Chapter 1164 I’ll Play Along With This Little Farce Of Yours
While Felix’s expansion was happening in the Central Continent, William had already left the Elven Capital and headed to the Forbidden Ground of Hyperborea. He knew that time wouldn’t wait for anyone, so after tying up some loose ends, he set off without another word.
The journey towards his destination wasn’t that troublesome. At least, that was what he originally thought.
However, before he could enter the Forbidden Grounds, he would need to cross the Rhipaean Mountains, where the Guardian of Hyperborea, Boreas, was located.
Only by getting past his trials would someone be able to enter the Land Beyond the North Wind, which was also called the Eternal Garden of Apollon, where an eternal spring could be found.
This was the resting place, and the last hurdle before they finally reached the Forbidden Ground of Hyperborea.
The lands of Hyperborea were considered a myth by the Elves because only one of the hundreds of thousands of Elves that had tried to find the mysterious Domain had returned.
After the survivor told of his hardships in finding the Forbidden Ground, the most that he had managed to reach was the Gardens of Apollon, which was the last sanctuary before entering the lands of Hyperborea.
Out of grief, and fear, the last survivor decided to return to the Elven Lands, never again to step foot in the realm that had harvested countless lives. Even though many Elves tried to encourage him, and even assured him that he would be well protected if he served as their guide, he didn’t budge and lived a life similar to a hermit, away from Elven Society.
Arwen had told William about this tale before he left the Sacred Grove. Although his mother tried to persuade him, the Half-Elf had already made his decision, and had left Soleil in his mother’s hands for safekeeping, so he could return to her side the moment he had finished his task.
In truth, Hyperborea was similar to Atlantis. Finding the Dungeon under the vast ocean was like finding a specific grain of sand on a beach. The famed underwater city had never been found in the past, and William had only stepped foot in it due to the power of the Ring of Conquest, which had randomly sent him to the Legendary City, whose whereabouts was a complete mystery.
“We’re finally here,” William muttered as he stared at the barren lands filled with snow and ice. In the distance, a lone mountain could be seen.
No matter how much the Half-Elf tried to look, he was unable to see the peak because some kind of Divinity protected its secrets, and prevented anyone from scrying through the mists that blocked their vision.
“Master, why don’t you just stay here?” Astrape inquired. “I’m sure that the four of us can easily pass Boreas’ trial. There’s no need for you to endanger yourself in this expedition.”
“My sister is right, Master,” Bronte replied. “It will be better if you leave this matter to us.”
Sepheron and Titania both nodded their heads in approval because they had a feeling that this Forbidden Ground wasn’t as simple as it looked. They were already Pseudo-Gods, and they could feel something dangerous lurking within the mists that made them feel wary.
“It’s fine,” William replied. “I will also take Boreas’ test. I’m quite curious why no one has ever managed to step foot inside Hyperborea. Maybe this discovery would help me in one way or the other.”
After seeing that William didn’t want to budge, the Four Pseudo-Gods had no choice but to stay close to him to ensure his safety as they passed through the white mists that hovered near the peak, and the base, of the Rhipaean Mountains.
As soon as William and his entourage stepped inside the mists, visibility had dropped to zero. They were unable to see, even their own bodies. But, none of them felt anxious or afraid of what was happening around them.
They simply walked forward in order to get away from the white mists as soon as possible, so that they could make the long trek towards the peak of the mountain to see Boreas.
As William walked steadily, he soon found out that the mists around him were no longer as thick as they used to be, and he could faintly see a light in the distance. He had already been walking for what seemed to be an hour, and he could now see the light at the end of the tunnel.
As the black-haired teeanger stepped out of the white mists, he found himself on a cliff overlooking a town in the distance.
William frowned because although he hadn’t seen this place for thousands of years, he was certain that he knew what he was looking at. Although he had lost his memories when he had become an Einherjar, those same memories returned after he had stepped out of the fog that blocked his way.
“Camelot,” William’s frown deepened as he looked at the place where he was born in Midgard. “This is probably just an illusion.”
William wasn’t stupid. There was simply no way for this place to exist, since Asgard had fallen thousands of years ago. Also, how could he possibly reach the city of Kings just by trying to pass the mists that would allow him to arrive at the base of the Rhipaean Mountains?
It was simply impossible, and the Half-Elf was aware of this too. In the end, he just thought that his test had started, and stared hatefully at the castle in the distance.
“Is this Boreas’ trial?” William clicked his tongue. “Quite a tasteless bastard he is. Sure, I’ll play along with this little farce of yours.”
A faint trace of killing intent flashed through the Half-Elf’s eyes as he walked towards the city in which he had many painful memories. It had been thousands of years, but the feeling towards the city had remained, which made William want to summon his Legion and turn the place inside out.
Growing up, he had suffered a lot because he was the bastard son of the king that sat on the throne at that time, but he was never recognized as one of his sons. Instead, he was sent away to Tintagel Castle when he was fourteen, and banned from returning to Camelot in any manner or form.
‘I don’t know if I can trust my memories,’ William thought as he neared the gates of the city. ‘But, if I were to base the looks of this place from the one in my head, nothing has changed much since I’ve left.’
The current William wished nothing more than to burn the legendary castle and its city from the face of the world, but since he is in some kind of trial, he decided to endure it all until he found out why he was brought to this place by Boreas, who was sometimes referred to as the North Wind.
Just as he was walking towards the gate as if he owned the place, a guard that had his sword drawn blocked his path.
“Why have you returned, Boy?” the guard asked. “The King had already decreed that you will never step inside Camelot again. So, you better go back to the countryside and spend your life rearing goats and sheep like a Shepherd.”
The guard smirked, and the rest of the guards manning the gates laughed and cheered at their comrade who was making fun of the black-haired teenager, who had planned to walk through their city gates right under their noses.
Suddenly, the guard that blocked William’s path smashed through the closed steel gate, before falling down on the ground like a puppet that had its strings cut.
The guards stopped laughing and had all drawn their weapons at the same time. They all looked at William in disbelief because their comrade was only following the order of their king.
“Y-You! Are you planning to rebel?!” one of the guards shouted in anger. “You are no longer welcome here in Camelot.”
William chuckled evilly as he looked at the pitiful guards that dared to block his path.
“I originally planned to just go sight-seeing, but since all of you are dumb enough to try to stop me, I guess I’ll just have to force my way in,” William flashed the guards a devilish smile that made them feel a cold tingling sensation pass through their spines.
Black flames erupted around William’s body making the temperature soar. The guards who were all full of themselves a while ago were now screaming in panic as the black flames slowly made their way towards their direction.
“Since all of you wish to die then I’ll be more than happy to send you all off to the afterlife.”
The black-haired teenager was already annoyed that he was brought to a place that he hated. But, the guards further annoyed him, which brought another painful memory inside his head to the surface.
