CHAPTER 13: THE DEAD LAND

After twenty minutes passed, Grell, Amaya, Kiin, and the three warriors and two protectors set off towards the dead zone where Amaya sensed the ending trail of the magic. It was already late in the night so they hurried off on their feet. With Amaya on the front, followed by Grell while Kiin was in the back, with the warriors and the protectors in the middle of their group.

Amaya held out her crystal, trying to capture more trails of magic hoping that the spirits and fairies were just hiding deep in the earth. Hibernating. And that nothing had changed.

The jungle was dark and the trees were closely clustered together, giving a sense of being cramped. It was very humid and uncomfortable for them if they didn't use their magic to adjust the air surrounding them. But using magi constantly could also deplete it sooner. So they needed to be scrupulous on when to use it and when to reserve it.

The night grew darker, and they had been walking up and down and through the dense jungle for hours. No matter how strong the warriors were or how skillful the protectors were, they were still human, unlike Amaya and Grell. They have also been awake since before dawn that day to prepare for their journey.

Looking back at the people behind who looked not especially lethargic, but still tired nonetheless, Grell skipped towards Amaya on the front. "Shall we rest for a while?" he asked Amaya who turned to him with a startle. She then turned to look at the back and her face morphed into one of remorse.

"Apologies," she said to the other people, "I was too anxious. Shall we take a moment to rest?" she said as she looked around, trying to find a spot to rest.

Kiin then took the initiative to scout the surrounding area. After making sure that it was safe and adequate for them to stay for the night, he reported to Amaya.

"Then let us rest here for tonight," Amaya said, slightly apologetic, forgetting for a moment that only she and Grell were the immortals who needed little rest. "We will continue once dawn arrives," she told Kiin who bowed deeply.

Kiin then turned towards the other subordinates and assigned their part in the night watch before carefully spreading his own cot to rest. Every second of rest was always precious for people on a mission, and since they had arranged the turn for the watch, he would catch on as much sleep as he could.

Amaya and Grell, on the other hand, needed no sleep nor food currently. Both of them were standing shoulder to shoulder, looking into the cluster of dense trees in front of them. Heart heavy and unsettled.

"It's so… silent…" Grell said as he sat down beside Amaya who was staring at her crystal distractedly. "There aren't even the sound of insects," Grell frowned, feeling unnerved as he looked around, trying to find something that seemed normal.

"The animals are fine. They are hiding," Amaya said, voice as soft as the cloud, but heavy with rainfall. She almost sounded dejected, defeated. She was worried. "I do not think that whatever is happening in this land, is something recent," she said with a frown.

"How could that be? Won't the temple of Salvation notice anything?" Grell asked incredulously.

Amaya shook her head, "It is impossible to monitor every inch of earth, even with my power. This realm is vast and there are many different types of energy rippling through each layer. Even if my magic is of the earth, the earth itself has been going through a constant transformation. The slightest tempering of black magic can surely blindside me, let alone the priestesses and protectors," she explained as she stared into the darkness of the jungle, eyes rippling, fist clenched tightly, shoulders hunched down, clearly crestfallen.

Grell wanted to say something, but he also understood that one person, even if it was the Goddess herself, could never cover the entire realm with her palm. Not to mention, she had three realms to monitor and protect. Grell understood, but that didn't mean that his heart didn't ache for Amaya. If only they were stronger, back then, then there wouldn't still be any black magic left in any realm.

"Can you sense the black magic?" Grell then asked as he looked around cautiously.

"No. Not from here," Amaya shook her head, "it could be that they have never been through this path, or that whomever used black magic, knew enough to conceal it…" she said, voice barely a whisper.

"Which could only mean that their level is not low," Grell finished Amaya's conjecture. He knew then why Amaya was thoroughly perturbed.

"We should tell the others this," Grell said anxiously. If there were really a black magic users with a high level roaming around the realm, it only meant trouble.

"I am planning to tell them after we deal with the matter of the fairies and spirits," Amaya told him, "we first must determine whether this was a separate act of an individual or something bigger," she whispered. Her beautiful lips thinned and her eyes had lost their brilliant light as she stared at Grell.

It was a little foreign for him to see his Goddess without her smile and gentle eyes. This matter must have greatly worried her. Grell couldn't help but to sigh.

The matter regarding black magic users was highly sensitive to them. Most of the current population of the three realms were not present during the great war which happened thousands of years ago. Aside from some elders of the first generations of the priestesses from the Temple of Salvations residing deep inside the Temple of Salvation in the magic realm, and some high level magic users who had been living in seclusion for the past few centuries, the people in the all three realms only knew about the great war from story books or stories passed down from ancestors.

As for the black magic users during that time…. They were actually called 'Black Masters' by the common people. There were plenty of them roaming the world which at that time still hadn't been divided into three realms. At that time, the King and his knights, along with the high priestess and protectors, managed to purge most of these black masters. Those who were still young and had not performed grave offense, were banished into the shadow realm along with their family members.

However, no matter how meticulous one in cleaning the house, there was bound to be some speck of dust left in one corner of the room. This was probably the cause that was currently happening to them right now. No matter if it was some immortals like them who escaped the purge, or some descendants of those black masters, they needed to eliminate them no matter what.

Amaya and Grell agreed on that and decided to tell the others this once they deal with the problem at hand. And of course, after they close the portal and strengthen the barrier.

While the two of them were busy talking and pondering, the trace of dawn slowly approached, bringing a slight chill and a refreshing scent of the earth. The last person who fell asleep finally woke up and they started busily preparing for breakfast.

After making sure they left nothing, the group set out once again, following Amaya's lead, deeper into the jungle. As the sun got higher, so was the temperature. And it was very humid. They walked for more than three hours before they finally found a small creek where they could refresh themselves and rest for a while.

When they set out again, Amaya was restless. The more they walked, the more the feeling of dread shrouded her. But when she looked at her companions, she found nothing strange in their faces. Which meant that it was only herself who was feeling as such.

As they got closer to their destination, they all became fully alert. In front of them was still the dense jungle. But ahead, they could hear the change in the wind, indicating a more open area ahead. There was also a difference in the light so they hurried their footsteps whilst still being vigilant.

The closer they got to the edge of the jungle, the harder their heart beat. And when they arrived at the open land, their breath stalled and fear and astonishment shone in their eyes.

What appeared before them was a vast land in black. The soil was black. The few remaining tree barks were black. Even the few scattered leaves on little branches were all black. The puddle of water and some patches of wet soil were also dyed black.

The air was thick with black smoke rising from a distance. The smell was putrid. It was very suffocating, even for normal humans like Kiin and the rest. For Amaya, the smell was akin to a strangulation and prickling of needles in her body. Painful and unbearable.

And unlike the condition of the place in front of their eyes, the faces of the group were all as white as a sheet. All they could do as they stared into the distance, was to stand there in silence as they took in the reality of their negligence.

But aside from the jarring image in front of them, they noticed that there wasn't even a single living being in their surroundings. Even when they extended their senses, they could perceive not a single soul.

"Is it a barrier?" Kiin asked, a little unsure. If it is so, how come they could see the land but not the occupants?

"It seemed so," Amaya said, playing with the crystal in her hand. "Please take a step back," she said to the others with a slight smile. They all complied and took a step further back to make room for Amaya to perform her magic.

Amaya, having been given space, took a deep breath. She then let the crystal hang midair as she chanted and recalled the magic of the earth she was going to borrow. She held out her hand and made a semi circle in the air which then rippled. Amaya's eyebrows creased and her fingers slightly trembled. Grell looked upon her with worry, but he couldn't do anything. He didn't have magic, so he just silently prayed for her strength.

Some time passed and Amaya's hand movement slowed down before she drew an arch with her hands and made another circle and the air rippled even more, sending some heat waves to the surroundings. Even the people in the back felt the uncomfortable heat and frowned.

After the heatwave subsided, and the ripples in the air disappeared, what appeared in front of their eyes was something even more jarring than what they had already witnessed. Their whole body stiffened in fear and trepidation.

It was really the dead land.