Chapter 501 Returned Will
Kieran stared at the Wailing Sierra in the unknown distance in complete silence. His thoughts and surroundings seemed to grow eerily silent while staring at the chain of jagged mountains.
Within that silence, a dissonant ring grew prominent, carried by the calm drifting of the wind.
He had been thrown into the Trial without understanding what to do, but that wasn't entirely true — he had to overcome the Trial. Simple… perhaps. But one thing was tasked with helping him, which presided in his Realm — the Trial's Anchor.
And for the first time since arriving in this bizarre place, the Anchor reacted to what Kieran saw.
Focusing on that dissonant, slightly disconcerting ring led to a deep, resonant thrum from the Anchor. With that thrum came a pull… a challenge, like it was telling Kieran to prepare himself for the final test.
'So… those mountains are the final test or are connected to the final test?'
Though he didn't grasp the matter thoroughly, Kieran accepted the feeling as an inkling of truth. He at least had direction and knew where the final act would occur.
However, accepting that belief engendered new avenues of thought in Kieran's mind. Cardinal Weiss had once told him a story of the Lifeless Pass, but in that story was information about how the Followers of War came down from the mountains — from the Wailing Sierra.
According to that story, the Wailing Sierra acted as a natural border separating Enira and the Land of Ruin. And the Followers of War rarely stepped foot outside Enira's jurisdictions. Maybe there was a reason for that, but Kieran didn't know.
Regardless, the idea of the Wailing Sierra being the only border between the two lands didn't seem practical in Kieran's opinion.
What existed after the chain of jagged, towering mountains and the continent of Enira itself? There had to be something.
'No… I'm positive that there's something there. Like… like a bridge or something.'
The thought of a bridge ignited new reasoning in Kieran, assumptions directly related to the other Myths — the Sacred Myth in particular. The owner of that power had the divine ability to serve as a bridge, or more specifically, a connection between two points.
'Maybe I'll meet uh…'
Kieran stared blankly after coming to an absurd understanding. Aside from Ragnar, Daedric, and Altair, he had yet to learn who the other Inheritors were.
'In hindsight, it probably wasn't smart to ignore introductions before going into a Trial where our combined success dictated all of our fates.'
The beginning of the New Myths could have been better.
There was bad blood between Kieran, Altair, and Daedric, who admittedly held the three most potent legacies — physically speaking. Ragnar, seeming the most mature of the bunch, had acted as a mediator, however, his efforts were futile without the support of the other Inheritors.
Those three were ambivalent but mostly indifferent.
Their attitudes showed they didn't take the matter seriously, which was understandable. Perhaps they were just not as invested or had contingencies in place in case the Zenith Online scene didn't work out as they hoped.
'How did these people end up getting chosen? Just what did the Old Myths see in them? I don't think you could ask for a more unfavorable situation.'
Kieran sighed dejectedly.
Then, he followed behind Cardinal Weiss, who ambled as per usual. Walking amongst this expanse of death opened Kieran's eyes to how gruesome the Land of Ruin's history was.
Nonstop warring had destroyed these lands, and the story was written with blood, solidified with scars, and immortalized by the thick aura of death that permeated this place.
'A land embraced by tragedy.'
The journey through the Lifeless Pass wasn't arduous, but it was long. The length of the pass was deceptive in nature. It stretched farther than Kieran expected.
"Do you see all of this destruction, Valdu? It claimed countless lives, stole many fates, and trampled all embers of hope. As you travel… prepare yourself. Because the wails will come, and they will torment you. The pass is lifeless, but the mountain… it cries without end, for it has seen despair. Despair comes when hope is lost."
Again, Kieran looked to the Wailing Sierra that inched closer and loomed over them at an increasingly ominous height. The dissonant cry seemed to get stronger the nearer they grew to the chain of mountains, and the Anchor in Kieran's Realm was reacting — growing heavier and becoming an actual burden.
Soon, Kieran could ignore it no longer and closed his eyes. What he intended as a curious inspection… turned into a disconcerting nightmare.
Within his Realm of Self, the Anchor shook, groaned, and emanated a robust, contesting pressure. It was reacting to the dissonant cries of the Wailing Sierra like a fearsome force was trying to move its titanic weight to no avail.
That interaction, however, echoed throughout the Realm in the form of disruption.
The peace and balance in his Realm were disrupted in a way the Furthered Scales of Balance couldn't offer assistance. Everything there was disrupted all the same, and it left Kieran in pain.
It began as a splitting headache, but it soon spilled into his body in a waterfall of resentful agony. Everywhere, especially his scars, was starting to ache.
Near the brink of the Lifeless Pass, Kieran fell to his knees and clutched his head. He writhed and convulsed in a fetal position until a heavy hand met his shoulder, keeping him in place with inexorable strength.
"Those are the wails, young Valdu. That is the pain of despair and the loss of hope that the mountain has seen. And it wishes to tell its story to all who would listen. All… that are significant."
Kieran's mind screamed in pain, and his thoughts all asked one question: whose despair was this?
"You must resist, young Valdu. Do not give in to the pains of wails. They will remain for as long as the mountain remains. It is the despair that was, is, and shall be. And, it is showing you what your despair will be."
Listening to Cardinal Weiss and understanding what he was saying was a struggle. Kieran's consciousness was blinking in and out of focus, and his thoughts swam against a raging current. It was an inundation of things he couldn't bear or didn't know how to bear.
Then, a stark solution bloomed in his mind — break the damned Anchor, and his Realm wouldn't leave him in such agony.
However, reason battled against that understanding.
'What if the Anchor is reacting this way as a warning? Then, I should listen to it.'
Kieran tried his darnedest to endure the pain, slowly rising to his feet. And when he stood tall, the Anchor released a fragment of something integral to Kieran. When he grasped it, the wails of the chain of mountains seemed less dreadful, or rather… he felt more resistant to it.
This familiar feeling — the focus and drive that it offered. Kieran remembered it well.
"My Will… the Anchor has released my Will."
Part of Kieran's unawakened Spirit had returned to him.
When he looked up, he watched as Cardinal Weiss gave him a proud smile.
"Good work, Valdu. You haven't been lost. The wails did not consume you. Now, come, there is more to see before we return. I have waited long enough for you to overcome the test of the mountain."
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