849 News End of Side Story: Year 24 of the Arcana Calendar
The pale and dim sky, the topsy-turvy city, and the colorlessness and soundlessness covered the World of Souls in the eternal coldness and silence.
The taller of the two persons who were observing Donnie from outside of the city said in a low magnetic voice, “Rest assured. It’s going to be fine. I’m only trying to figure out what he is trying to do and where he is going after releasing some of his air through such hard work.”
“Alright.” Karl trusted his brother very much and did not say anything else. “He must be looking for a way to get out of his quagmire. Hehe. If he seeks cooperation, we wouldn’t seal and study him all the time. Grandpa Fernando has plenty of experiment materials, and Father has established a demigod path of arcanists. We’re researching him just to figure out what ‘death’ is, how it can be included in the current arcana system, what extraordinary abilities it has, and whether they can be modified into the legendary spells of the school of necromancy…”
The taller person rubbed his temples. “You’re not strong enough and can only count on your talents right now. So, you should not talk much in the World of Souls.”
…
Donnie looked at everything around him in a daze. Staring at the Psalm Hall, which had appeared in the district of the poor for a long time, he was finally back to himself and thought bitterly, I’ve always hoped to visit the Capital of Music, but I did not plan to come under such circumstances.
He was rather ill at ease, not knowing why the mysterious existence dragged him into the World of Souls. So, he did not even have the interest to visit the Psalm Hall before him.
Suddenly, he felt that his right hand was cold. A distant, old, and hoarse voice echoed in his heart. “Go back! Go back to where you belong!”
The voice was both magnificent and cold, numbing Donnie’s soul and making him feel the most earnest summoning from far away and from the bottom of his heart!
It deprived him of his resistance. Just like it was his own wish, he strode forward and pressed toward the deepest part of the World of Souls.
At this moment, Donnie hadn’t lost the ability to think. He was puzzled about the source of the summoning and his own destination. However, he did not find it strange that he accepted the summoning, as though it were his own thought and the only reasonable action.
As he walked on, the cold, monotonous black, white, and gray surfaced on Donnie’s right hand, before it covered Donnie’s whole body. His blue eyes, the silver background of his magic badge, and the silver spots on his arcana badge were all highlighted. He flashed forward, and every step seemed to be covering a long distance.
After a long time, Donnie’s eyes glittered. A group of magnificent, boundless palaces was reflected in his pupils. Many of the palaces rose into the pale sky, their tips beyond the eye, as if they led to the residence of the true god.
It was a splendid and magnificent view that Donnie had never seen before and could never imagine. So, he was stunned there like a vivid statue.
However, Donnie trembled hard and woke up from his shock, because he sensed the horrifying vibes that could collapse his soul. They were only secondary to the black armor in his nightmares and much more powerful than his mentor Robert, shaking both his body and his heart!
Looking at the mummy that was covered in brown, oily cloths, the monster in a black cape with a long scythe and a misty face, the gold skull that drifted up and down, and the enormous dragon of bones, Donnie hated that he had taken the creature identification class so carefully that he recognized what they were the moment he saw them.
The Primordial Mummy, the Servant of Death, the Demigod-lich, and the Dragon of the Death. They were all legendary undead creatures!
Further away, from the horde of the dense undead creatures, a lot of similar air was coming over.
“L… Legendary…” Donnie’s eyes widened. He would’ve been covered in a cold sweat if he weren’t in the World of Souls. He had never seen or got in touch with a legend in his entire life!
Despite the rapid development of arcana and magic, and even though telegrams, phones, satellite stream, and radio programs had made the world much smaller, “legendary” was still something that most intelligent creatures feared and admired. It represented the sublimation of life and absolute domination.
The fear in Donnie’s heart made him back off subconsciously, but the ancient and overwhelming voice was still roaring, “Come back! Come back!”
It forced Donnie to step forward instead of backing off. He was about to approach the evil and horrifying Primordial Mummy.
Donnie’s legs were shaking, and his teeth were chattering. He would love to pass out right now to avoid being torn apart and swallowed by the legendary undead creatures.
However, at this moment, the Primordial Mummy collapsed forward like a mountain and kneeled on the ground, placing its head next to Donnie’s feet.
Without a sound, countless undead creatures fell on their knees, raising an enormous wave, as if they were embracing their dominator and their king!
Donnie looked at the scene in shock. Too many thoughts rolled in his heart. He was both shocked and somewhat satisfied. The feeling of being respected was so marvelous that no wonder so many people sought after it.
“It’s a pity that those legendary undead creatures are not kneeling for me…” Donnie managed to stay awake and flew forward following his heart. Wherever he reached, both the legendary undead creatures and the small festered zombies that even Donnie could’ve killed easily kneeled before him.
After the undead creatures fell on their knees, Donnie was able to see further. Then, his eyes encountered a pair of transparent amber eyes!
It was a monster in the myths, but Donnie, who had been watching stream shows all the time, was no stranger to it. It was a dragon! It was a crystal dragon that was fully covered in transparent scales!
The crystal dragon seemed to be wearing something, which allowed its scales to emit cold and dreamy brilliance even in the World of Souls. However, it was in an extremely weird state. It was crouching among the undead creatures and picking something with its claws. Many gray, bulging bags were hanging on its back, and a black cloth that could only cover its nose was on its face.
The might of the dragon surged at him, and Donnie lost his calmness and shouted, “Monster!”
“Monster!” The crystal dragon was scared too, and its slightly juvenile voice turned sharp.
Then, the person and the dragon both turned around and fled, as if they were both scared of each other.
Observing it from far away, Karl said in amusement, “Why is he collecting garbage here again?”
“With the item that Father gave him, he cannot be perceived by the legendary undead creatures. Naturally, he has to come here to search for valuable materials and gems.” The tall shadow chuckled. “Many materials here are very precious.”
“That’s so filthy!” Karl pinched his nose and raised his voice as he said, “I won’t acknowledge him as my friend anymore!”
The taller person turned his eyes to Donnie. “Is there any secret in the Temple of Spirits that’s worth his return?”
“Maybe something here can help him get out of the trap.” Karl snorted at the crystal dragon’s back, which was disappearing far away.
…
After he escaped from the dragon, Donnie entered the group of enormous black palaces from a side door. The roar in his heart was higher and higher, and the feeling of being summoned was stronger and stronger!
It made him move faster and faster, as if the greatest benefits were awaiting him up ahead!
Passing through the temples, Donnie suddenly beamed with interest, because one of the palaces was full of bookshelves on which countless yellow books were covered with an intense stench.
The instincts of an arcanist made Donnie stop and observe the surroundings.
“Those books must be very precious. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been preserved so thoroughly and emitted colors in the World of Souls…” Donnie thought in delight. He held the deepest love for books because they changed his fate!
Although he had the strong urge of drawing a book out and taking a look at it, the strong sense of summoning prompted Donnie to surpass the bookshelves and run to the exit.
After he left, a young male walked out of a corner that was blocked by the bookshelves. He had silver hair and silver pupils, with an eccentrically handsome face. In a red shirt and a black coat, he was holding an opened book in his hands.
“Hehe. You’re back again? Interesting…” He closed the book and followed Donnie casually.
“Immortality!”
“Come back!”
Similar roars echoed in Donnie’s heart. The black, white, and gray on his right hand gradually covered his whole body.
It slowed and paralyzed his mind. His body seemed to have been occupied and controlled by someone invisible.
Pale and dim fire was ignited inside his pupils. Then, he flew toward the exit up ahead earnestly.
Donnie, who managed to retain part of his consciousness, could only see the things ahead of him and lost the ability to control his body.
Karl, who was tailing him far away, said in amusement, “Is he trying to return to the Path of Immortality?”
“Maybe he has found something in his research, and he is confident to get out of his trouble through the Path of Immortality,” the taller person said casually and did not hurry to stop them at all.
…
The wall where countless faces of souls were gathered, the channel that released the air of immortality, and the landscape that was dispersing and collapsing all the time… The weird pictures popped up in Donnie’s head. Although he had seen none of them before, he had the clear vision that he was about to see them in a minute!
After he left the exit, Donnie saw a “familiar” square, and the wall where the soul faces were frozen stood at the entrance of the palace at the end.
However, there were plenty of other things that Donnie wasn’t familiar with!
Above the palace hanged red banners that read:
[We sincerely welcome the God of Silver Moon to inspect our work…]
[By all the members of the Ninth Research Institution of the Congress of Magic…]
[Portal of All Realms!]
The cheesy decorations made the voice that echoed in Donnie’s head burst out a miserable cry.
“NOOOOOOOO!”
At this moment, a tall and kind-looking old man walked out of the back of the Furnace of Souls. In a tailcoat, he smiled gently and waved his hands, extracting the black, white, and gray inside Donnie’s body and recovering him!
“Mr… Mr. President!”
How could Donnie not know the president of the Congress of Magic!
“This is one of the most advanced research institutions of the Congress. It was founded by Lucien in person for the travel and exploration between parallel universes. Now that you are here, you can visit it by the way.” Douglas did not mention anything that happened just now.
Donnie bulged his mouth widely and forgot to close it. Why could he hear the name of Lucien Evans in such an uncanny place too?
Far away, Karl laughed rather delightedly.
(End of Side Story: Year 24 of the Arcana Calendar)
