Chapter 402.1
Alber looked around, disoriented. She floated in an endless expanse of blue sky, a landscape unfamiliar yet strangely comforting. A surge of overwhelming joy mingled with a profound sorrow, creating a complex emotional tapestry.
Was she dreaming, or had death already claimed her? Her soul seemed detached from her body, weightless and free. The exhilaration was intoxicating, a bliss unlike any she had known.
Her gaze lifted towards a blinding white light. It promised oblivion, an escape from all suffering. A powerful pull drew her upward, but something held her back. She lowered her eyes to the distant world below. A faint whisper seemed to call to her.
I must go there, she decided, and with that, she plummeted towards the earth. The sky vanished rapidly as the ground rushed up to meet her. A small speck grew larger, revealing a city enclosed by protective walls. Its dense cluster of buildings was a stark contrast to the emptiness above.
“Ah,” she breathed, recognition dawning. This was the Holy City, the city that held her body captive. As she drew closer, she saw a shimmering dome enveloping the city. A fleeting glance revealed an army surrounding the metropolis, divided into five menacing groups.
“The identity of the monster has been revealed,” Jin had said. “The six kings have united to defeat it, gathering before Holy City, but they cannot breach the invisible wall and enter the city.”
Those must be the kings’ armies Jin mentioned, Alber realized. She focused her attention on the defensive barrier surrounding Holy City, studying its structure intently. As she observed, the spell deconstructed and reconstructed within her mind. Her thoughts expanded effortlessly, as if the spell’s intricacies had always been known to her.
“I understand now,” she murmured. “This is the principle behind the wall that blocks everything in this world.”
Visualizing the spell’s structure, she mentally placed a mirror before it. The reflection, identical yet inverted, formed a new spell in her mind. This spell would repel anything not of this world, allowing only those belonging to it to pass through — larks.