Chapter 54: Forgotten City [4]: White Room
A cloud of dust filled the area in which the strike had landed. The dust was so thick that it was barely possible to see through it.
And the seven foot monster really wanted to see through it.
Knowing this, it used its massive weapon and began clearing the dust, hoping to see the human dead on the ground.
However, little did it know that this human, although it was taller than him; had a lot of experience when dealing with a monster such as itself.
The weapon of the seven foot monster moved left and right and then the dust began to clear after every second.
And just after a couple of seconds, it was finally cleared. The ground was cracked as the shape of the tip of the monster’s weapons had created a massive hole on the ground.
But what surprised the seven foot monster was not the hole, but that the human which it had intended to kill, wasn’t there.
"What?... Where did he go?"
Chrome, and other Awakeners who were there and watching, also noticed that Aegon had suddenly disappeared, and were perplexed.
None of these Awakeners were part of Chrome’s party but they all shared the same thought.
He was gone.
The seven foot monster with its instinct very swiftly turned around to see if Aegon had made the same move again.
But, it was wrong. Aegon wasn’t behind it, and was truly nowhere to be found.
Even the other guard monsters were also shocked by his sudden disappearance. It didn’t make sense.
For a second he was on the ground and was a bit close to getting hit, that he wouldn’t even have had enough time to dodge it swiftly.
"It doesn’t make sense..." Chrome uttered, and the two Awakeners that were in the same cage with him looked at him, waiting for his explanation.
Then he continued.
"I was watching, I didn’t take my eyes off him. Yet I missed it, I didn’t see what had happened, but it did. He didn’t run, he’s around, somewhere, I just don’t know where."
The two Awakeners took their gaze away from him as they had hoped he saw something strange.
Perhaps, a kind of technique Aegon would have used to evade, but since Chrome did give them that, they took their gaze away from him, and back to the seven foot confused monster.
The seven foot monster didn’t know what had happened even though it had thought it was smart enough.
The seven foot monster, at the moment, was surrounded by a green light which moved like a twisted circle; around it.
The monster was capable of using mana, and therefore had channel mana into the blow it last struck, but it wasn’t able to kill the human it intended to kill.
This was basically the main reason while, the seven foot monster, Chrome, the other Awakeners, and the other monsters were much perplexed about the situation.
"_"
Meanwhile, in a bright and all white cube shaped place, Aegon found himself lying on the ground.
"Eh... What happened?"
He used both of his hands to support his body as he got up, and sat upright and the ground.
"Where am I?"
He looked around, and scanned the area but he could only see white and the four edges of what looked like a cube shaped.
"A white room? What’s this?..."
The last time he had been in a place like this was before he entered the fake Abyss, with the party he had joined.
Seeing this, he got up to his feet and looked around, it looked familiar to that same place but something felt different.
"This feeling..."
Just then, a bright green light along with a blue light shines throughout the white room, illuminating and turning the white room into green and blue.
Then a figure glowing in green dress, with a blue crystal in their head suddenly appeared before Aegon.
Seeing this, he felt a strange energy coursing through him, and felt as though he recognized the figure.
"Suisho...?"
He called out.
The figure before him was elegant in beauty and style. They had pointed ears and wore a different dress than what Suisho had worn and they looked older and taller.
But, just like with Suisho at first, the figure floated in the air, and the energy of mana coming from her felt intense, warm and calm.
Hearing his voice, she opened her eyes which were sparkling navy blue in color. Her lips opened and a soft and calm voice; like a moving lake, came out, as she spoke.
"I see you have already met my servant, Suisho of this age. I am very much pleased. But, I am not her, Aegon Zoldyck."
His name left her incredibly red lips, and the words followed, traveling in rhythm as they entered Aegon’s ears.
But he wasn’t surprised. He showed no expression of being baffled, but one that felt like he already knew who she was.
"It is my pleasure... You are Aranyani, mother of the forest."
"Oh..."
Aranyani was surprised as he called her name, since she didn’t expect him to be able to tell, then with a bright smile she asked, curious.
"And how did you know that I am she?"
Aegon had a straight expression, he was calm and unfazed by the beauty in front of him.
Even the smile she had, a smile that felt like it came from the heavens, one that would make any other human smile inferior or hers.
Yet, he was unfazed. Suddenly, his expression turned ice cold and Aranyani noticed it, prompting her to speak even before she got his response.
"Oh, please don’t be cold." she called out, her voice soft and alluring. "I am not here as your enemy but as your friend."
The words travelled and entered Aegon’s ear, as he thought in his heart.
’The same thing in which Suisho had said when we first met...’
He gazed at the floating individual before him, who looked very much like a goodness. If she wasn’t one , then that could be a great crime.
"And... what do you want with me?" he asked, his tone holding a matter of urgency.
Although, it might seem like he’s being rude to her, but that wasn’t the case.
He wanted to go back and continue his mission. For all he knew, the monster would have figured out he was there to rescue the humans and they would vacate them to another location.
"Relex..." Aranyani uttered. "Your friends are not going anywhere. That is what you are thinking is it not?"
Aegon’s pupil shrank for a bit but his expression remained the same.
’Did she read my mind?’ he thought inwardly, then she spoke again.
"And now you are thinking if I can read your mind, is that right?"
Aegon didn’t show any expression or reaction. Neither did he think about anything in his heart.
If she indeed knew what he was thinking, it was better to give her nothing.
"Hehe..." Aranyani chuckled. "You are a funny one. I didn’t know the person the prophecy promised was this funny."
Aegon made no reaction.
"Relax, I can’t actually hear your thoughts, but using the way the mana inside you flow, I can guess what it is you are thinking. Like now, I am unable to pick anything else from you."
Hearing this, Aegon thought in his heart; ’That was because I wasn’t thinking about anything.’
The truth was that Aranyani couldn’t actually read his thoughts per se. She had no such power, to know exactly what he was thinking.
But, with what she has said about his flow of mana, she could guess what he would think, only based on what she asked.
"Tell me, what do you mean ’my friends aren’t going anywhere?" He asked.
Hearing this, Aranyani’s expression turned from the bright smile she was displaying since she arrived; to a now more serious expression.
Yet, Aegon was unmoved by the sudden change.
"They are indeed going nowhere." she began.
"The time here and there are completely different. We could spend a day here, and only a minute would have passed there."
"But that doesn’t mean you are going to have an easy time when you get back. " Her expression was very serious when she said this.
"But, I am going to figure out what you actually need to come out of this situation."
"Oh child of the prophecy."
Aegon had the same cold expression he was displaying earlier, but then his lips opened and he spoke out;
"And what is that going to be?"
Aranyani looked at Aegon as though he had asked a question which was obvious and then she raised her right hand.
With her right hand up she brought out her index finger and pointed at him.
"There..." she spoke.
"Me?" Aegon replied.
Aranyani waves her right palm and points at him again.
At this moment, a thought came into Aegon’s head as he knew exactly what she was talking about.
His hand went to his chest and felt the pendent there, then he asked:
"Do you mean this?..."