Chapter 297 (1/2)
Chapter 297
My fingers ran over the arch’s frae structure were e or just bad luck? I had hoped that crossing the frozen wasteland was enough to leave this zone, but clearly that wasn’t it
I turned to Caera “Do you see any pieces of the arch in that pile? It looks like there are at least four or five separate chunks that’ve been broken off, judging by the dae pile for aher head “There’s quite a bit to sort through here, but I don’t see anything else in the same white stone the arch seems to be ing, but I wasn’t hopeful Things were never that easy in the Relicto on the platfor, the violet flaazed up at the ancient structure towering over hi “Do you even need the pieces? Maybe that fancy neer of yours can just…fix it”
“You can’t just fix…” The rest of my words died innited the newly acquired God rune that sat latent within ivenAroa’s Requien
The rune glowed golden froh it, and purple an to swirl aroundthe arch, concentrating where the broken edges stood out against the flawlessly s away, nothing happened I kept concentrating, i the particles of aether had si the crackedthe imprisoned ascenders with no direction from me
But I had seen what to do in the vision of the future…
Maybe I neededof how to repair an item, or what its purpose was, to affect it with Aroa’s Requiem
Or maybe that wasn’t it either
Frustrated more at h
“It’s not working,” Regis said helpfully
“I can see that,” Iaether from my God rune The purple low faded “Try searching the rest of the hall for any pieces of the arch Maybe if we can find them I’ll be able to repair it”
“Maybe? I uy, but ‘maybe’ sounds like—”
“Do we have any other choice?” I snapped, glaring down at the shadoolf pup
Regis’s ears drooped “No, I suppose not”
I sighed asaround the outside wall of the huge space Sylvie and I had never fought like this—but that wasn’t Regis’s fault Sylvie had always beenfoolish, temperance when I was reckless, bravery when I was afraid
Regis, on the other hand, was ths and my weaknesses Was that why I was harder on hiht back to those first moments in the Relictombs, when I woke up alone and powerless—alone, except for hi up in that sanctuary roo she sacrificed herself for e of the platfor down the side, I withdrew the rainbow colored stone that held my bond It had been quite so aether into it, but I could feel that I hadn’t grown strong enough yet Despite everything I’d faced and all that I had learned since waking up icless and broken in the Relictombs, I had barely scratched the surface of as possible with aether
I’et you out of there so to—
“Another relic secreted away from the Vritra?” Caera asked as she slid to a seat beside htly around her shoulders Her navy hair fell in front of her eyes and she leaned down to inspect Sylvie’s egg
“Not exactly,” I said, turning
“It’s beautiful,” Caera said, her words barely a whisper
“Thanks,” I said, hurriedly stashi+ng the egg back in e rune before she was able to study it any ers gripped my forearm and pulled me back to my seat I turned to asted “What was that?”
My eyes narrowed “I don’t think I’ about the colorful stone,” she said, waving my words aith her free hand “How did you do that? Where did it go?”
Nonplussed, I showed her the back ofthat I wore “In my—”
“No, you didn’t” She shook her head, her usual calm demeanor replaced by a childlike excite just now, I could tell Wait, you can’t…” Caera’s eyes widened in realization “Of course, how did I not see it before? You don’t have ”
Mycould be another relic that didn’t need is, or some other convenient excuse…
But as I opened my mouth to speak, I hesitated…tired of it all
What was the point of lying? Caera knew I could use aether She knew I had at least one relic—which was already punishable by death—and probably assuis talk and absorb aether but still chose to scratch him like he was just another household pet
“I…” Letting out a sigh, I pulled up my sleeve and imbued aether into my forearm to activate the dimensional rune “I have a rune—a spellfor is just for show”
“Fascinating” Caera’s ruby eyes shone with intense curiosity as she stared at the coht s at the corner ofa brand new toy
Catching irl was Caera had followed me and lied about her identity She was not only an Alacryan but of the sarona and the rest of his monstrosities that had wreaked havoc on my people
A dark part ofthe Relicto excuses Being honest with ht of having one less secret off my shoulders
A cold touch onme
Caera pulled her hand away “M-et the better of me at times, and I wanted to see how the rune felt…”
“It’s fine,” I said, clearing my throat
I pulled my sleeve back down to cover the rune, but Caera was still staring atona brow
“It’s just…Who are you, Grey?” Caera asked
“Just a soldier that was“You should remember, you met me only shortly after”
Caera narrowed her eyes as she stuck her lips out into a pout “That’s a bit of an oversimplification, Grey If you were to ask me, I’d speculate that you’re some sort of aberration of the Relictombs, conjured of aether to lure es’ endless fortress”
“Lure you?” I scoffed “Excuse me, but if I recall correctly, you were the one who so”
Caera stiffened before clearing her throat “That, I ad away
“So…” I said quietly “Isn’t it about tieted uncomfortably, still unable to look me in the eyes as her hair fell over her face like a curtain She raised a hand and pointed at my chest “The medallion,” she said finally
“The medallion?” I echoed, confused “What meda—”
Realization struck azed at the golden coin strapped to its handle Etched into it was the sign of Denoir House: feathered wings spread out from a wreathed shi+eld
Of course
“Can anyone track me with this, or just you?” My voice caaze locked onto her If Agrona or his Scythes were able to huntbeacon, then I would be in danger as soon as I left the Relictombs
damn it If I was still able to use mana, I wouldn’t have fallen for this
“Only I’ to meet my eyes “No one else can track it, I swear”
She helduntil she dipped her head “Again…I apologize”
I held out the dagger and coin “You said that you expected these back one day Here, take them”
She didn’t move to accept the offered iteer and h to cut her off “You’ve told me how You still have to tellin the air to give a tangible weight to my emotions
“What I said back in the htly “I could tell you were different and…I wanted to know more, to see for myself”
“Then why not reveal yourself?” I asked icily “Why go to all the trouble to disguise your identity?”
“No offense, Grey, but passing dogs can tell how standoffish and untrusting you are Would you have really let me travel with you had you knoho I really was?” she asked, raising a brow
Surprised by the blunt response, I opened
“Besides, I’o” She s one of her dark horns
I stared at the Alacryan noble Even after enduring two zones and a deadly winter storm, her posture remained poised as she sat across fro that reminded me of myself when I had first wound up in the Relicto out a sigh, I spoke oncethe silence “I want to trust you, Caera, but I can’t”
“Then don’t, Grey” Her gaze hardened as she sed audibly “If I har to cause you to think that I’ your purpose here…kill me”
I remained silent, taken aback by her confidence and resolve
Thankfully, the sound of little paws plodding across the silky stone floor drew our attention to Regis
I slid off the edge of the dais ere sitting on, landing the ten foot drop with ease, before walking toward Regis “Did you find anything?”
“Not a da his head
“Which likely means we’ll have to venture back out into the snow,” I added with a sigh
I glanced back at Caera, who hopped off the edge of the platfor the bedroll that I had given her over her shoulders, she gave us a nod “We should get going then”
I shookworse I doubt you’d last very long out there”
Caera frowned “While it would drain my mana reserves by quite a bit, I should be able to endure if I clad myself in my soulfire”
“It’s not just that The stor even with et so the thick blanket tighter around her “That also doesn’t sound like a bad plan”
I is?”
“Yeah, boss?”
“You better spend so to need you back at full strength”
The little shadoolf grinned hungrily before ju situation wasn’t ideal We weren’t equipped for the cold weather, though at least the light orbs floating around the doe amount of blankets for some reason, but I couldn’t find any sort ofhad been daainst Mythelias, which meant the matches and other survival equipment she had packed was inaccessible
“What about your soulfire?” I asked as the two of us sat on the thick pile of bedrolls we had spread out along the edge of the platform near the staircase