Chaos

He shrugged that off as soon as it arrived. The back of his palm wiped sweat from his temples. If he were still Zmey Ashbane, hope would not cross his mind. Zmey Ashbane controlled his actions. It was like a cow hoping humans would never sacrifice it for a feast.At one moment, he toppled over. He gasped. Nausea, yet a scent not specific though with something pulling, wafted into his nose. He gasped. His boot froze in the bed of snow. A tight sensation landed in his chest. He wrinkled his nose in struggle. His hand quivered as it moved upwards. Zmey gripped his chest with a firm hold.If it were not for the cloak on him, he would have ripped his skin off.Zmey gasped. He dropped to his knees, clenching snow in his fist as sensations surged through him.Voices not his screamed in his mind. It felt like a realistic experience that they were calling him. He could hear a consistent, "Come save me." It was both feminine and masculine, with one tone higher than the last. The noise loudened with time..."Ah!" Zmey groaned. The action was so sudden that he hardly was able to register the moment he rose to his feet. The hood of his cloak fell off his head. As if enchanted, his gaze shifted to the left path of the slope. He groaned. It was the same as his inability to move in his dream. He groaned once more at the unsettling reality that shifted in his mind. He could see faint red traces along the path, which were unusual. They wove through the air in a definite direction.One after the other, pace after pace, and metre after metre, Zmey realised he was closing the gap."What the hell is all this... . Someone is controlling me,"His neck was stiff. It was a desperation, drawn by the faint red traces and a gripping scent he sensed. Like a nausea—yet, not one.This was terrible!The path ahead had been under intense pressure and repulsion. The stronger side led Zmey to the top of a cliff in the end. Most importantly, it was the one on top where Aura, Lady Nadia, and Nero were present.In that split moment, he noticed the faint crimson swirling around Aura. His brows twitched. The pressure pulling him all this while washed down his arms. It made them feel warm, then it spread to beneath his boot. Curiosity settled in him because Aura was the main source of that intense pressure. The more he thought about it, he couldn't stop imagining that she had done that on purpose.Jagged mountains shrouded over one another a great distance from the cliff. Thick haze occupied their separation, hanging in the air as if its life depended on it. Zmey clasped his waist. He glanced at the path that forced him through.Again, he imagined which of Aura's possessions dragged him up the cliff.He unclasped his waist with a gentle sigh. "I will do this one last time."Besides, he was here already......On top of everything else, he was most curious if approaching like that was a safe decision to make. At that moment, he heard a buzzing sound. An insect moving towards the trio abruptly turned away... as if that were a dead end. Zmey got a clue, and he searched around him; he picked up a pebble of rock.With a light pressure, he hurled the stone forward. Only to fall half-way, clattering on the cliff. A golden half-circle shimmered under the dull moonlight. It surrounded the trio. Zmey deemed himself right after all."That was safe..." he mumbled. He walked forward with a soft step, picking the pebble up from the ground. The barrier was still shimmering as if it were alive. He paced forward at a careful rate.As he inched closer to the barrier, a realisation dawned on him. Blood dripped onto the surface beneath Aura. His eyes somehow twitched at the sight of that. Something unknown washed over him."Is that a bleeding?..." As his eyes trailed towards the other three, he saw the same thing. His muscles twitched. "Hang in there. If you guys die, that means I wasn't fated to be your helper in the first place..."He moved his focus to the real business. Zmey stared at it with unwavering focus for an extended period. He tried to pick up some details about the barrier. If he could do so, he assumed he could learn how to destroy it.'This is the best method I can think of since I'm powerless…'He had done the same thing in the past too - learning about things by being observant. Like when his father was training the Whispering Fang sword art. To begin with, he would not tell him the techniques to practise it. But, after three attempts to peep over his training room wall, he learned the methods. The most effective method was to train and parry with your own shadows.Zmey's eyes widened at that moment. A satisfied smile crossed his face. He moved the pebble with care. He put it against the part of the barrier that shimmered with no golden light. To his dismay, it sagged inwards like an elastic surface.As expected, a flicker of something ran across the barrier, shimmering on the plain part. A thrum surged through the pebble, causing Zmey to shiver.He removed the pebble from the barrier...."As much as I remember, magic causes a shiver when either in contact with or used," Zmey stated to justify his idea. The barrier had shifted magic to the plain spot when he tried altering the balance. It was clear to him now. The elements making the barrier are sensitive to intrusion. The sensitivity made them hesitant to lend out their magic. If he could repeat the same thing, now with his hand, he would be able to lend their magic. That would at least break the barrier.In a nutshell, it was all about the law of balance. The barrier's elements, even though at equilibrium, were still not enough to fill the entire spot. Thus, the system shifts whenever anything touches one vulnerable part. That was sensitivity to touch.Zmey dropped the pebble. He jabbed one finger against a plain spot and another finger on the opposite side. His heart raced—what if his assumption was wrong?A wide grin spread across his face in an instant. "It's damn right!" he screamed as shivers ran through him. He could feel the overwhelming pressure from his head to toe. One which he could smile over. Trails crossed the barrier over and over. Golden tiny lights climbed over Zmey's arm and filled his entire body in an instant.Shiver wasn't the only sensation anymore. But also something that makes him somehow feel on top of the world.The same way he had harnessed power to make the Blood Oath as well as activating his mage body back then... He closed his eyes in concentration. With his mind, he felt he could control the flow of power in him. He then directed them towards the outside...Bham! - the power hit the barrier hard. Zmey's legs lifted off the ground. His body flew backwards under the force; the ground received him, drawing a slow wince from his mouth. But he focused immediately on the front.He grinned as soon as he saw the barrier. It lost its shape over time, reducing to a tiny light that blended with the thin air."I did it..."But at that moment, his eyes widened in shock. A shadow loomed over him; he drifted his body backwards, eyes wide. Words froze in his throat.Meanwhile, in the icy space, Silvan's body rolled through the air under the force of a blow. But he balanced himself before hitting the ground, his body skidding.At that moment, a grin of satisfaction crossed Nymera's face. "It couldn't have been that simple to break. I prepared everything, so test your strength."Silvan heard her words. Even though they were the only ones in here, he knew right away that she wasn't addressing him.