Chapter 321 319-Pochi Awakens
The two moved slowly, but as they passed by Pochi, Lana Mokos suddenly halted.
"What's wrong?" Ethan asked, puzzled.
"When you entered Daphne's illusion, I noticed something." Lana Mokos watched Pochi, her heart pounding with anticipation.
She felt that if her suspicion was confirmed, she and Ethan might be on the verge of a significant discovery.
"Time?" Ethan remembered suddenly.
Lana Mokos shook her head, speaking casually:
"In the Deityforsaken Land, time and space can differ greatly from one area to another. Outside the illusion, I didn't manage to record any time; it's as though time here has come to a standstill."
"What is it then?" Ethan furrowed his brows. Time wasn't of great importance to him.
"Pochi, haven't you noticed the Power of Space emanating from Pochi?" Lana Mokos's eyes gleamed as she looked at Ethan, "Pochi's Illusion is vastly different from my school of magic."
"Your Illusion works on the spirit, relying on the Power of Soul," Ethan stated, raising an eyebrow.
Lana Mokos nodded slightly: "Correct, that's precisely what I've been studying. In theory, as long as my Power of Soul is sufficiently strong, I can trap anyone, even a deity."
Ethan gazed towards Pochi's illusion, which seemed as real as the tangible world, and spoke with a touch of wonder:
"Pochi is no different. I can barely fathom how immense its Power of Soul must be."
Lana Mokos turned her intense gaze upon Ethan, asserting with gravity:
"It's not just the Power of Soul that makes Pochi formidable—it carries with it the Power of Space within its Illusion."
"What?" Ethan expressed his surprise, "Do you mean to say that it has transported us to a realm within our consciousness?"
"Not exactly," Lana Mokos appeared quite perplexed, "It's more that Pochi has crafted a distinct space, and then using the Power of Soul in conjunction with our consciousness, it has recreated a world anew."
"But that shouldn't just be an Illusion then!" Ethan's confusion deepened, his brow furrowing more intensely.
Lana Mokos's expression soured slightly as she countered again, "If it wasn't an Illusion, how could you have broken through that space? Do you think your Power of Space is stronger than Pochi's?"
Ethan eyed the mountainous Pochi, from whose nostrils emerged bubbles of rainbow, each large enough to encase several grown humans.
It was enough to imagine the sheer magnitude of Pochi's strength.
No matter how confident Ethan was, he never considered his Power of Space to surpass that of Pochi.
Yet he moved freely through the spaces Pochi conjured, even wielding his power at will within them.
He was like a deity within the domain that Pochi created.
A wave of irritation surged unbidden in Ethan's heart, "It's incomprehensible, and I don't wish to ponder over it. All I want is to awaken Daphne."
The shadows at the corners of Daphne's eyes grew increasingly pronounced, as if she were possessed by some demon.
Only Ethan knew that it was the embodiment of Phito's demonism taking hold.
If Phito's demonism were to spread across her entire face, Ethan could not fathom what might become of Daphne.
But certainly, it would bode ill for her.
Lana Mokos' lips twitched ever so slightly as she spoke with restrained patience, "I'm merely discussing possibilities with you."
"If there's nothing else, we should get going," Ethan's voice was low and somber, his mood far from high.
Lana's eyes lingered on Pochi, who slept like a log, her mind wrestling with a strong sense of reluctance.
"Pochi lies right before us, a deity's pet no less, every part of it a treasure. It seems remiss to walk away without gaining something."
At the mention of treasures, Ethan's interest was piqued: "Pochi is not to be trifled with."
"But isn't it asleep right now? Plus, pets of deities share a common flaw: they sleep soundly, undisturbed by minor disturbances, save for their master's call," Lana Mokos' eyes gleamed with a persuasive brightness.
A flicker of temptation stirred in Ethan as he surveyed Pochi once more.
Pochi was massive; were it not for their current vantage point, Ethan could have mistaken it for a multicolored mountain range.
However, his life spent navigating the brink of death had honed his vigilance.
"What are you proposing? I suggest we quit while we're ahead."
Lana Mokos approached Pochi's neck and, with trembling hands, plucked several rainbow feathers.
"I value my life more than you think," she whispered, stealthily pulling Ethan away, "A few feathers will suffice."
Ethan looked on, dumbfounded; he had braced for Lana Mokos to take a bolder action. Her caution, though underwhelming, was perhaps for the best. The pressing matter was to awaken Daphne.
As for Pochi, opportunities to return might present themselves in the future.
"Let's go then."
…
After Ethan and Lana Mokos had left the Dream Garden Town, Pochi, who had been sleeping soundly within, suddenly quivered its wings.
The flutter was subtle, yet the power it released was nothing short of astounding.
Rainbow bubbles, startled like frightened rabbits, scattered frantically into the expanse beyond.
With a great effort, Pochi pried open its hefty eyelids, which hadn't seen the realm of wakefulness for an indeterminate eternity.
In the Deityforsaken Land, time was immeasurable.
After a laborious struggle, over a span that seemed to stretch on endlessly, Pochi finally lifted its lids to reveal eyes that were like portals to a dream realm.
Its eyes were an enigma, devoid of whites or pupils, composed solely of swirling, dreamlike hues.
A mere glance could ensnare the unwary, drawing them into the vortex of Pochi's gaze.
Pochi flapped its wings again, this time fully awakened.
The rainbow bubbles, caught in the wake of Pochi's resurgence, were whisked away to the far corners of the world.
"Pochi cried out to the heavens, a strange and haunting call.
Within its cry lay an overwhelming yearning mixed with a touch of desolation.
It was akin to the whimpers of a newborn pup, lost and seeking its mother, a sound that involuntarily shook the soul and coaxed tears to fall.
With another cry, Pochi took to the skies, its wings carrying it high above, chasing the direction in which Ethan had vanished.
...
Ethan and Lana Mokos stepped out of Dream Garden Town to find that the landscape had indeed changed.
They seemed to be in the midst of a jungle, lush and brimming with life—a stark contrast to the land scoured by divine and deity's blood.
Had Ethan not been certain of his whereabouts, he might have mistaken their location for a forest within the Azure Empire.
"Deityforsaken Land has such pleasant places?" Ethan mused aloud, looking around with keen interest.
Lana Mokos, clutching the feathers with evident attachment, responded in a tepid tone:
"The Deityforsaken Land is essentially a melding of fragments from various worlds, left in the wake of deities' battles. It wouldn't be surprising if this region were the remnants of a world shattered by a deity, its pieces falling here to create the scene before us."
"You'll encounter even more bizarre sights in the future."
So it was, Ethan realized, finding Lana Mokos's explanation to make perfect sense.
Wandering through the jungle, Ethan remained vigilant, scanning his surroundings while continuing the conversation:
"Something's not right. Don't you possess information about the Deityforsaken Land? How is it that you are unaware of this region, not to mention the area where Pochi resides?"
Lana Mokos, having admired the Pochi feather for quite some time, slid it into her Space Ring and hummed lightly:
"As I've said before, the Deityforsaken Land is vast. Even the Demi-god guardians of our royal household have only explored parts of it, bringing back but scant information."
"Had I been privy to the details about the region Pochi inhabits, would I need to ask you? I wouldn't be at a loss when dealing with Pochi either."
Ethan didn't reply; he found Lana Mokos's reasoning quite sound.
He needed to grasp one crucial fact: the Deityforsaken Land was immensely vast, and no one could truly comprehend its entirety.
The pair continued on their path when suddenly, the sounds of fierce combat echoed from ahead.
Ethan spotted the hues of magical energy from a distance. They exchanged glances, holding their breath.
Stealthily, with bated breath and hunched backs, they edged closer.
The scene opened up before them, revealing two figures locked in battle.
These were clearly top-tier fighters from the outside world.
Both combatants were maguses, their every move rippling with potent magical fluctuations.
Yet the impact of their clash on the surroundings was negligible.
If such magical exchanges were to occur in the outside world, the forest would have already been ablaze, the ground within their fighting ring cracked and cratered into vast pits.
But here, their fierce battle seemed to pose no threat at all.
The trees merely shed leaves, and the ground was disturbed only by bits of debris and dust.
"Is our power really diminished to such an extent here?" Ethan communicated to Lana Mokos telepathically.
"Right, I forgot to mention. In the Deityforsaken Land, the difficulty of wielding energy grows exponentially. The prime weapon here is the strength of the flesh," Lana Mokos's voice resonated in Ethan's mind.
Ethan cast an odd look at Lana Mokos's slender frame.
Sensing Ethan's strange gaze, Lana retorted through soul transmission:
"And you're not exactly the picture of robustness, are you? Why look at me like that? My physical strength is considerable; I've been training in the basics of the warrior's path to fortify my physique since childhood."
A slight twitch played at the corner of Ethan's mouth.
When it came to physical prowess, within the group that had entered the Deityforsaken Land, he was second to none.
Those who could surpass Ethan in physical strength were so few as to be almost non-existent.
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