CHAPTER 244: CHAPTER 244 LANTERN

Addison had always been stubborn. Since she had decided not to forgive easily and to take her time to heal, she would do just that. What use was there in knowing the reasons for his past actions?

His realizations had come too late. She had been hurt beyond repair, so much so that his pain couldn’t come close to hers. She refused to be coaxed or swayed by what he believed was his own suffering.

It took Addison a moment to steady herself, forcing down the swell of emotion that rose in her chest.

Pity? Should she pity Zion? No, she didn’t think so. The truly pitiful one was her. What Zion felt for her was guilt, and it was only right for him to feel that way. After all, he was the one who had subjected her to that pain. Forgetting and letting go wouldn’t be easy, not even after he knew how deeply she had been hurt.

Once she regained her composure, Addison averted her gaze from Zion, who was slowly getting back on his feet. Levi and Maxwell had already moved in closer, their presence warm and steady as they sought to comfort her, sensing her pain and growing more concerned.

A sudden, dramatic gasp shattered the heavy atmosphere. "Your Highness, how did you do that?!" Elric blurted out, his tone exaggerated with surprise.

"Do what?" Addison replied, her voice slightly hoarse.

"How did you pull them out of their dark thoughts?" Elric asked. "It’s possible, yes, but not easy. Once someone falls into that darkness under the dark fairies’ influence, it’s extremely difficult to bring them back."

"Normally, it would take light magic, or, as I mentioned, the Moon Flower, to counter the shadows consuming their mind, heart, and soul." He studied Zion, Maxwell, and Levi as he spoke.

"Maybe... because we’re fated mates?" Addison replied, her tone carrying a hint of uncertainty.

"Hmmm." Elric didn’t respond further, instead rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he observed the four of them.

But in Addison’s mind, she was also questioning what had just happened. Aside from what Elric had said, she couldn’t understand how she had been able to assimilate with Zion’s mind and emotions earlier.

After all, even though they were supposed to be fated mates, they had yet to mark each other, so their emotions shouldn’t have synced so easily.

And even if they had completed the marking ceremony, it shouldn’t have been this deep; she wouldn’t have been able to peer into his memories or thoughts so freely. A sense of wonder began to stir within Addison at the mystery unfolding inside her.

"Let’s continue moving," Addison said, giving Zion one last glance. She refused to let what she had learned sway her emotions or cloud her judgment; pitying Zion just to ease her own pain would be unfair to herself.

The group resumed following Elric, but this time they stayed noticeably closer to Addison. She wasn’t sure why; were they trying to protect her?

No. The truth was, now that Zion, Levi, and Maxwell’s dark thoughts had cleared, they found that staying near Addison seemed to push those shadows away. To them, she was like a guiding light. Even Elric, silently testing some theories of his own, kept a close distance from her.

Addison felt a little cramped by the attention, but she couldn’t quite understand the reason behind it. Hours passed as they moved from one direction to another, yet they still couldn’t find all the materials they needed.

"This isn’t good, it’s starting to get dark," Elric reminded everyone, his voice laced with concern. It seemed they would have to stop searching for now, yet even that felt like a poor choice.

"What should we do?" Addison asked, recalling everything Elric had said earlier. "What about our people in the caravan?" Her gaze swept the thickening fog, now so dense that they could barely see ahead.

An unsettling chill crept along her skin, as though a swarm of ants were crawling over her. The air was unnervingly still, no whisper of wind, no chirp of insects, not even the distant calls of birds. The forest felt abandoned, devoid of life, not even the smallest creature stirring.

"Princess, the only place we haven’t searched is the central part of the forest. Should we...?" Elric’s voice trailed off, the unspoken truth hanging heavy between them. Venturing into the territory of the dark fairies was suicide, but failing to find what they needed meant certain death as well. Their only choice was to gamble with their lives and fight.

"It seems we have no choice," Addison said at last. "But maybe we can cast some kind of protective spell against other entities. As for the Night Walkers... I’m not sure. Would such a spell even work on them?"

At her question, Elric shook his head grimly. "No. Night Walkers are like shadows given form, ghosts of the darkness. They can slip through walls, and even ordinary protective barriers barely slow them down."

Addison stayed silent, racking her brain for another way out, until a thought struck her."Wait, I think I have something that might help us."

She quickly began rummaging through her magical pouch, searching intently. When her fingers closed around what she was looking for, her eyes lit up.

"Here. This lantern was given to me by Silas, the Saintess. She said there’s a wisp of holy fire inside. Maybe this is what helped Zion, Maxwell, and Levi regain their senses?"

Addison pulled out the lantern, its golden light spilling forth, warm and reassuring. Elric gave a thoughtful nod in agreement. If it was the lantern, her reasoning made perfect sense. After all, only a light-based power could drive away dark thoughts, and holy artifacts or divine energy shared the same properties as light magic.

"Princess, this might really be our way in, and the dark fairies might not be able to stop us," Elric said, his voice trembling with barely contained excitement. Their situation had seemed hopeless just moments ago, but with this lantern, their chances had skyrocketed.

With Addison leading the way and the rest of them huddled close behind, they began walking steadily toward the heart of the forest.

As they moved along, they kept their eyes sharp, scanning every corner of the path until they finally reached the central clearing. Yet, despite the tension gnawing at their bodies and minds, there was... nothing.

The unexpected emptiness threw them off.

"What’s going on? There’s nothing here!" Elric exclaimed, his voice edged with disbelief as he sprinted toward a patch of grass in the middle of the clearing. But the moment he entered the dense fog, he nearly vanished from sight.

Addison, Maxwell, Levi, and Zion immediately rushed after him, their hearts pounding, but Elric was already too absorbed, his wide-eyed gaze sweeping over the patch of grass as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"This shouldn’t be it, right?" Elric then looked back at Addison as if to ask for answers.

"Do you think they all ran away because they were scared of the lantern?" Addison finally asked. Maxwell, Levi, and Zion stayed silent, what they thought had already been voiced by the two speaking. Even if they had their own suspicions, there would be no certainty without solid evidence.

"It’s possible... Your Highness," Elric replied thoughtfully. "But then again... where’s the core source?"