CHAPTER 37: CLIMBING THE CLIFF

Currently both Black and Zephyr stood 200 meters above the ground in the dense forest on the meters wide branch of a 400 meters tall tree, it’s dark-violet trunks exuding the air of age, small imperceptible vertical lines running through its surface like a deadly river flowing through a fragile landscape.

A malignant poisen pulsed and glowed with a violet hue in the life-like vains.

A thick crown of light purple leaves adorned the old tree, each leaves a tiny amethyst star shimmering with a purple glow illuminating the earth below.

As they gazed ahead...

What loomed before them was massive, towering, vertical cliff. Jutting out from the base of the ground looming over them with a foreboding presence like a giant sentinel standing against the skys.

Faint clouds of dark-violet hazey mist enshroudeing the vertical surface of the rocky cliff like twisted tendrils of night. It moved, slithered, and hid what lay beyond the towering cliffs like a living creature guarding the forbidden secrets of nature.

As they looked at the massive vertical cliff in scrutiny. They couldn’t tell just how long or tall the cliff was because of that dark-voilet hazey vail concealing everything beyond a 1000 meters from the base.

"So the forest that stretched for kilometers long finally met its end, when encountering the towering cliff.. Huh." Black joked as he glanced at zephyr. Who was happily eating the poisonous fruits from the tree.

Not even gazing at him, responded, "Umm.. hehe.. " as she giggled at his joke and asked, "do you want some.." she said offering the fruits. Her lips curled into a mischievous grin as though daring him to eat the poison.

With a smile, Black accepted. He took the fruit, moving it towards his mouth.

The fruit released a fragrant, sweet aroma as though beckoning one to take a bite.

And that’s what he did.

His mouth moved, his lips parted and even though poisonous he bit the fruits with a dismissive nonchalance for he could simply brake the poisen in the fruits by using his Dissonance trait.

Considering he could tell that the poison in the fruits wasn’t that strong either.

’Hhaaah what a taste.. ’ he thaught as the juicy flavor of the fruit burst into his mouth.

’I can’t believe a fruit poisonous in nature tastes this good.. haah.’ He thaught as he enjoyed the salty honeyed taste with a long contented sigh.

Upon seeing him realeshing the sweet taste of the fruit, Zephyr clicked her tunge "Tsk, and here I thought you wouldn’t eat a poisonous one." As she took a bite herself.

Black laughed upon seeing her reaction, as he spoke, his lips curled into a teasing smirk...

"You do know that this tree is only 100 years old, meaning the poison in it is only at rank 5 right. If you wanted to make fun of me, then I have to say, you failed miserably... hahaha..." chuckled Black as he took the last bite of his delicious fruit.

After completing their 7 days adventurous journey both Black and Zephyr were feeling as though they had accomplished something great. Reason for their jovial behavior in the middle of a poisonous forest while eating poisonous fruits.

5 minutes later, after their small meal and the little banter was over. Both Black and Zephyr jumped from the tall tree, landing on the ground with a loud *bang* noise, throwing dust and debris all around, the ground cracked in a cobweb shape.

*Bang...*

*Crack...* *Crack...* *Crack...*

*Bang...*

They moved towards the base of the looming vertical cliff, their gaze locked on to the massive gnarled tree roots going out and coming in, in the vertical side of the towering cliff in scrutiny.

They also observed the thickness of the tree roots jutting out of the cliff was nothing compared to the other tree roots which were hundreds of meters thick and wide while the gnarled tree roots on the vertical side of the towering cliff was only tens of meters in thickness.

Black stopped just a few meters away from the base of the vertical cliff fusing with the earth. As the obscureing vail of dark-violet hue concealing the vertical cliff cleared, what he saw left him spellbound even zephyr couldn’t help but marvel as she gazed at the multiple crystalline formations embedded on the vertical wall of the cliff glowing like a million stars twinkling in the starry night.

Giving the vertical cliff an air of age and mystique.

The vertical cliff which ones radiated with a foreboding aura that made ones leg go weak in fear if one gazed upon it for too long, now undulated with an otherworldly natural beauty as though an alluring trap to ensnare the ones unfortunate enough to witness its majesty.

"Woww... it so beautiful, majestic. I didn’t know something like this could even exist." Exclaimed zephyr almost subconsciously, her eyes wide in wonder.

"Right... " Black responded, his eyes beguiled.

Then suddenly his heart screamed in pain as though being squeezed by multiple hands "Ugh.." he grunted in pain. While his eyes widened in horror as clarity returned to his mind because of the pain. He couldn’t believe he almost got ensnared by the poisonous mist.

Remembering about Zephyr, he turned just in time as he saw her take her first step towards the vertical wall of the towering cliff.

He rushed towards her, in swift single step, he grabbed her arm and immediately used his Dissonance trait to brake her out of her illusion, in a few seconds her glazed eyes too returned to normal.

"Wh-what..." she wobbled as she too realized just what had happened, her eyes flashed in fear as she gazed at Black.

"Sigh..." Black sighed in relief upon seeing that zephyr was alright and took her in his embrace. As he could tell by just looking at her absent-minded expression that she was in a state of disbelief, ’as a poison user herself, her pride must be hurt upon being ensnared like that by the poisonous mist’ He thaught as observed her with a worried look.

"It’s all right Zephyr, we aren’t perfect being who never makes a mistake, even I didn’t realize when this poisonous mist invaded my body, its all thanks to my body’s natural defense that I was even able realize and despell the poisen" Black spoke trying to comfort her.

Though his golden eyes still glowed with a murderous light, as a progenitor he still couldn’t believe that he was almost ensnared and made into a puppet.

’Whoever is the one behind this mist I swear upon my very name, that I’ll find it and give it a death so painful, it will regret for all eternity for what it did today.’ Black thaught with a baleful expression on his face.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Black, Zephyr tightened her arms around his back "umm.." she nodded her head slightly after hearing what he said.

Nonetheless she too swore to herself to find the master of this imperceptible poison and make it hers by devouring it by using her ability as a Quantiarch.

Though her pride was indeed hurt by the earlier experience but it wasn’t that fragile that she would loose herself in her hatered. Anyway she was more excited by the prospect of finding such a strong poisen that garnered her intrigue then hurt.

’Hehe.. I can’t believe there is someone here who could poison me so easily without even me noticing... hehehe.. I wonder how strong I’ll become after I made this poison mine... hehehe’ she giggled in her mind, her lips curled into an evil grin of anticipation, her eyes shone with an intoxicated glint.

However, She took in some of Black’s scent to calm her passionate emotions down. Her head buried in her chest.

"Haah.. such an heavenly scent" she spoke, her voice bairly above a whisper. But Black still heard her, his expression amused, thinking ’what got into her.’ As he gazed at her nonetheless he didn’t say anything and let her do whatever she wanted, ’atleast she is calming down I guess, that’s good for me.’

After a few minutes they separated and again gazed at the towering vertical cliff. However their gaze was calm reflecting the silence before a storm, compared to the previous glazed one.

They looked at each other one last time and with a simple nod of thier head, indicating they were ready.

They moved forward, each step like a lost whisper echoing in the past.

Using the gnarled tree roots jutting out of the vertical cliff wall they started climbing the cliff.

The poisonous haze becoming nothing but a past wound. As their climb continued unobstructed like the wind breeze soaring in the skies.

...