Not from the night cold—the air at the edge of the Whispering Forest was merely cool—but from vibrations that could only be felt by her dead left eye. Her tiny hand gripped Nyxaria's robe until her knuckles turned white.
"They're coming. From the sky."
Those four words hung over Lazarus's nearly extinguished purple fire, piercing the loaded silence that had blanketed the camp since they left the temple. Nyxaria didn't move. She raised her face toward the north, toward the expanse of stars that suddenly pricked like holes in a black cloth. Her level 999 senses stretched, probing the darkness.
A subtle disturbance. Like static pressure before lightning. But why can't I pinpoint the source? Mara observed her internal interface. No threat notifications. No red marks on the mental map. Just... an offness. Like a needle trying to pierce reality's curtain from behind.
"My lord?" Lazarus froze in the middle of his attempt to relight the fire, his dark green hand halting in the air. His glowing eyes scanned the sky. "I don't sense anything."
"Me neither," Seris whispered, rising from her seat with an agile movement. Her daggers were already drawn, her reflexes honed over decades as a scout speaking louder than logic. "But if Lumi says..."
"They have high-level camouflage." Nyxaria stood, her voice flat. Lumi immediately clung to her waist, her small face hiding behind the robe's folds. "Not just [Stealth]. This... is authority. Holy magic modified to be undetectable."
Like a cheat engine hiding player tags. Bastards. Mara moved her right fingers, gathering her INT energy. She couldn't use [Realm Census]—cooldown still eight hours. But she had another way. She activated [Corruption Trace] with a thin flow of her mana. The world around her shifted in her perception—the Whispering Forest trees faded into bluish-gray silhouettes, the ground emanating remnants of ancient energy pulsing weakly. And in the northern sky, three golden light points glowed like misdirected falling stars.
"Three. Moving fast. Level..." She tilted her head, trying to calibrate the intensity. "One hundred forty. One hundred fifty. And one... one hundred eighty."
Lazarus grinned, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. "Oh, interesting. Sent the heavy ones directly. The Church isn't messing around."
"Inquisitors," Seris hissed. "Must be."
Those light points moved at abnormal speed—not ordinary flight, but some kind of consecutive short-distance teleportation, leaving trails of holy light that faded quickly. They would arrive in less than two minutes. Treaty Stone. That thought flashed through Mara's head. That stone is in the folds of her robe, still warm, still emanating a subtle historical resonance. If we fight, the vibrations could damage it. Not to mention if struck directly...
"We can't fight here," Nyxaria said, her voice cutting through the decision that had just crystallized in Mara's mind. "That stone is fragile. High-scale battle vibrations could crack it."
"Then?" Seris asked, her eyes not leaving the sky. "We face them somewhere else? Or..."
"We run."
Those two words were spoken calmly, without shame. But for Lazarus, it was like an impossible command. "Run? My lord, we can destroy them! Even level one hundred eighty is only—"
"It's not about can or cannot." Nyxaria cut in, her ruby red eyes sweeping Lazarus's face. "This is about priorities. That stone is more valuable than proving our power. And..." She paused for a moment, feeling the disturbance in the air growing stronger. "They're not coming alone."
[System Feedback]
Multiple High-Grade Concealment Fields Detected.
Ambient Mana Signature: Divine-Class (Modified).
Threat Assessment: Pursuit Specialist.
They must have backup. Or worse, they're just the spearhead. If we get trapped fighting, the others could sneak in and take the stone. Mara bit her lip internally. Must run. But where?
[Shadow Step] could take them directly to Sanctuary. But its cooldown was five minutes. And she had to bring four people—herself, Lumi, Seris, Lazarus. That was the safe limit. But... there was another problem. "If we use [Shadow Step]," Nyxaria said, half to herself, "they'll trace the teleportation trail. They're artifact specialists. They have ways."
"Then we have to disrupt their tracking first," Seris interjected, her mind working quickly. "Give me and Lazarus time. Five minutes. You take Lumi and go first, we'll be the bait."
"Don't be foolish," Lazarus growled. "You're level seventy-eight. I'm ninety. Fighting level one hundred eighty? That's suicide!"
"Not to defeat. To slow down." Nyxaria looked toward Seris. The elf stood upright, her gaze sharp and full of determination. No fear. Only the cold calculation of a scout who knew the precise value of sacrifice. Beside her, Lazarus sighed dramatically, but a thin smile appeared on his lips.
"Alright," the necromancer muttered. "If it's for my lord. But I request permission to use [Bone Fortress]. It will consume half my bone collection reserves."
"Do it." Nyxaria nodded. She felt those light points drawing closer—now only one kilometer away, and their speed wasn't decreasing. Time was almost up. "You have five minutes. After that, run south. I'll retrieve you."
"Where, my lord?"
Nyxaria closed her eyes, concentrating. The mental map of Aeternum opened—she remembered their travel route yesterday. There was a large river to the east, flowing into a deep gorge. "At the Nighthollow River cliff. There's a small waterfall. Wait there."
"Understood." Seris was already moving, taking position behind a large tree, her body merging with the shadows. Lazarus moved his hands, bones and skeletons began emerging from the ground like strange plants growing swiftly.
No time for dramatic farewells. Nyxaria pulled Lumi closer, feeling that small body trembling. "Hold tight." Lumi nodded, her face pressed against Nyxaria's chest.
[Shadow Step] activated.
The world vibrated. Not a physical vibration, but a shift in reality's layers. Space folded around them, colors faded to gray, sounds vanished replaced by an empty buzz. Lumi let out a small scream—a sound immediately drowned in the silence of teleportation. Mara focused her thoughts on one point: Sanctuary. Obsidian Aegis. Throne room.
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But something was wrong. Pressure suddenly slammed them like an invisible wall. [Shadow Step] was hindered, thrown out of the spatial fold before reaching its destination. They reappeared in the air, twenty meters above the ground, in the middle of a forest that wasn't the forest they'd left.
What—?!
Nyxaria touched down on one foot, absorbing the impact with [Sovereign's Barrier] that flashed momentarily. Lumi was clutched tightly to her chest. Around them... tall trees with silver-colored leaves. The Whispering Forest. But they should have been far from here.
[System Feedback]
Spatial Lock Detected.Divine-Class Interdiction Field Active.
[Shadow Step] Interrupted. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
They have an area lock! Mara cursed internally. Skill to block teleportation. Very high level.
From above, laughter sounded.
Three figures descended from the sky gracefully, wings of light made of pure energy spreading on their backs. The first, a blonde-haired man with clean white armor, his blue eyes sharp like ice. Level 180 displayed above his head: [Inquisitor Valerius]. The other two, a woman with short red hair and a large-bodied man with a scarred face, levels 140 and 150. "Immediately tried to run?" Valerius said, his voice smooth but piercing. "Wise. But unfortunately, we've already anticipated it."
Nyxaria stood upright, her hand sheltering Lumi. Inside, Mara screamed: Five-minute cooldown! We're trapped!
"Seris, Lazarus, they're still at camp," Lumi whispered, her voice hoarse. "Enemy... more numerous. Hidden."
More numerous? Mara swept the area with [Corruption Trace]. She saw it now—twelve other golden light points, scattered around them in a circular formation. Levels 80-100. Support troops. They were using group camouflage, making them register as one large entity earlier.
We're surrounded. And the Treaty Stone...
The stone in her robe's folds felt increasingly warm, as if responding to the presence of holy magic around them. Nyxaria drew a slow breath. "You're carrying something that's not yours, demon," Valerius said, landing on the ground ten meters in front of her. His hand held a long sword glowing with holy light. "[Treaty Stone]. Forbidden artifact. Surrender it, and we'll grant you a quick death."
"A quick death," Nyxaria repeated, her voice flat. "Are you certain you can deliver it?"
Valerius smiled thinly. "You're level 999. But you also carry a burden. A child. And an artifact that can be destroyed by battle vibrations." His eyes narrowed. "We were informed about that. That's why we didn't attack immediately. We don't want to damage the evidence."
They know. The Guardian was right—the Church has internal information about the temple. Mara felt cold creep down her spine. They're deliberately forcing us to fight with the risk of damaging the stone. "So," Valerius continued, "your choice is simple. Fight and destroy the artifact you're trying to protect. Or surrender."
Weighted silence.
Nyxaria didn't answer. She stared straight into Valerius's eyes, letting that silence harden into psychological pressure. The air around them grew heavy. The silver leaves on the trees stopped hissing. Even the Inquisitor troops behind Valerius looked slightly nervous.
"I have a third choice," Nyxaria finally said. She raised her left hand—not to attack, but to make a simple circular gesture. [World Edit: Corruption] wasn't activated. Instead, she used something more subtle: an intervention in the interdiction field's magic matrix.
With INT 12,500, she could perceive the holy magic pattern locking the space around them. It was intricate, but not impossible to disrupt. She didn't need to shatter it—she just needed to create a small gap. "You think you can cancel [Divine Lock]?" Valerius laughed. "That's level 250 authority. You might be strong, but—"
Nyxaria closed her hand.
Crack.
A subtle cracking sound, like glass breaking in the distance. The interdiction field vibrated, then at one point—right behind Nyxaria—a distortion the size of a door appeared.
"RUN!" Nyxaria shouted, not to the enemy, but toward the forest.
She didn't run alone. She leaped backward, carrying Lumi, while her other hand gathered energy for [Void Severance]. She didn't target Valerius—she slashed the ground between them.
A purple rift split the earth, spewing soil and roots into the air like a diversionary curtain. Valerius growled, deflecting debris with a light shield. The two Inquisitors beside him advanced, but were hindered by the shockwave.
Nyxaria turned, plunging into the forest. Her feet shot forward at a speed that made leaves hiss loudly. Lumi curled up against her, her face pale.
East. River. Water can disrupt their tracking. But... [Shadow Step] cooldown still four more minutes. From behind, war cries. Holy light blazed, followed by explosion sounds and the scream of breaking bones. Seris and Lazarus. They were already fighting.
Hold on, you two. Hold on.
She ran past trees that seemed to accommodate her steps—the Whispering Forest indeed wasn't friendly, but perhaps still respected the Treaty Stone bearer. Its paths didn't change. But the pursuers were fast. Three figures with light wings shot above the canopy, following from the air. They threw light arrows that stabbed into the ground around Nyxaria, trying to force her to stop. One arrow nearly struck her shoulder. Nyxaria swerved sharply, dodging. But its vibration also reached the Treaty Stone. She felt the stone pulse unstably in her robe's folds.
Can't continue like this.
"Mama," Lumi whispered, her hand pointing left. "Water. Below."
Water? Below?
Nyxaria followed Lumi's pointing direction. Among the bushes, there was a stone gap—a small cave mouth almost covered by roots. From inside, the sound of trickling water could be heard.
Underground river.
Without thinking long, Nyxaria plunged in. Darkness greeted her, cold and damp. She activated [Corruption Trace] for vision in the dark. The cave was narrow, but enough to pass through. Below, black water flowed rapidly.
"We go in?" Lumi asked, her voice trembling.
"We go in."
Nyxaria jumped into the water. The cold pierced. The current was strong, immediately pulling them into the dark tunnel. Nyxaria tightened her embrace on Lumi, while her other hand tried to find a hold. Wet stones slid under her fingers. From behind, Valerius's shout: "They went into the underground river! Follow!"
But his voice was soon drowned in the roar of water. The tunnel grew narrower, the water faster. Nyxaria was swept away, unable to fully control direction. She could only protect Lumi and try to keep the Treaty Stone safe.
Once, her back struck a sharp stone. [Sovereign's Barrier] automatically activated, absorbing damage. But the vibration was still felt.
That stone...
She felt an abnormal pulse from the Treaty Stone. Like a heart beating irregularly. They were swept away for perhaps three minutes—but it felt like half an hour. Finally, the tunnel widened. Dim light appeared ahead.
They were thrown out from the cave mouth, falling into a shallow pool beneath a small waterfall. Nyxaria stood staggering, water pouring from her robe. Lumi coughed, but still gripped tightly.
[Shadow Step] was ready.
But before she activated it, she searched her robe's folds. The Treaty Stone was still there. But... there was a crack. A fine crack, one centimeter long, cutting through one of the witness signatures on the stone's surface. From that crack, pale blue light seeped out, then dimmed.
"No," Nyxaria whispered.
[System Feedback]
Artifact Integrity: 94%.
Stress Fracture Detected. Resonance Weakening.
Hit by the vibration earlier. Or when striking stone. Mara felt her chest tighten. This is my fault. But there was no time to blame herself. From inside the cave, golden light began appearing. Valerius and his troops had already caught up. Nyxaria activated [Shadow Step] for the second time. This time, no interdiction field. Space folded, and they appeared at Obsidian Sanctuary's gate. Lumi collapsed to the ground, soaking wet and shivering. Nyxaria stood upright, water still dripping from her body. The NPC guards at the gate were startled, but immediately saluted.
"Take Lumi inside, dry her, give her warm clothes," Nyxaria commanded one of the servants.
"My lord, what—"
"Do it."
She walked toward the throne room, the Treaty Stone gripped tightly in her hand. Its crack was clearly visible under the ceiling's crystal light. When she placed it on the obsidian altar, that crack... widened.
Just a little. But enough to make the light inside that stone grow increasingly dim.
[System Feedback]
Artifact Integrity: 92%.
Degradation Rate: 0.5% per hour.
Estimated Total Failure: 8 days.
Eight days. Nyxaria stared at that stone, fists clenched. Outside, Aeternum's sky began to brighten, sweeping away the night full of flight. But inside the throne room, the darkness actually felt increasingly dense. Mara felt something foreign: defeat. Not from losing a fight. But from losing something she should have been able to protect.
Level 999 power means nothing if I can't guard what's important.
She heard hurried footsteps from behind. Seris and Lazarus appeared at the door, both battered but intact. Seris had a wound on her temple, blood flowing thinly. Lazarus had lost part of his robe, and one of his arms hung strangely—broken. "We managed to escape, my lord," Seris reported, her breath panting. "They didn't chase after you disappeared. They... withdrew."
"Why?" Nyxaria asked, without turning.
"They already got what they wanted," Lazarus answered, his voice stripped of its dramatics, replaced by exhaustion. "They made us damage the artifact ourselves."