Staring at the being shrouded in brilliant mystical light , Riuki blinked rapidly , he was not sure if he were still suffering from the ghoul's attack or if this was real.
For that matter he couldn't possibly find a reason for him to be alive and breathing underwater. Then again he was in the mind if Litei Frost whom he thought to be an entity of old .
Colliding with that reasoning , Riuki looked around the area a bit , maybe he could find clues to escape this place if need arises. So far all he saw was an endless body of water—no it couldn't be called water—covered the entire dimension leaving room only for a shred of sunlight unkownst from hence it came.
Below him were bioluminescent sea weeds that radiated a violet glow and between him and the being before him was nothing but dead stillness.
First to break that silent stillness was the ancient entity before him :
"That unbalanced creature almost corrupted your soul core. It pleases me that I got to you in time. I've also discovered something interesting , you possess the Trojan Destiny yes?".
Speaking casually to something of higher level than him made his heart pound fiercely but he calmed himself down so as to not offend the being who saved him. And not replying to such a simple and straightforward question would also be rude and so he answered:
"Indeed I do."
The old one chuckled and then made a sound like a person clearing their thought making a point that the laugh was over ."If you want to advance to Rank 10 Initiate then you'll need to male a unique discovery or fulfill the wishes of your base level of the Trojan Path."
They continued : "Which means that you will have to become a Trojan itself , only then will you be able to get stronger."
"Thank you , I will take those words to heart and act on them." , inside his heart he exclaimed ; the secret to exceeding the tutorial level of the Trojan Destiny was a major advantage over his peers by a longshot but significant against the other Saints.
The only one he thought of to have exceeded this level was Spear Saint. Now he would at least be able to pose a challenge to the majority of the 22 Saints excluding himself and Spear Saint.
Paddling arms back and forth , Riuki proceeded to float toward the old one. As he approached the intensity of the light they were covered in increased making Riuki squint his eyes and wince in pain.
Though he had gotten his remedy , he still couldn't believe the coincidence.
How could he be saved by one the beings of legend inside the mind of a person he suspected to be one?
It was too much of a coincidence.
[Congratulations Traveler!]
[You have slain a Void Creature: Dread Worm]
[Reward : Soul Essence× 1 Bag]
'Looks like my time is up.' , with terrible timing the Distant Echo announced his victory over one of the ghoul's dreads. Meaning that he would be dragged out of the mindscape the next minute.
He took one last look at the Old One in front of humor , knowing that this may very well be the last time he may ever get a chance for his entire life.
[Warning!!]
[Do not attempt to glance at deities]
[Death in….3…2….1]
"Ahhhhh!!!!!!
"Ahhhbh!!!!!!!!!
"Ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Echo's punishment for looking at beings of either divine or corrupt heritage was obsolete. Death Lasting , an infinitesimal amount of times of pain however this time it was only five times as much as the ghoul's attack.
Screaming in agony , the veins on his head bulged violently , buckets of sweat flowing down and tears masked by the watery mass , each moment the pain rose and his heart beat faster….faster…..faster to the point of no return.
His thoughts which had cleared remarkably jumbled up again. Riuki eventually lost his voice , causing him to gag each time he scram , and each time all kinds of injuries : Bruises, cuts , all brought out volumes of blood refurbished every single time lost by the Echo.
[Do not glance at deities.]
[You will now return to Collapsed Realm]
[Prepare for exit in 3...2....1]
[Exiting.]
(Narrator's Pov : Litei's View)
Immediately after the handsome swordsman asked Litei to tell him a story he continued to look into his eyes for every for every part of the tall tale he told.
Mainly he recalled the time he saw a play in the Amphitheater in Daesun when he was a kid. It was a play recovered from the ruins in Daesun Park ; featuring a young man named Luxly , the brattish son of the Duke of Ireland— One of the nations pre-Techa , whom had come upon a mythic item which could heal any wound regardless of what not.
The play ended up being 4 hours long so Litei skipped some parts to avoid wasting some time for peace and quiet.
Caught unaware he jumped in fright when the young man sitting directly across him jolted suddenly.
Pretending that he wasn't scared , he adjusted his robes and sat upright but the scene only got more awkward as Riuki looked at Litei with suspicion once more.
Old habits caught on and he broke the silence changing his tone more morose and cold:
"Litei Frost…answer this question?"
"Hmh? , what is it…?"
"…"
His patience was at its end with all those damn pauses that Riuki would do between sentences. It was a type maneuver used to bait criminals caught by the government's hunting dogs.
But at the moment all that wasn't important at the moment. "Do you know the story of the first Old One?"
Upon hearing that Litei tensed up , his gaze turning cold and dead like a fish eye and exchanged glances with Riuki. Instantly he partially drew his longsword pressing it against his rib.
Litei still staring at him warily clenched his fists and positioned his right foot accordingly. The tension between the two rose to the breaking point.
==============
Author's Note❄️~
Sorry for the late update , yesterday was a bit hectic so I took some time after coming back home to write 1000 words and the wi-fi was down because of the storm but I managed to update.
Forgive me.
I won't ask for much , just a single collection for today will be enough.
Have a blessed weekend.
~❄️~