Trial of Illusions – Part 05

“There’s something there,” Sara said.

“Yes.”

Selyse also sensed it. Sara had 1 point in both Life Detection and Mana Detection, but even without those skills, Selyse could feel it too.

She lit a magic lamp. The fog limited visibility to only about five meters.

“A hostile?” Selyse asked.

“Hmm. I’m nyot sure. But it doesn’t feel like bandits or beasts. It feels more… unpleasant.”

If it was a clear enemy, they could just fight it head-on. But if it wasn’t, then what was it?

“Who’s there?” Selyse called out, but only silence responded.

Slowly, she drew her magic sword. Found by Hikaru in the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas, the sword could unleash immense power when infused with mana. Selyse had meant to give it to Marius as an apology for breaking his sword, but with his retirement, she ended up using it herself.

The blade, already charged with mana from a magic stone, glowed a faint red.

“Serika, light up the area with magic. Sophie, stay alert for undead monsters.” Selyse paused. “Serika? Sophie?”

There was no response.

“Selyse, they’re not waking up.”

Sara shook Serika and Sophie, but they stayed still, eyes closed.

“Is it the high concentration of mana in the fog?”

“Maybe, but I’m not sure. They’re still breathing.”

“Can you carry them? We can leave our stuff behind.”

“I’ll try. Are we retreating?”

“Yeah.”

“All right.”

Selyse’s decision was quick. The Four Eastern Stars was a team of only four, and with two unavailable, retreating was the only option. Sara strapped Serika to herself and carried Sophie on her back. Every step became a struggle. Selyse was the only one still able to fight.

“Hmm, Sophie’s chest got bigger again,” Sara said. “She’s so heavy. I wish she could understand how it feels to carry her.”

Selyse laughed.

Even in this tense situation, they didn’t panic. A bit of humor helped keep things loose and their bodies moving freely.

“Wait,” Selyse said.

Just as they were about to move, footsteps crunched nearby. The magic lamp’s light didn’t reach far enough to reveal their identity.

Selyse set the lamp down and drew her sword. Soon, two figures emerged from the mist.

“Huh?” Selyse gasped. She knew them.

“’Sup, Selyse.”

“Marius?”

It was Marius, the former adventurer whom Selyse wanted to give the magic sword to, and leader of the Rank A party, Azure Blade Nebula.

The last time Selyse saw him, he was drunkenly telling her that he was quitting adventuring—not out of despair, but because he was marrying the party’s healer. Back then, Marius wore a loose shirt.

But now, he stood before her as the Marius Selyse knew—an impeccable adventurer worthy of his rank.

And there was someone else with him. Selyse was stunned speechless.

“It’s been a while.”

It was someone Selyse had admired, the reason she became an adventurer. Her role model.

When Selyse’s parents were killed by a Thunderwolf, and she herself was on the brink of death, this woman had appeared out of nowhere and killed the monster. She was the leader of the adventurer party Distant Dawn.

“Sandra?!”

She was just as sharp as Selyse remembered, moving like she was ready to leap into battle. Everything about her felt familiar.

“S-Sara, this person is the one who taught me everything I know about adventuring.”

Selyse turned to find Sara staring wide-eyed at Sandra. The look on her face was of pure shock.

Why is she so surprised? She doesn’t know Sandra. She knows Marius, but she wouldn’t be this shocked.

A sudden sense of foreboding struck Selyse.

Sandra had already retired from adventuring after having children. She shouldn’t be able to move like that.

More importantly, she couldn’t possibly look exactly as she did back then.

Crunch.

A presence loomed right behind Selyse. Before she turn to look, a blade came crashing down.

---

The flat road suddenly gave way to a steep incline, and a thick fog enveloped them. Hikaru quickly noticed the mist was charged with magical energy.

Already winded from all the running, sweat poured down every part of his body. When Waffa finally slowed, Hikaru seized the opportunity to catch his breath.

That’s when he saw a small light flicker through the dense fog, about fifty meters ahead.

Hikaru instantly activated Mana Detection. The mana-rich fog dulled his Skill, but he focused on the spot where the light had flashed.

“Perfect timing!” Waffa murmured, her voice tinged with excitement.

Perfect timing? Does she know something’s ahead? Are Selyse and the others here?

Just then, Hikaru’s Mana Detection picked up an unfamiliar presence amidst the ambient magical energy.

There was someone there. Normally, the presence would be clearer, but the fog made it very fuzzy.

Then, Hikaru sensed two figures closing in on the area with several mana signatures. They felt so sinister that he could sense their malevolence even through the fog.

Someone in the area—likely Selyse or Sara—was about to face this sinister force.

Why?

If they were this close, they should have sensed it even without detection Skills. Sara especially, with her level of Instinct on her Soul Board, would have picked it up for sure.

But the evil presence was drawing closer to them without difficulty.

Shit!

Before he could think further, Hikaru sprang into action.

---

Sandra had always been reliable, kind, and strong. She held a long blade in her hand, just as she had back then.

“Ah!”

Selyse instantly knew she couldn’t dodge in time. Confused, she even wondered if Sandra would ever miss at this range.

The blade came down toward her shoulder.

With a sickening squelch, Sandra’s head jerked to the right. Something had struck her temple. But the sword kept its course. Even as Sandra lost her balance, the blade scraped across Selyse’s breastplate, then sliced into her unprotected abdomen.

“Ugh.”

Heat. Then pain. She had been slashed. But it wasn’t a fatal wound.

She leapt back to create some space. The enemy tumbled, spinning as they fell, giving Selyse a moment to catch her breath.

“Selyse?! Wh-Why would dad attack you?”

“Dad? That’s Sandra!”

Then it clicked.

“An illusion.”

The thick fog. The name Trial of Illusions. If you put it together, it wasn’t hard to figure out.

“It’s showing different illusions to you and me.”

“Oh.”

“There’s no way Sandra would be here.”

Her wound throbbed. Blood stained her stomach.

If she had stayed calm, she could have figured it out sooner. But she had lost her composure.

The fact that Serika and Sophie hadn’t woken up yet suggested the fog was affecting them all, Selyse included.

“S-So you were seeing someone else?” Sara said. “Wait, you’re wounded! We have to get that treated right away. Ah, but Sophie is not waking up.”

“I’m fine.” Selyse staggered forward, still gripping her sword.

“Selyse?” Sara called. “Sandra was the one who saved your life, right? Are you okay? Can you still fight?”

“I said I’m fine.”

“What?”

Sara couldn’t believe her eyes. Flames seemed to flicker around Selyse’s body.

“I’m fine now.”

Selyse was certain. The enemy had lost their balance after something struck their temple. And there was only one person she knew who could pull that off. Actually, she didn’t even know if he was capable of it, but she was sure it was him.

“Because he’s here.”

Hikaru was nearby.

She couldn’t afford to show weakness. Her mind cleared in an instant. Only the burning desire to defeat the enemy before her remained.

This foe tarnished the memory of Sandra, a person she respected. And she made Hikaru worry.

“You will not get off that easily.”

The magic sword, already charged with magical energy, pulsed even brighter as Selyse poured her own mana into it. Though she wasn’t a mage, she still possessed some magical power within her.

The blade flared red, glowing like metal fresh from a forge. Even through the thick fog, its brilliance was unmistakable.

Sandra—the enemy—retreated. They must have realized the danger. The figure behind her, dressed like Marius, had already turned to flee.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Selyse brought her sword down, unleashing a blinding flash that stretched out for meters, tearing through the mist and the depths of the night. Distance didn’t matter. Both hostiles were cleaved in half.

There were no screams. The force of the sword unleashed a violent gust of wind, scattering debris in all directions.

Sara’s voice reached Selyse’s ears. Even with her arms full holding Serika and Sophie, she remained standing, eyes closed, bracing herself against the gale.

The wind eventually died down. As Selyse sheathed her magic sword, the world around them seemed to darken.

“Oh, wow,” Sara breathed.

The fog had cleared, revealing a rugged mountainside bathed in moonlight.

Two monkeys, cut in half, lay motionless on the ground. A rusty sword rested nearby. These monkeys, large and covered in purple fur, were a special type of monster.

“Huh?”

“What? Wait, why am I on Sara’s back?”

Serika and Sophie had finally woken up.

“Sophie, I hate to ask right after you just woke up, but I could use some healing magic.”

“I don’t mind, but… Wait, your stomach is all red!”

“Stay still!”

Sophie shifted, throwing Sara off balance, and they tumbled to the side.

Selyse chuckled. “It’s not a fatal wound, so take your time.”

“Th-That’s not the point. Okay, I’m free.”

Sophie scrambled to Selyse’s side and began chanting a spell.

Selyse looked up at the sky, then toward the base of the mountain.

Where was Hikaru now? If he was watching over her, Selyse thought, she couldn’t be happier.