Lee Seng studied the dead body of the Fallen. They looked similar to the Merfolk yet had a more… disturbing aura about them. He poked and prodded at it, making mental notes about it.
ραпdα nᴏνɐ| сom 'Fallen.' Keng's voice popped up in Lee Seng's head. 'They're annoying when they're in a group. Surprised you managed to survive that surprise attack.'
"Would you have helped me?" Lee Seng asked. It was silent. Lee Seng stood up and turned away from the fallen. He jumped off the small ledge and floated back down. Calis was already waiting for Lee Seng, looking into the large opening. Calis sniffed and felt something odd about this place.
"It went in there." Lee Seng spoke up.
"What did?" Calis looked at Lee Seng. Lee Seng wagged his finger as he took a couple steps forward.
"Energy. A milky energy in the slits of these cracks." Lee Seng pointed out. "I followed it and it disappeared into that."
"Mmm, I don't know about this one." Calis shook his head. "Many people went missing in this place. It's an eternal maze in there."
"You don't remember the last two years, yet you remember that?"
"It was the last thing I remember doing. My team and I tried to search for a kid in there and got lost for four days. There had to be a search team sent out to find us and they got lost here, too. My team hears things and sometimes even have nightmares about it." Calis explained.
"Like what?"
"Whatever thing that scares you… You can probably think of a few things."
"My father…" Lee Seng shuddered. Calis smirked and immediately hid it. He nodded. Lee Seng caught it and pointed at him. "W-what? He's scary! Especially when I can't do anything!"
"Alright, whatever." Calis nodded. "Do we really have to go in there?"
"C'mon." Lee Seng waved.
The large cave entrance didn't go too far. It split into four different ways and Calis couldn't help but look behind them. The entrance was barely in view. Lee Seng scanned the paths. He wondered which path the milky energy would've taken. A slimy trail appeared on the third path to the right.
"This way." Lee Seng motioned. He led the way down the third path on the right, following the milky energy.
"Did you randomly pick?" Calis asked. Lee Seng traced his finger along the wall, tracing the milky energy. Lee Seng's energy twinkled, lighting the milky energy up. "Woah, that's what I was smelling. Your senses are sharp."
"Sharper than most." Lee Seng agreed.
"Can both of you do that…? Both meaning… You and your brother?"
"His isn't so bad." Lee Seng nodded. "Though he's better at picking things up by ear." He pointed at his ear. The path snaked, eventually splitting into six more paths. Lee Seng's eyes scanned the area while Calis sniffed.
"The middle one right there." Calis pointed. Lee Seng looked over and noticed the milky energy. They continued following, Calis or Lee Seng finding the milky energy before the other and continuing onwards. The milky energy quickly multiplied, going in different directions that eventually led down the same path. Lee Seng and Calis eventually stopped at a small opening in the wall.
"I wonder if I can knock this wall down." Lee Seng whispered. Calis lowered himself and peered through the small hole.
"I think… there's an open room behind this wall." Calis told Lee Seng. He pushed himself back up and looked at Lee Seng. "I don't think either of us can fit into that."
"Let's move backwards a bit, hm?" Lee Seng motioned. Calis gave Lee Seng a confused look as he backed up with him. Lee Seng lifted his hand and blasted the wall, crumbling it into pieces.
Lee Seng led the way into the lit room. Noises bounced around the room, drawing Calis and Lee Seng's attention in different directions. A large bubble of gray liquid twitched as the two ventured further into the room. Calis's eyes landed on it first, questioning what he was seeing.
"Do you see that?" Calis asked. Lee Seng looked over and noticed it. He nodded at Calis's question. "Do you know what that's supposed to be?" It was familiar to the milky energy they had been following. Lee Seng walked up to it and lifted a hand up.
"Identify." Lee Seng whispered. He reached out for it and watched it move for his hand. Lee Seng watched it slam into his hand. Light billowed out and the gray liquid shrieked as it tried to pull away.
[The thing in front of you is a creature. It seems to be of dragon origin.]
"What do I cure it with?" Lee Seng whispered. The gray substance shrieked as Lee Seng's light scared it. It tried to flee, slamming into a wall.
"W-what is that?!?" Calis raised his spear at it. He whipped around, watching the covered creature bounce around the room. Lee Seng looked at the liquid and squeezed it into his hand.
"Identify Ailment." Lee Seng ordered.
"We should kill this thing before it gets out!" Calis shouted. Calis fired a couple shots of shadow bolts and watched as the shadows sunk into the gray substance, disappearing completely. "Tch!" Calis swam forward, moving the trident to the side. It flashed, changing into the glaive.
[This is a 97.6% match of the disease afflicting the Merfolk. It has a Dark affinity. Light will naturally expunge most of the substance.]
'What do I do with the excess that can't be expunged?' Lee Seng asked.
[Trap it in star light.]
Lee Seng nodded and summoned a black wisp. He threw it and blinked, appearing in front of Calis. Calis screamed as he started to swing his glaive straight for Lee Seng.
"Are you not going to help me heal this thing?" Lee Seng asked Keng.
'Like you need help.' Keng answered. Lee Seng smiled as three tails blocked the attack. Two tails wrapped around Calis's arms and a third one poked at Calis's stomach. A bright light exploded from Lee Seng's hands, wrapping itself around the gray substance sludge.
"GRAAA!" The creature shrieked as the cosmic light wrapped around it. The gray substance melted as the creature continued to shriek. It slammed against the light barrier, burning away the gray substance.
A white tail with a bushy teal fin appeared. The dragon origin creature shook as Lee Seng's tails loosened around Calis. He pushed Calis away, who watched as the gray substance began to disappear.
White scales appeared as a large snake-like dragon appeared. Teal hair billowed along the top side of the dragon. Golden eyes whipped around as it panicked.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Lee Seng told the dragon. "I'm just trying to get rid of the disease that's on you." Lee Seng gritted his teeth as he adjusted his hands to strengthen the light barrier. The dragon eventually realized what was going on and stopped. "That's right… I'm not going to hurt you. It seems like you're all banged up. Heal."
The warm light barrier shimmered and began to heal the dragon. The dragon's injuries disappeared, leaving it unmarked. Small bits of the gray disease stuck on the dragon after ten minutes of light.
"A dragon…" Calis whispered. "And a Celestial one at that…"
"Celestial?" Lee Seng looked over at Calis. Calis nodded and pointed at the dragon.
"It isn't of the Sea. Sea dragons are blue. This one… It looks like it has scales that are of the wind. Those eyes reflect that of the Golden Sun and the teal… A symbol of royalty."
"A royal dragon?!?" Lee Seng was taken aback.
"It was said that the God King's prized color was teal. It was a big deal when he wore teal. Something great was going to happen. What is a royal Celestial dragon doing here… afflicted with such a blight?"
"Grrrr…." The dragon maneuvered its body to look at the two. "It seems one of you knows what I am."
"You can talk?!?" Lee Seng gasped.
"Foolish boy. I am a dragon. Of course I know how to talk!"
"What're you doing all the way down here? Afflicted with… such a blight?" Calis asked, moving forward. The dragon looked over to Calis and let out a breath through its nose, releasing bubbles.
"For many years, this horrible disease was put on me. To smother me from talking and doing anything! I, Varja Gamadan, the Royal Celestial Dragon! Grrrrr… I should punish that Jester who tricked me!" Varja Gamadan growled. "If that Jester wasn't from Fate's own court, I would've shown them their place! Afflicted with a disease from another Realm! Forced to hide for years only to kill off the population near me! And to think I'd be found by a Human turned Fox Spirit boy!"
Calis looked over to Lee Seng. It was another piece of information he didn't remember.
"And to think your Spirit hides within you! Come forth and pay respects to me!" The dragon barked. Lee Seng's body shimmered for a moment then faded, showing nothing. Varja shrieked as Lee Seng threw his arms up. "Arrogance, you have! I should rip your head clean off for disrespecting me!"
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter