Chapter 235: Intrigue Of The Sanctuary

The Forgotten Knight was still listening to the conversation unfolding within the pavilion when, without warning, he felt dizzy.

He immediately shook his head, attempting to use the sudden movement to clear his thoughts. Yet before he could do anything else, a realization struck him.

Wait a minute, wasn’t he still in a spiritual form? Therefore, physical sensations such as dizziness should not affect him.

His brows furrowed. It was only then that Regaleon realized the sensation was not coming from him at all. Rather, it was the scene before him.

The figures within the pavilion had begun turning illusory.

Their bodies flickered in and out of existence as though the very fabric of the vision was struggling to maintain them. The walls of the pavilion distorted next, their edges trembling before becoming indistinct.

Then the entire scene began to flicker.

It reminded Regaleon of an image displayed upon a screen that was receiving an inadequate signal—appearing for a moment before breaking apart into distorted fragments, only to return again.

"What..." Regaleon muttered in confusion as he stared.

He could still see the thirteen Etheryeans speaking, their mouths moving as they continued their discussion. However, their voices had become incomprehensible.

Whatever they were saying, he could no longer hear it as the distortion continued to worsen.

The silver-haired Knight immediately understood that something was happening to the vision itself.

His expression tightened because there was still too much he did not understand and needed to learn. Also, there were still countless questions he needed answered.

Yet just as he tried to focus his consciousness more deeply upon the fading scene, he suddenly felt something pulling at him.

A powerful suction force seized his spiritual body which caused Regaleon’s eyes widened and at once, he tried resisting the sudden force.

He concentrated upon the pavilion, attempting to plunge his consciousness deeper into the distortion in hopes of gleaning even one more piece of information.

At the same time, he fought against the force attempting to drag him away. He tried... He truly tried but no matter how firmly he anchored his consciousness, the force pulling him away continued to strengthen.

The vision rapidly deteriorated; the pavilion stretched into an indistinct blur while the Etheryeans became nothing more than flickering silhouettes.

Regaleon gritted his teeth but determination alone could not overcome whatever force governed the Reliquary. In the next instant.. The suction force won.

And suddenly, Regaleon felt something violently yank at his consciousness...

His head throbbed with a searing headache.

"Urgh!"

A painful groan escaped his lips as his consciousness was violently wrenched back into his body.

His golden eyes fluttered open.

For several moments, his vision remained unfocused, his pupils swirling with agonized emotion as pain coursed through his head.

Regaleon frowned deeply and immediately reached for his temples, rubbing them in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing.

He was a Flesh Artificer; pain of this superficial nature should have been little more than an inconvenience to someone whose body had already undergone extraordinary refinement.

Yet this headache felt different. It seemed to exist upon a more profound physiological plane, as though the pain had originated from somewhere deeper than his flesh.

Regaleon remained there for several minutes, rubbing his head while occasionally groaning beneath his breath. Eventually, the pain began to subside and only then did he properly perceive his surroundings.

At first, Regaleon thought he had returned to the multicolored space of his Reliquary but as his vision gradually cleared, he saw something entirely different.

A burning orange flame flickered at the center of a dry cave with several bodies laying sprawled around it, their breathing slow and steady.

Regaleon blinked repeatedly, the familiar motion enabling him to relax and that was when he finally realized that he was back in his physical body.

The silver-haired Knight slowly examined his body, moving his limbs and checking himself for any injury. After confirming that he was unharmed, he finally released a quiet sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, while doing so, his gaze fell upon several crystalline fragments scattered around him and his expression immediately changed.

These were the Aether Cores... Or rather, what remained of them as the crystals he had been using to supply energy to his meditation had been completely destroyed.

Regaleon stared at their depleted state and immediately understood something critical. It seems the sudden interruption of the vision had most likely been caused by the destruction of the Aether Cores.

He had been using their Aether to supply energy to the Heart within his chest. If that energy supply had suddenly ceased, then it made sense that the Reliquary’s operations would have been interrupted.

Regaleon’s gaze dropped toward his chest, where he sensed that the Heart remained completely inactive.

"So that’s what happened..."

He released another exhausted sigh.

The explanation was plausible... Perhaps even the most plausible explanation available to him.

Still, Regaleon could not help feeling disappointed. He had been so close to learning more; yet despite the abrupt interruption, he had not returned empty-handed and that was the only good news out of this ordeal.

He had obtained several valuable pieces of information; things he wouldn’t have known had he not discovered the Reliquary.

For several moments, he stared into the fire, the orange flames dancing silently within his golden eyes.

He could not help wondering about the strange Heart residing within him but he was not foolish enough to believe he could uncover its origin simply by thinking about it.

If he truly wanted to know how the Heart had come to exist within his body, he would have to find the person responsible for placing it there in the first place.

And judging by everything he had just experienced, Regaleon could no longer dismiss one possibility... His mother.

The reasoning was simple.

The connection between himself and those ancient Etheryeans was far too obvious to ignore. Who else could possibly have been connected to such people?

His mother was the only person he could think of.

Regaleon had considered the possibility before, but he had previously dismissed it because, at the time, he lacked sufficient evidence.

Now, however, the circumstances were different.

With a clearer mind, he could no longer ignore the possibility that his mother had some connection to those people—and perhaps even to the existence of the Reliquary itself.

But those were thoughts for another time because he could not confirm the veracity of such a theory as his mother was already dead and there was no way to question her.

Regaleon sighed once more. For a while, the silver-haired Knight remained seated cross-legged beside the dying fire, his mind swirling with innumerable thoughts.

It was hardly surprising.

He had just experienced something so extraordinary that expecting his mind to immediately settle would have been unreasonable.

He needed a few moments to simply process everything.

Eventually, Regaleon managed to gather his thoughts and that was when he looked across the cave.

Before beginning his meditation, he had made certain that everyone else was asleep so that he would not be disturbed.

Judging by their unmoving forms, they still were; well, everyone except Aelric. Regaleon’s gaze shifted toward the green-eyed youth standing near the mouth of the cave.

Aelric was keeping watch, his eyes fixed upon the ominous Crimson Forest beyond.

Regaleon rose to his feet, his movements quiet as he approached him. Apparently, Aelric had heard his footsteps, because Regaleon had barely reached him before the green-eyed youth glanced over his shoulder.

The moment Regaleon came to stand beside him, Aelric raised a brow and commented. "It seems you are unable to sleep as well."

Regaleon tilted his head slightly before turning his gaze toward the forest.

"Hmm." He paused briefly before speaking. "But I wouldn’t blame sleep for it. It is quite normal to feel restless on the eve of an anticipated event."

Aelric chuckled softly. "I see but it seems the others do not share the same sentiment."

As he said that, his head tilted toward the cave where the others remained deeply asleep.

Regaleon merely shrugged without giving an immediate response.

For a moment, silence settled between them. The only sounds were the faint crackling of the fire behind them and the distant, indistinct noises of the Crimson Forest.

Then Regaleon turned toward Aelric and questioned. "Aelric, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What do you want to know?" Aelric’s expression displayed curiosity.

Regaleon narrowed his eyes. Then his voice became more serious, carrying a trace of apprehension as he asked. "Can you tell me what kind of place the Sanctuary is?"

Aelric remained silent.

"You already told us that it is a place where survivors like ourselves can find solace," Regaleon continued. "But I’m certain that is merely the superficial aspect of it."

His gaze remained fixed upon the forest.

"I want to know more. I need to understand what awaits us so that I can prepare the others."

Aelric stared at him for a moment before chuckling. "You know what, Regaleon? I admire you."

Regaleon glanced at him and lifted a brow.

"A lot, actually." Aelric smiled faintly. "Unlike many of the people I’ve met, you truly are noble and considerate. I suppose that explains why the others so often choose to follow your lead."

Regaleon was not particularly moved by the compliment. He simply waited, wanting an answer. After a moment, Aelric turned back toward the forest.

"You see, the Sanctuary may be a safe haven for people like us, but that does not mean it is a peaceful place." His voice became quieter. "It is still a place of intrigue."

Regaleon frowned but didn’t interrupt as he allowed the green-eyed youth to go on with his explanation.

"Like a kingdom, the Sanctuary has its own schemes and plots. There are situations where your wits will serve you far better than your strength."

Regaleon turned toward him. "Well, that doesn’t sound very reassuring."

Aelric chuckled as though he had heard an amusing remark. But when he turned toward Regaleon again, his expression had become serious.

"That is precisely the point, Regaleon." His green eyes reflected the dim orange light from the cave. "You are in the Nether Lands..."

He looked toward the dark forest once more.

"So you should expect nowhere to be truly pleasant within its vast, merciless, and treacherous expanse..."