CHAPTER 129: CHAPTER 129 - THE PLACE OF BURIED PAST

As they left the old house, the old lady stood at the gate, her wrinkled hand raised in farewell, a faint smile softening her eyes. Luca had already summoned the baby dragon back into the beast space; the lively giggles of earlier had been replaced by an almost heavy stillness.

They followed a narrow forest trail that twisted deeper into the inner section. Luca walked a few paces behind Celestia, watching the way her regal posture never faltered, her cloak trailing behind her like the tail of some untouchable phoenix.

For a while, only the crunch of leaves underfoot accompanied them.

Then the change began.

The golden shafts of sunlight that had been filtering through the canopy dimmed, swallowed as though the forest itself was exhaling shadows. The air grew colder, sharper, each breath Luca took curling faintly in front of his lips.

He finally broke the silence. "Your Majesty, what’s happening?"

Without glancing back, she replied, voice calm and even, "Bear with it. It’s normal in this zone."

Normal? This is the last thing I’d call normal...

A deep, guttural roar tore through the trees, the sound vibrating in his chest. Twigs snapped in the undergrowth, and shapes began to emerge—ten... no, twenty beasts. Their bodies were twisted mockeries of nature, skin blotched with black, glowing veins pulsing like infected wounds.

Luca’s eyes narrowed. "Corrupted beasts? Here?"

His twin sabers were in his hands instantly, their polished edges catching what little light remained. But before he could step forward, Celestia merely flicked her hand.

A golden ripple, thin as silk and sharp as glass, swept across the clearing. Wherever it touched, the beasts’ bodies dissolved into shimmering sand, scattering on an unfelt wind until nothing remained.

She didn’t even turn her head. "Just follow me. They’ll only increase from here. Don’t blame me if you get caught in the crossfire."

Luca bit back the question forming on his tongue and followed.

The deeper they went, the more the world decayed around them. The light faded to a ghostly haze, curling low between the trees like fog that clung to the skin. The air thickened with the scent of damp earth and something sour—rot, old and patient.

And the beasts came.

From the mist, they erupted—scores of them—claws scraping the ground, eyes burning with an unnatural hunger. Their movements were jerky, almost inhuman, like puppets pulled by invisible strings.

Celestia didn’t even slow. A flick of her fingers—three beasts exploded into dust. A sweep of her palm—a golden arc cleaved through an entire row, their roars cut short mid-growl. The air shimmered faintly in the wake of her attacks, like sunlight reflecting on rippling water.

Luca could only watch. She’s killing them as if they’re nothing but weeds in her path.

But then the tide changed.

The shapes emerging from the fog grew larger, their roars deeper, the ground trembling under their steps. Their hides had hardened into jagged plates, their claws lengthened into hooks that gleamed with poison. They moved faster, no longer rushing blindly, but circling, testing, hunting.

Celestia’s hand motions became sharper, more precise. She stepped into their attacks with liquid grace, sidestepping by a hair’s breadth before a beast’s claws sliced through where she had been. Her palm struck forward, and an explosion of compressed light ripped the air apart, the shockwave scattering leaves like rain.

One lunged from her blind side—without looking, she twisted her wrist and a thread of golden energy curved mid-air like a whip, slicing clean through its neck. Another charged head-on, and she stepped into its path, the motion so smooth it looked like a dance. Her hand cut downward, light blooming around her like a burst of dawn, and the beast shattered into motes of gold.

Still—she did not draw a weapon.

Luca watched, heart pounding, unable to decide if he should be impressed... or concerned. She’s not even using her full strength yet.

Luca’s grip on his sabers tightened until the leather wrappings bit into his palms. The forest air had grown unnaturally still, yet it pressed against his skin like damp cloth. Even the sound of his own breathing seemed louder in this heavy silence.

"Your Majesty," he called, his voice carrying a thread of unease, "don’t you think I at least deserve to know where we are?"

Celestia didn’t stop. Her pace was smooth, almost unhurried, her cloak brushing through low-hanging mist. "Just follow me."

Luca’s brow furrowed. He stopped walking, planting his sabers into the soil with a dull thud. "I won’t be coming. I’ll stay here. Do what you can."

She turned her head just enough for her crimson eyes to meet his. They were still, cold, unreadable—like the surface of a frozen lake. "Suit yourself. Let’s see how much longer you can live on."

Then she faced forward again and continued walking without so much as a second glance.

Huh? She’s really leaving? Just like that? No glare? No forcing me?

A low, wretched roar rolled through the mist behind him, so deep he felt it vibrate in his chest. His heart jolted. The ground trembled faintly. Without thinking, Luca yanked his sabers free and ran after her, the fog swallowing him before her figure reemerged ahead.

Luca thought, My Life is more important than ego, is the satisfaction of my ego gonna let me live longer? Of course, NO.

Neither spoke.

The next horde came not from one direction, but from all around—shadows breaking from the mist with the gleam of claws and eyes. Ten, twenty... more. Their bodies were warped, limbs twisted unnaturally, fur bristling with oily black spines.

Celestia moved before the first reached her.

Her hand sliced through the air—golden light erupted in a wide fan, searing through three beasts at once. She pivoted on the ball of her foot, skirts sweeping in a sharp circle as her other palm snapped forward. A wave of compressed force blasted two more back into the trees, snapping trunks like kindling.

Every motion was a blend of elegance and violence—her hair flowing in arcs as she spun, the glint in her eyes focused and absolute. The mist flared with every strike, lit in fleeting bursts of light before plunging back into shadow.

A beast lunged at her head. She ducked under its slash with inches to spare, her hand snapping up in a strike so fast the creature seemed to freeze mid-air before crumbling into black dust.

The clearing stank of iron and scorched fur.

Then stillness... almost.

One beast, mangled and lying still moments ago, twitched. Its chest heaved once, twice—then it sprang forward with a roar, blood streaming from its torn hide, eyes glowing with rabid hunger.

It was behind her.

Luca’s body moved before his mind caught up. His sabers blurred—two arcs of silver cleaving through the mist. The strike cut deep; the beast’s momentum died instantly, its corpse collapsing into a heap just shy of her back.

Celestia half-turned, her expression unchanged, as though she had been aware all along. "You didn’t need to interfere. I could have handled it."

Luca exhaled, spinning his sabers once before resting them casually against his shoulders. "I always try to keep my promises."

Her gaze lingered for a heartbeat—something unreadable flickering in her eyes—before she snorted softly and turned away without a word.

They walked in silence, save for the crunch of damp leaves beneath their boots. The fog seemed thicker now, curling higher, muffling every sound.

Without warning, Celestia’s voice broke through. "Stick close to me."

He tilted his head. "Why?"

She hesitated. Just enough to be noticeable. Then—"It is presumed to be the place where the last battle against the Devil Emperor took place."

Luca froze mid-step. His breath caught in his throat. "Y-you’re joking... right, Your Majesty?"

She didn’t even glance back. The folds of her cloak shifted as she kept moving, disappearing deeper into the fog.

His thoughts churned. What the hell is this? Why the hell am I here? There have to be better places to die than this. Is that why it was a forbidden zone in the game? The one no player could enter?

His voice came out harsher, more raw than he intended. "Why am I here then, Your Majesty?"

As she said "The reason you are here is, because....."