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A World Unwritten

Stuck in the worst dream possible – the reality of my own creation. Here I am, not the all-powerful author, but an unsuspecting character, woken up in a beggar's body in the world of my own novel. How? Why? I don't know, but what I do know is that I need to survive. My memories of the story's plot are sketchy at best, but I remember enough to know I've got to stick to the main storyline. Life-or-death decisions, cryptic mysteries, formidable enemies, I wrote them all. Now I must face them firsthand. The irony would be delicious if it weren't so deadly. Am I stuck in my worst nightmare or have I been given a chance to rewrite my destiny? Only time will tell. Until then, I’ve got to survive in this Insane world, a plot to follow, and one hell of a story to write... by living it.

QTV · Fantasia
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353 Chs
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Ruin Part Seven

I stretch my arms as we wander down the gloomy, stony hallways. The walls are adorned with intricate hieroglyphs that I can't make heads or tails of. But that doesn't matter; Isabella seems to be leading us just fine.

Rai, out of nowhere, lets out a sigh. "There's been so many damn monsters, but not a single one had a sigil on them. Hey, Isabella, are you sure this is the best route?"

Isabella's voice is icy, "Shut it and keep moving."

I yawn, fully savoring the moment of doing absolutely nothing. Days like this are truly the best. When I don't have to do a single thing~ It feels good~

Ilka, floating upside down around me, suddenly blurts out, "Uuuuugggghh, I'm sooo bored. Come on, fight something strong."

As annoying as she can be, I let it slide. I just roll my eyes at her. If only others could hear her incessant complaining, then maybe they'd understand the extra layer of complexity I'm dealing with. 

Luna suddenly speaks up, her tone tinged with worry. "Was it right to let them go? They could be a problem later."

I shake my head. "I doubt it; Orion is clearly aware of her power." I point at Isabella. She might be unpleasant, but there's no denying her abilities. I've seen her handle her spells with an expertise that rivals Isadora's. Or to be more precise, I wrote scenes that made Isadora clench her sword. 

Isabella grins with pride and huffs, "That's right. It would be stupid of him to fight someone like me. Be grateful I'm here, you barbarian."

Ilka floats around Isabella, mimicking her haughty posture. I chuckle to myself. If Isabella could see the mockery happening inches from her nose she would try using every spell in her book to burn down Ilka.

My eyes drift back to the ruins as we continue walking. Isabella has been reading the hieroglyphs on the walls with an intense focus. I have no idea how she can decipher these arcane inscriptions; I didn't add that in my novel, but it seems like we're closing in on our destination.

Lysandra interrupts the silence with a loud yawn, stretching and popping her bones in pleasure. She looks content, more accustomed to this setting than one would expect from a dragon.

"That baby dragon has gotten accustomed to human life, huh?" Ilka observes, now seated back on my head.

I nod. Yeah, she's definitely mellowed out a bit. Indeed Lysandra originally disliked it to the extent of wanting to fight all the damn time. She's been a lot calmer lately, though I still have to be around her since for some damn reason she acts up when I'm away. 

"Seems like you've been training her; her footwork is much better. You didn't show her any techniques, right? That will only slow her down."

Another nod from me as we keep walking. Just then, the floor beneath us starts glowing. For a brief moment, everything—walls, ceiling, and floor—shines brightly before the light slowly fades away.

Isabella covers her mouth to hide her grin, "Don't stop moving." 

The moment I hear the question escape Arin's lips, I know he's onto something. "Are you sure... that might be a sign indicating traps up ahead?"

Isabella glares at him, eyes colder than the underside of a wizard's hat. "Since you're currently in charge we have no choice," Arin stammers, hastily backpedaling.

Rai gives him a jovial pat on the back, grinning from ear to ear. "Hehe, don't be so scared, Arin, be a man!"

Ilka, comfortably lazing on top of my head, sighs theatrically. "No matter the era, there will always be people like that, huh? People like that tend to die due to their pride."

I decide to ignore her melodrama, figuring there's a time and place for taking her seriously. Arin, poor guy, he's doing his best to hold us together with his limited healing skills. He's far from unlocking his full potential, and he won't even know how for quite some time.

Abruptly, we all come to a stop. The air thickens as a demonic creature emerges from the shadowy hallway, making my neck hairs prickle. It's unlike anything I've seen before—a lumbering mass of shifting darkness, glowing red eyes set in a vaguely humanoid head. Sharp, claw-like protrusions jut from its body at strange angles, and a mist of darkness seems to seep out from its very pores. It's not gigantic, but there's an unsettling aura of malevolence that can't be ignored.

I sheathe my sword, hearing the collective intake of breath from the group. Rai's grin broadens, eager for a fight, while Isabella summons a dozen fire arrows, setting them alight with a flick of her wrist.

"Don't," I interrupt before they make a move. "This is a Wraithshard. Mana can't affect it; to be more precise, any magic attacks under stage 4 are useless."

Luna raises an eyebrow, intrigued yet cautious. "Are you going to deal with it?"

I sigh again. Dammit, I have no choice. I don't want Lysandra to make a mess, and while Luna might be able to kill it, it'll take too long. Rai wouldn't be able to penetrate it with his affinity alone. As for Isabella... who knows what kind of chaos she'd unleash in her attempt.

"Yeah... it's actually quite weak to aura," I say as I prepare to draw my sword again.

Isabella's eyes narrow, her fire arrows vanishing as quickly as they appeared. Rai puts away his weapons, looking a bit disappointed but also intrigued. Lysandra puffs up, glaring at the Wraithshard as if offended by its mere existence.

The Wraithshard lunges at me, making a series of quick jabs and slashes with its limbs. It's fast, but I've faced faster. Each attack barely misses as I duck, sidestep, and backflip, acutely aware that a single touch from this thing could paralyze me, if not worse.

I spot an opening, channel my aura into my blade, and strike—slicing right through the creature. For a moment, it seems almost surprised, and then it disintegrates into a mist of dark energy that dissipates into nothingness. Hmmm, for a mage dealing with this might be a problem. Obviously, you don't have to be a stage four mage to deal with it, but if I left it to Isabella she would attract too much attention. 

Catching my breath, I shoot a glance at Isabella. "Told you, aura."

Isabella scoffs, "Tsk, I could've killed it just as easily."

Ilka rolls her eyes, "This is the type of Noble I hate the most."

We walk a bit further down the gloomy hallways adorned with hieroglyphs I can't comprehend. Then, Isabella mutters something and forms a complex magic circle with her fingers. She casts a fireball that she promptly slams into the wall.

"What the hell!" Rai yells, jolted out of whatever daydream he was having. The wall crumbles, revealing a hidden chamber beyond.

Isabella turns her icy gaze towards us. "You all wait here—"

"No, we're entering as well," I interrupt, walking up to her.

She locks eyes with me, her expression chilling. "You will all wait here whether you like it or not."

"Hey V, let's just—" Rai starts, but I grin and cut him off.

"Don't worry," I whisper to Isabella, leaning close to her ear. "You can keep most of it."

She clenches her jaw, forcing a smile. "You fucking commoner, so you know how to read the hieroglyphs, huh?"

I grin back at her, stepping into the hole she created. Hehehe, she can't do shit to me while in this competition. Feels good to piss her off. "Alright, everyone, let's see what we'll find in here."

Arin and Rai exchange unsure glances. Luna, unfazed, walks in behind me. Lysandra yawns and casually follows.

As Isabella walks past, she leans in close. "When you lose the bet we made, I'll make sure to put you in your place."

Hahaha, be mad, stay mad, I think to myself, doing my best to keep my grin hidden.

"Hehehehe, good job, disciple. As expected of my student," Ilka giggles, smacking the top of my head in a pleased manner.

The moment we step into the strange hallway, my eyes widen. Every inch of the walls, floor, and ceiling is made of smaller squares, each inscribed with different runic symbols. The runes flicker and dance, rotating and rearranging themselves in a pattern that would make most people's heads spin.

"How are we supposed to get through here?" Arin blurts out, looking like he's about to pull his hair out.

Rai bursts out, pumping his fists, "Let's just run across it at full speed!"

Even Lysandra raises an eyebrow at Rai's suggestion. I think if she could facepalm, she would. I swear, that guy's ideas are like a box of chocolates; you never know when you'll get something actually good.

Isabella starts reading the room, squinting at the glyphs and then flipping open a small, leather-bound notebook from her bag. She looks like she's solving the most complicated equation in the world. She mutters, "Now, the seventh rune of Sargoth corresponds with—"

I let out a sigh and interrupt everyone's brainstorming or lack thereof. "It's a simple puzzle."

Isabella's icy gaze sharpens. "Simple? You think you can solve it?"

Arin and Rai look at each other, probably wondering if I've gone mad. Luna keeps her typical composed demeanor but shifts her weight subtly, intrigued. Lysandra looks at me as if I've promised her a giant pile of treasure.

"Step back," I say, walking up to the chaotic array of shifting runes.

I know this puzzle. It's one of those old, mythical traps I wrote about back when I was drafting the early chapters of my novel. The room's enchantments are designed to look like utter madness, but there's an underlying pattern. You just have to know what you're looking for. Well, in my case, remember what I wrote. Hahahaha! Now let me see the faces you make! 

I stand at the edge of the shifting floor, take a deep breath, and step onto the first tile. A bright light emits from it, freezing the symbol in place.

As if on cue, Ilka cackles. "Damn, I got to say Kael, you're way smarter than you look. Seriously, I don't feel embarrassed having you as my disciple anymore."

I smile and step onto the second tile. Another rune freezes, locking into place. One by one, I walk across the room, each step locking another rune in place, each frozen rune forming the invisible bridge that exists only in my memories and written words.

I reach the end of the hallway and turn around to face them, struggling to keep a straight face at their expressions—Isabella looks like she's swallowed a lemon; Rai is staring, mouth wide open, likely questioning his life choices- as he should; Luna is nodding subtly, and Arin... poor Arin looks like he just witnessed a miracle.

Isabella stomps across the solidified path, her face flushed. "Lucky guess," she hisses as she passes me.

I just chuckle. "Sure, call it what you want."

Rai, Arin, and Luna make their way across the now-stable path, each wearing a mixture of relief and wonder on their faces. Lysandra simply flits across, looking rather pleased with herself for an unknown reason. 

As Isabella walks past me, her voice tinged with unspoken fury, she whispers, "I don't know how you know so much regarding magic theory, but I'm starting to really look forward to seeing you lose that bet."

After navigating through a labyrinth of devious traps, puzzle rooms, and even more inscrutable hieroglyphs, I finally breathe a sigh of relief as we step into a dimly lit chamber. Thank God, it would've been bad if I got a single one of those wrong.

The room is smaller than the grandiose halls we've traversed but rich in content—a table adorned with ancient tomes and artifacts captures our attention immediately.

Isabella strides forward, her eyes alight with arcane curiosity. "Finally, some real treasures," she mutters, flipping open one of the books and diving into its contents like a starving person at a feast.

Rai, Arin, and Luna look intrigued but somewhat cautious, clearly aware of their own limitations when it comes to magical artifacts. Lysandra, on the other hand, simply looks impatient.

Taking advantage of Isabella's distraction, I swipe a small artifact from the table—a miniature, ornate cylinder, encrusted with mysterious symbols.

"What's that?" Lysandra, beside me, chirps curiously.

I grin, slipping the artifact into my bag. "Hehe, it's an artificial core." Eira is going to get a headache when she sees it. 

I then grab another book from the table. "Oi, Isabella, I'm keeping this." She shoots me a dirty look but says nothing. After all, she still gets the lion's share of this trove.

Turning to the others, I toss each of them a small artifact. "You guys can keep these. No complaints, right?"

Arin catches his artifact, looking a little puzzled. Rai snatches his out of the air with a cocky grin, while Luna gracefully accepts hers, nodding in acknowledgment.

"As if they could complain," Ilka snickers, still floating above my head like an especially sarcastic halo. "Apart from you and possibly Isabella, they won't even know what the artifacts do or how to activate them until they get them checked. And you still haven't told me how you know what an artifact does at first glance!"

Ignoring Ilka's commentary, I look back at Isabella. "Oi, you get to keep the rest, so stop complaining."

She narrows her eyes but doesn't retort. She's too engrossed in the book, I guess. Heh, let her learn some super complicated spell; I've got what I need and she has what she needs.

"Hey, where's mine?" Lysandra pouts, her eyes scanning the table.

I reach into my bag and produce an extra-extra-extra-extra large plate of pasta I made earlier. The scent fills the room, overpowering the musty odor of ancient relics.

Lysandra's eyes go wide, and she snatches the plate from my hands faster than you can say 'carb overload.' She dives into the pasta, clearly satisfied.

Fun Fact: Isadora is starving as she ate all the food Kael left her on the first day. She is unwilling to eat anything else and only drinks and eats coconuts.

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