.

Excalibur. Leviathan. Tempest. Eclipse. Gram.

Five different types of energy filled the wrecked courtyard. Golden light. Blue waves. Silver lightning. Black shadows. Red flames.

They slowly spun behind Jennie, creating an enormous circle of energy. The stones around them began trembling and magic began filling the air.

Lucas took one step backwards. "Are you sure about this?"

"No."

Lucas looked at her.

Jennie gave him a small smile. "But it’s necessary."

She raised her hand. And the five swords simultaneously moved. They energies clashed.

There was silence for a few seconds.

Then the air in front of Jennie split.

Not physically. Reality itself seemed to shatter. Thin lines of golden light appeared in the air, spreading across it like cracks in the glass, and the world behind them started shimmering and waving.

Rudy stared. "This is a dimensional route?"

Jennie nodded. "I won’t be opening a portal to the Demon Continent directly."

"Because we don’t know its coordinates."

"Exactly."

Jennie focused even more. The five swords started vibrating.

The dimensional route suddenly began shaking.

Jennie frowned. "Something’s wrong."

The portal flickered.

Rudy approached. "Can you hold it?"

"For some time."

The dimensional path began breaking up at its edges. Jennie clenched her teeth.

Magic infrastructure in Seraiya had been severely damaged during the fight. There wasn’t any stable magic energy left around. Jennie was creating the dimensional route using the five Divine Swords only.

And even their power was not enough to stabilize the route.

"Jennie!"

Roxy screamed.

The portal suddenly twisted.

For a brief moment, something appeared behind it.

Two eyes. Looking.

Jennie froze in place.

She looked at the darkness. Eyes vanished.

"What was that?"

Rudy asked.

Jennie didn’t answer. Five swords suddenly reacted.

Excalibur glowed brighter. Tempest crackled. Eclipse darkened. Leviathan became full of energy. Gram hummed angrily.

Jennie narrowed her eyes. Someone was watching them. Someone was waiting.

"Jennie!"

Rudy grabbed her arm. "The portal!"

Jennie turned back. Dimensional path was starting falling apart.

"We need to go," she said. "Take care of Seraiya."

Lucas nodded. "Take Queen back."

Jennie nodded.

Roxy took a step forward. "Jennie..."

Jennie looked at her.

Roxy paused. Then gave her a warm smile. "Come back."

Jennie smiled. "I will."

Rudy stepped into the dimensional passage. Snow followed.

Jennie stopped for the last second. She looked at Seraiya—at Lucas, at Roxy, at the wrecked kingdom.

Then she stepped forward.

The darkness devoured her. The portal fell apart.

Roxy stayed motionless. The courtyard suddenly became empty.

She looked at the spot where Jennie disappeared. She clenched her fists slowly.

"Come back..."

Her voice was barely audible.

"Please."

Darkness.

That was what Jennie first perceived.

It wasn’t cold. It wasn’t heat either. Only darkness.

Her body was floating through some empty space. There was no sky, no ground, nor any sense of direction. All she could perceive were the distant rays of the five Divine Swords – their flickering lights.

Somehow, she could hear Rudy’s voice from far ahead of them.

"Are we still alive?"

"Unfortunately," Snow answered.

"Good," Rudy sighed.

Jennie tried not to smile.

Then, suddenly, darkness disappeared. Gravity came back.

And Jennie fell.

"Whoa!"

She hit the ground and black sand exploded all around her – dark particles rising up like obsidian dust.

Several meters away, Rudy landed, her body rolling after hitting the ground, but then she quickly stood up again. Meanwhile, Snow landed on four paws and spread out his nine tails to maintain balance.

Nobody moved for several moments.

Then Jennie slowly raised her head.

First thing she noticed was the sky above her head – grey and heavy. There were clouds covering the whole horizon, blocking the sun and making everything dimmer.

Then she took a look around.

Black sand covered the ground everywhere – as far as Jennie’s gaze could reach. Dead trees were rising all around them, their branches sticking upwards and looking like skeletal hands reaching for the sky. Ruined stone structures were scattered all around the area – broken pillars, collapsing walls, half-buried statues and old roads disappearing under the sand.

Rudy slowly got on her feet and started to look around with her golden eyes.

"So... Ashen Isle?" she stated.

Snow sniffed the air. Then his expression changed.

"This place smells wrong."

"How?"

"Demonic energy."

"How much?"

Snow looked at the ruins in the distance with a quiet voice. "Enough."

The wind moved over the island. Black sand floated all around them in the air while dead trees groaned with whispers-like sounds.

Jennie looked toward the horizon.

There was nothing else. No ships, travelers, nothing living. Nothing.

Only ruins.

Silence.

Rudy started to walk toward one of those ruined structures. "This place doesn’t look like it has been abandoned lately."

"No," Jennie agreed.

She reached one of those stone walls, feeling the surface covered with ancient markings – some of which had almost faded due to the years and wind and others which were surprisingly fresh.

Rudy started to clean off the dust of one of those markings. "There are inscriptions here."

"What do they say?" Jennie asked.

Rudy looked at the marks, then her face slowly started to change its expression.

"I think..." she started. "I think they are written in an old human language."

Jennie moved closer and looked at those symbols. They looked strange, but somehow familiar. Not because she remembered them, but because...

She felt like recognizing them.

Rudy traced the symbols with her fingers. "This island used to be a route."

"To where?"

"The Demon Continent."

Jennie’s face became cold.

She looked around and everything suddenly became clearer. Ancient roads. Broken docks. Stone structures...

This island had once been the final stop for people who tried to get to the Demon Continent. A bridge between two worlds.

Jennie entered the ruins.

It seemed weird somehow. She could not say why but everything she saw was so... familiar. The ruined pillars, the old stone walls, the whole structure of the ruins, even the wind.

It felt like she had already seen this place. But that could not be right. She had never come to Ashen Isle.

Or maybe... not as Jennie.

Jennie paused. She could feel some strange weight in her chest. It was as if something was trying to surface.

Rudy noticed her change. "Jennie?"

"I’m fine."

"You don’t look fine."

Jennie looked at the ruins. "I have seen this place before."

Rudy blinked. "When?"

"I don’t know."

She closed her eyes. There was some kind of flash in her mind.

It was a battlefield. An abyss with a black water. A silhouette of a silver-haired figure standing beneath the crimson sky. A sword. Seven swords. And a voice – a voice she did not recognize.

Then she saw nothing anymore.

Jennie opened her eyes. Her breathing became heavier.

Rudy moved closer. "Was it Leonis?"

Jennie hesitated for a second. Then shook her head. "I don’t know."

Rudy looked at her carefully. "Maybe your memories are coming back."

Jennie frowned. "I don’t want them."

Rudy fell silent.

Jennie looked at her five Divine Swords hovering above. Their lights flickered gently and made shadows dance on the ruins.

"I don’t want to become someone who lived a thousand years ago."

She touched Excalibur. The golden sword was hot under her fingers.

"I am Jennie."

The gold of the sword flickered.

"I will decide what I want to be."

Rudy smiled. "Good."

Then she turned towards the inscription again. Suddenly, she stopped.

"Jennie."

"What?"

Rudy pointed at the wall. "There."

Jennie walked towards her. Rudy removed more dust.

Underneath there was a name. Ancient. Almost forgotten. But readable.

LEONIS KINGHEART.

Jennie’s eyes widened.

Underneath the name there was another inscription. Rudy translated it slowly.

"To the King who crossed the Ashen Sea..."

She hesitated.

Jennie waited.

Rudy continued. "...and returned from the land of demons."

Silence.

Jennie looked at the words. Returned. Not traveled. Not invaded.

Returned.

Rudy looked at Jennie. "You’ve been here."

Jennie shook her head. "No."

"But this inscription..."

"I know what it says."

Her voice became softer. "I’ve never been here."

Suddenly, Snow growled.

Both ladies turned to him. The Divine Wolf looked at the ground. His nine tails raised and his ears became alert.

"What is it?" Jennie asked.

Snow said nothing. He bent down and touched the black sand with his paw.

The ground beneath them shook. Once. Twice.

Some vibration traveled through the island.

Five swords of Jennie responded immediately. Excalibur rose. Leviathan floated higher. Tempest emitted sparks. Eclipse cast shadows. Gram was ignited with crimson flames.

Legendary Divine Mark of Rudy lit up under her clothes. She changed her face.

"Jennie..."

"I feel it."

Another shake. This time stronger.

Ruins trembled. Ancient stones started to fall from the ruined structures. Dust surrounded them.

Snow narrowed his eyes. "There is something beneath us."

Jennie slowly pulled Excalibur. Golden blade illuminated the ruins, throwing away the shadows.

"How deep?"

Snow looked downward. His expression became unusual.

"Very."

The ground started to shake again. This time, the whole island trembled. Cracks appeared in the black sand underneath their feet.

Rudy approached Jennie. "What is buried here?"

Jennie looked at the cracks in the ground. She did not know.

But there was something inside her that told her that they would find out soon.

Some deep sound was heard under the island. It was not an explosion. It was not an earthquake.

Something else. Something alive.

Jennie’s golden eyes narrowed.

Ruins started to glow. One by one. Some symbols buried under thousands of years of dust woke up, lighting up the stone like veins of fire.

The Ashen Isle had been waiting for them.

And now... it woke up.