Chapter 11 – Shadows on the Road
The sun was high when Aurora reached the border of the human kingdom. Beyond the grassy hills, watchtowers rose like thorns against the sky. Guards patrolled the stone walls, their spears gleaming.
Aurora stopped, clutching the strap of her small satchel. "So this is it… the boundary," she whispered.
The world was vast, yet carved into four fractured pieces. Humans, demons, elves and fairies with their dwarven allies, and beast-kins—each clinging to their own lands, each worshiping their own gods. And none of them trusted the others.
She had seen the way villagers whispered about "filthy demons" or "arrogant elves" while she traveled. Prejudice clung to the air as thick as smoke.
Aurora's steps faltered. What place is there for someone like me? Not human, not demon, not even goddess… just sealed away, stuck between everything.
A soft chime pulled her from her thoughts.
[Observation: Host's emotions fluctuate.]
[Note: Emotional entanglements may weaken resolve. Remember: bonds create vulnerability.]
Aurora frowned, crossing her arms. "So you're saying I should just keep running away from people?"
The system's voice softened—not cold, but cautious, like someone speaking to a reckless child.
[Clarification: System does not forbid bonds. It only reminds: attachments may blind judgment.]
[Example: Silvia.]
Aurora's chest tightened at the name. Silvia's crimson eyes, her mischievous grin, the way she had laughed when Aurora finally smiled back—it all returned.
But so did the sting.
"She lied to me," Aurora muttered, her voice low. "She knew who I wasn't… and still pretended. All just to… what? Not feel lonely?"
The system paused, then replied gently.
[Correction: Records show Silvia sought friendship sincerely. Concealment was self-defense, not deceit.]
[Analysis: Silvia's mischief and secrecy stem from her isolation. Her motherless childhood, locked in the castle, limited her trust.]
Aurora's steps slowed. A part of her wanted to cling to that—wanted to believe Silvia hadn't been cruel. But another part, the boy who had been betrayed by friends, whispered: lies are still lies.
Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. "So even here, in a new world, it's the same. People hide pieces of themselves, and in the end… you're the fool if you believe in them."
The system did not argue this time. Only a faint, lingering chime remained, like a sigh carried on the wind.
Aurora pressed forward.
But soon, her attention snapped to the treeline. The forest ahead pulsed strangely, as if the shadows themselves were breathing. A chill crawled down her spine.
She narrowed her eyes. No… this isn't just any forest.
The system chimed urgently.
[Warning: Seal integrity fluctuating nearby.]
[Possibility: Weakening barrier of an ancient dome.]
Aurora froze, her hand instinctively brushing the pendant at her chest. A dome? Here?
The accursed. She had read the fragmented records the system fed her at night—the devourers of gods, sealed away by ancient hands. If a dome was here, then something dangerous lurked close.
Her breath caught. For a moment, she thought she saw movement in the shadows: a figure, tall and cloaked, watching her from the trees.
But when she blinked, it was gone.
Aurora swallowed hard, forcing herself forward. The road to Avalon lay past this forest. She had to cross it—there was no other path.
She tightened her grip on her satchel, steeling herself.
"System," she whispered. "Stay with me. Please."
The system's chime came soft, almost reassuring.
[Always.]
Aurora stepped into the shadowed forest, unaware that the journey would bring her closer not only to Avalon, but to the edge of a truth far older than gods.