novelnext Chapter 229: The Sea of Mists
Chapter 229: The Sea of Mists
"My feet are completely broken," Khaos announced to the empty cliff.
"Your feet are perfectly fine," Silas replied calmly. The blind monk did not stop walking. His brass rings chimed a steady rhythm against the rocky ground.
"I have been walking for thirty entire days," Khaos argued, dragging his ruined leather boots across the sharp stones. "I am a growing boy. I need a proper bed. I need a carriage. I need five sweet buns right now."
"Complaining consumes energy," Silas stated. "Save your breath. We have arrived."
Khaos stopped dragging his feet. He looked past the blind monk. The dense forest had finally ended. They stood at the very edge of a massive cliff. Below them was an endless ocean of thick white fog. The fog churned and twisted violently, hiding the ground far below.
"This is a dead end," Khaos frowned. "You walked us off a cliff. You really are blind."
"Look up," Silas instructed.
Khaos tilted his head back. His bright violet eyes widened in absolute shock.
Hanging directly in the sky above them was a mountain. It was not attached to the ground. It floated effortlessly among the clouds. Massive waterfalls spilled from the edges of the floating island, turning into sparkling mist before they ever reached the fog below. Towering spires of white stone and shining silver glass covered the entire peak.
It was Arcania.
"It really floats," Khaos whispered. He dropped his wooden toy sword onto the rocks.
"I do not tell lies," Silas said. "It is the pinnacle of arcane mastery."
"How do we get up there?" Khaos asked, picking his sword back up. "Do you have a very long rope?"
"We do not climb," Silas pointed his staff at a circular stone platform resting near the edge of the cliff. "We ascend."
Silas walked onto the circular stone. The surface was covered in glowing blue runes. Khaos followed him cautiously. He stepped onto the runes and looked down. The blue light felt warm against his tired feet.
"Hold onto my robe," Silas commanded. "The ascension is incredibly fast. If you fall off the edge of the light, you will plummet into the Sea of Mists and die."
Khaos gripped the rough grey fabric of the monk’s robe tightly. "If I die, I will haunt you."
"Prepare yourself," Silas said. He tapped his wooden staff directly onto the center rune.
A blinding flash of blue energy completely swallowed them. Khaos felt a terrifying pull in his stomach. The world blurred into a vertical streak of colors. The wind roared deafeningly in his ears. He closed his eyes and squeezed the monk’s robe.
The roaring wind stopped instantly.
The terrible pull vanished.
"Open your eyes," Silas said.
Khaos slowly opened his eyes. They were no longer standing on the dirty cliff. They stood on a perfectly smooth bridge made of solid white marble. The air up here was crisp and incredibly cold.
At the end of the bridge stood the Gates of Arcania.
The gates were absolutely massive, forged from a dark purple metal that hummed with visible power. Standing in front of the gates were two towering men. They wore polished silver armor over deep blue robes. They held long halberds tipped with glowing crystal blades.
"They look very strong," Khaos noted.
"They are the Gate Wardens," Silas explained, walking forward. "Let me do the talking. Remember your promise. Be humble."
"I am the most humble boy in the world," Khaos smiled innocently.
Silas and Khaos approached the massive purple gates. The two Wardens immediately crossed their glowing halberds, entirely blocking the path.
"Halt," the left Warden commanded. His voice echoed with magical authority. "State your business in the floating city."
"I am Brother Silas," the monk bowed deeply. "Formerly of the Atrai Kingdom. I bring a candidate for the trials."
The right Warden looked down at Khaos. He scoffed loudly. "You brought a toddler?"
"I am four years old," Khaos corrected the man politely. "I am practically a man."
"Arcania is not an orphanage," the left Warden stated coldly. "We do not take refugees. We do not take peasants. Take the boy back to the mud."
"He is not a peasant," Silas argued gently. "He possesses an unsealed core. He is a prodigy. I request the Trial of the Gates."
"A prodigy?" The right Warden laughed. "He looks like a street beggar. Look at his clothes. Look at that ridiculous wooden toy sword."
Khaos stopped smiling. He did not like being mocked. He especially did not like his favorite sword being insulted.
"My sword has slain a fern," Khaos said. "It is very deadly."
The Wardens laughed louder.
"Silence, child," the left Warden sneered. He looked back at Silas. "The trials are for noble bloodlines and sponsored scholars. Not for filthy defectors and their stray pets. Leave the bridge before we throw you off."
Silas tightened his grip on his staff. "The laws of Arcania state that any soul with a magical core may attempt the trial. You cannot deny us."
"We are the Wardens," the right Warden declared. "We decide who touches the gates. And we say no."
Khaos looked up at Silas. "They are breaking the rules."
"Remain calm, Khaos," Silas whispered urgently.
"But they called me a stray pet," Khaos pointed out. "I do not like that."
"Go away, little boy," the right Warden sneered, taking a step forward. He raised his heavy leather boot and kicked Khaos directly in the chest.
It was a casual kick, meant to simply push the boy away.
But Khaos did not move.
The heavy boot struck Khaos solidly. The Warden expected the small boy to go flying backward. Instead, the Warden felt like he had just kicked a mountain of solid iron. A sickening crunch echoed across the marble bridge.
The right Warden screamed in absolute agony. He collapsed onto the white stone, clutching his shattered leg.
"What did you do?" the left Warden roared, pointing his glowing halberd at Khaos.
Khaos dusted off his dirty tunic. He looked at the screaming man on the ground.
"I did nothing," Khaos answered honestly. "He kicked me. I just decided to be very heavy."
"You little monster!" The left Warden charged forward. He swung the glowing crystal blade directly at Khaos.
"Khaos, no!" Silas yelled.
Khaos did not dodge. He simply raised his tiny left hand. He did not unlock the heavy black door in his soul. He just let a tiny sliver of his chaotic intent leak out.
The glowing crystal blade struck Khaos’s palm.
The halberd did not cut him. The magical crystal instantly turned pitch black. The darkness spread down the wooden shaft, rotting the weapon into fine grey dust in less than a second.
The left Warden stumbled forward, holding empty air. He stared at his hands in pure terror.
"My halberd," the Warden gasped. "You destroyed a supreme artifact."
"It was a very weak stick," Khaos smiled his wicked, terrifying smile. "My wooden sword is much better."
Khaos stepped forward. He grabbed the terrified Warden by his blue robe. Despite being a tiny boy, Khaos lifted the grown man entirely off the ground with one hand.
"Put him down!" Silas ordered.
"He was rude," Khaos reasoned. He looked directly into the Warden’s eyes. Khaos’s bright violet irises began to bleed into solid black. "You said you were going to throw us off the bridge. I think I will throw you instead."
"Please," the Warden begged, his voice trembling wildly. "Please do not drop me."
"Khaos." Silas slammed his staff against the marble bridge. A wave of kinetic force rippled outward. "We came here to learn. Not to murder the guards. Put him down immediately."
Khaos sighed. He let go of the robe.
The Warden crashed onto the marble, scrambling backward in sheer panic.
"You are very lucky," Khaos told the trembling men. "My blind friend says I must be humble today. So I forgive you for kicking me."
Suddenly, the massive purple gates began to hum loudly. The dark metal groaned and shifted. Slowly, the heavy doors swung open inward.
A blinding white light spilled out onto the bridge.
A tall woman stepped out of the light. She wore a flowing silver gown. Her hair was completely white, and her eyes glowed with raw, unfiltered power. She looked at the two Wardens groveling on the floor. Then she looked at Silas. Finally, her glowing eyes locked onto Khaos.
"You broke my guards," the woman said. Her voice was like ringing glass.
"They were defective," Khaos replied, crossing his tiny arms.
"I am Archmage Vespera," the woman announced. "I felt a ripple of absolute void energy from the central spire. I came to see what anomaly caused it."
Silas immediately dropped to one knee and bowed his head entirely. "Supreme Archmage. I humbly apologize for the disturbance. I am Brother Silas. I bring this boy to attempt the Trial of the Gates."
Vespera stared at Khaos. She did not look angry. She looked intensely curious.
"The Trial of the Gates is designed to test a normal core," Vespera stated softly. "This boy does not have a normal core. He has a black hole sleeping in his chest."
"I am Khaos," the boy introduced himself. "I am going to learn all your magic."
"Are you?" Vespera smiled slightly. "Arcania is a place of rigorous study. We do not tolerate wild beasts."
"I am very tame," Khaos promised. "I only break things when people kick me."
Vespera let out a short, melodic laugh. "Very well. The Wardens were foolish to provoke you. Come inside, Brother Silas. Bring your little monster. We will skip the gates. We will take him directly to the Grand Council."
"The Grand Council?" Silas gasped, keeping his head bowed. "That is an unprecedented honor."
"It is a necessity," Vespera corrected the monk. "If we do not teach him how to control that darkness, he will eventually consume the entire world. Follow me."
Vespera turned and walked back into the blinding light.
Silas stood up. He let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. He looked toward where Khaos was standing.
"You broke your promise," Silas scolded gently. "You were not humble."
"I was incredibly humble," Khaos argued, walking toward the open gates. "I let them live. That is the nicest thing I have done all month."
Khaos stepped through the massive purple gates. Silas followed closely behind him, his brass rings jingling softly. The doors slammed shut behind them, sealing them inside the floating city.
The true trial was just beginning.