The Gamer's POV

Isolde pointed subtly toward the cliff on the opposite side, far in the distance. Yami swept her gaze with the monocular toward that precipice, where she could see the leader of the lords standing in a nonchalant manner with one hand in his pocket.

Currently, he was looking intently at his other hand, which held what looked like a large magic globe made of blue energy that kept pulsing and vibrating.

Beside this leader was an open, ominous black box that was just tall enough to reach past his waist. The aura emanating from the lord, the globe in his hand, and the box on the ground was suffocating.

At that moment, Isolde spoke. "I really don’t know what kind of magic or power that lord is using on them. But it is scary, mama. He hasn’t moved an inch from there since this battle began. All I saw him do was throw that weapon at the boy you call Cedric."

Isolde swept her hand and pointed at Lee Lim’s weapon, which was still buried in the ground. Looking closely, Yami could see that the strange naginata was driven into the very center of the spot where Cedric and his crew were standing.

Isolde then warned her. "I think that weapon fully affects anyone who gets close to it and anyone who looks at the..."

She was still talking when her eyes widened. She immediately lunged toward Yami, who was already leaning forward, almost about to jump off the cliff. Isolde panicked, grabbed Yami by the shoulders, and forced her to turn away.

Immediately, Yami snapped out of the trance to hear Isolde babbling in fear. "I am sorry, I am so sorry. I should not have shown you that."

"What the fuck was that?" Yami gasped. "Is that some kind of mind magic or something?"

Isolde shook her head. "I really do not know. I have immunity to mind magic, but if I look at it too long, even I will fall under it. I think it is more than just the mind. I think it targets the senses too."

Yami exhaled and straightened up, her heart still racing.

Then Isolde added, "Anyone who looks at that weapon suddenly gets the urge to get close to it. But once you do, you get trapped under some kind of false reality. And it seems that whatever happens to you there reflects on you here, considering the wounds that suddenly keep appearing on their bodies out of nowhere."

"Damn. That is scary," Yami muttered with wide eyes. "And here I thought Cedric was the scary one."

She turned toward the cliff where the lord was standing. Just as she lifted the monocular to look at him again, Isolde spoke.

"Do not look at him too much. Even with my ability masking our presence, someone that powerful is bound to eventually notice if we keep looking at him."

Yami turned away and looked at Isolde for a long moment before she finally sighed. "Let’s get out of here, then. Quickly."

She turned to walk away from the cliff edge, casting a final glance at the naga on the ground. "Bring your toy with you."

Isolde smiled and scrambled toward the creature like a predatory spider. She rubbed her fingers over the naga’s face, and suddenly, the creature’s skin began to stretch upward. Its entire body was pulled as if a vacuum was sucking it, and in the next second, it was sucked entirely into the third eye on Isolde’s forehead.

Once the process was finished, Isolde inhaled deeply, and her smile widened with satisfaction. She jumped up and ran to catch up with Yami, who had already walked a fair distance away.

"So," Isolde asked, peering up at her as they walked, "how did the raid on the white fortress go?"

Yami shrugged. "Not bad. Rand did all the actual work, though." She paused, and her expression soured. "I am disappointed, honestly. We came into this bloody paradise almost a week ago, and yet I have only been able to add thirty nagas to my collection."

Isolde sighed. "Come on, mama. You know we have to be careful. Any more than that and the other nagas or the lords would have noticed someone was snatching them."

Yami pressed her lips into a thin line, clearly still annoyed by the slow progress. To change the subject, Isolde asked, "Where are we going now?"

Yami’s expression softened into a small smile. "The blue bridge. And after that, we go to my home."

"Ah!" Isolde bobbed her head back and grinned. "I cannot wait to see that world. You said your father is the king of this Evrarel empire, right?"

Yami nodded and grinned. "Though he hates me. A lot. Not that I care." She went quiet for a moment before adding, "Anyway, I suspect there will be a lord guarding the blue bridge. It looks like we will have to fight a lord or two ourselves to get through."

Isolde nodded determinedly. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Isolde spoke up again. "By the way, if you do not mind me asking, mother... you have an army of over a thousand puppets in your sanctuary. Why do you not help the people in the battle? They are your kind, are they not?"

Yami halted instantly. She turned to Isolde, and her gaze immediately turned frigid. "You ask a lot of questions. You know that?"

Isolde flinched. She lowered her head, looking small and fragile, then apologized. "I am sorry, mama."

Yami sighed. Her anger then faded as she reached out to rub Isolde’s hair. "It is alright. Just do not ask me that sort of question again. I do mind."

Isolde nodded. Seeing Yami’s cold expression turn warm again, she smiled and chirped, "Yes, mama!"

The two of them turned and continued deeper into the city toward the blue bridge, leaving the screams of the battle to rage on behind them.