Chương 178: B3 - Chapter 14: New Rift

Seth and Elena resumed their advance into the untamed heart of the forest, the vibrant green canopy closing over them like a heavy curtain. The air grew thicker with the scent of mud and nectar-heavy blooms as they moved deeper. With a subtle pulse of aether, Seth recalled Nightmare and Colossus into the teardrop necklace. The humid silence of the jungle was broken only by the occasional cry of a distant beast. After a few minutes of walking, Elena leaned closer.

"Your Legacy... It's about the bond you share with Nightmare and Colossus, isn't it?" Seth's eyes widened, and he cast a quick glance at her before returning his gaze to the undergrowth.

"What makes you say that?"

"You looked sad when Devus and the others were signing those contracts," Elena explained, stepping over a moss-covered root.

"It was as if watching them bind those cubs didn't feel right to you." A faint smile tugged at Seth's lips. She was reading him like an open book—and strangely, he didn't mind. Being able to talk about these things with someone felt… relieving. The sensation sitting in his chest was unfamiliar but not unwelcome.

"Yeah," he answered.

"It isn't a contract. It's something else entirely." A brief flash of warmth crossed Elena's face. She clearly appreciated his honesty.

"Can you make another of those bonds? Or is it limited?"

"Not currently." Seth thought about the mysterious threads of energy of Link for a moment.

"I might be able to once I reach Silver, but I'm not entirely sure. I can't exactly talk about the specifics with anyone, so I'm learning everything as I go."

"Can't you ask your father's friend?" Elena asked.

"Powerful as he is, he probably knows more than anyone else about Legacies." Seth shook his head.

"No, he prefers to avoid talking about my Legacy altogether. He's worried that if he ever had to face someone who can read thoughts—like the Oracle Snakes or high-ranking members of the Oracle Guild—that information could be used against him or me." Taken aback, Elena slowed her pace.

"How do you even know about the Oracle Guild?"

"He brought me to Asethka to get me a Proof of Citizenship," Seth explained.

"He wanted to make sure the NEVAK officers wouldn't stop me from participating in the war simply because of my origin." Elena's eyes gleamed with a sudden, wistful light.

"Asethka... I've always wanted to visit one of the great Rift Cities. I've heard so many stories from Father and Mother about those. I imagine it was incredibly impressive."

"It was," Seth said.

"But it also made me realize how small and weak Kastal truly is, compared to the rest of the world." Elena's expression shifted, and the wonder in her gaze was replaced by a lingering sorrow. She looked at the surrounding trees.

"Yeah."

"But that weakness could be changed," Seth added, surprising himself with the sudden spark of hope in his own voice.

"If Kastal's borders were opened and people were actually allowed to travel anywhere—including Rift Cities—to become stronger, the nation could grow a lot in terms of strength. We would just need to make Kastal a place where people stay because they want to, not because they're forced by a king's decree."

"We could also found an organization in Asethka," Elena suggested, a smile spreading on her face.

"Something to facilitate trade while also helping people train there."

"Maybe," Seth said, though his gaze remained fixed ahead.

"But it wouldn't be 'we.' At least, not openly. My eyes and my face would only bring trouble."

"Even in Asethka?" Elena's brow furrowed.

"Is that because of your father?"

"Yeah," Seth answered. At this point, his origin was far less dangerous to reveal than the truth about his Legacy, which she already knew.

"He was from Draeria. It's a nation of Primalists with golden eyes who aren't exactly known for their mercy toward those that leave their nation." Elena's expression tightened.

"Even if he's dead," Seth continued, "the moment people there learn about my existence, they'll come after me. No questions asked." He glanced at her and felt his mouth twist to the side.

"For now, my best option is to stay out in the wild, keep my head down, and grow stronger alone. One day… maybe I'd be strong enough to face them." Elena took in his words, and a silence stretched between the two of them as they navigated a particularly dense thicket of ferns. Finally, she reached for Seth's arm and forced him to stop.

"Why alone? Some people are ready to risk their lives to be—to fight by your side." Seth looked at her, and for a fleeting second he felt his heartbeat quicken. Her burning emerald eyes were challenging everything he had planned for himself over the past months. Yet a profound fear remained in Seth's chest. What was the point of building up relationships if he wasn't strong enough to defend them? The leader of a pack shouldn't take on responsibilities he wasn't ready to handle.

"Thank you, Elena," Seth finally answered, the words feeling heavy in his throat. He paused, and the indecision of his own heart prompted him to switch subjects before exposing himself further.

"Speaking of Legacies… what exactly is yours about?" For a brief moment, Elena's gaze lingered on him. The sadness in her eyes made it clear she had noticed how he'd sidestepped what she had just said, but she didn't press him. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Instead, she adjusted her grip on her staff, her expression turning thoughtful.

"It's centered on Ice control," she explained.

"It boosts the potency and efficiency of my Ice spells significantly. The downside is that it lowers the effectiveness of spells with any other affinity I try to use. Like a Wind spell would be nearly useless for me." Seth's eyes narrowed as he processed the information. His own Legacy provided about a ten-percent boost to his total attributes per Tier through Link, while also granting him access to devastating spells like Share and the passive benefits from Nightmare and Colossus's own Seeds.

If Elena had to accept such a crippling weakness in other areas, the power jump for her Ice magic had to be staggering; it was a specialist's Path, designed to turn a single element into a force of nature.

"You're lucky you stumbled across a Legacy that fits your natural affinity so perfectly," Seth remarked, glancing at the frost that still clung to the hem of her deep-blue robes.

"I suppose so," Elena said, her voice dropping into a more somber tone. She looked at her hands as her thumb traced the runes on her staff.

"I just hope I'll be able to make good use of it. I want to make a real difference when I get into those Warfare Rifts. I'm tired of feeling helpless."

"I'm sure you will be able to—" Seth began to answer before stopping abruptly. His heart hammered against his ribs as a cold, jagged spike of dread from his core pierced his senses. He snapped his head to the left.

"Shit," he hissed. Deep in the dense forest, about a hundred yards away, massive trees were being uprooted and tossed aside like twigs. The ground groaned under Elena's and Seth's boots. Almost simultaneously, his eyes caught a fleeting glimpse of several dark, gargantuan shapes charging toward them. Seth didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, grabbing Elena around the waist and hauling her over his shoulder.

"Seth! What are you—" Elena gasped, her breath catching as she landed on him.

"Prepare two Escape scrolls!" Seth exclaimed, already bursting into a dead sprint through the dense undergrowth.

"If those things catch up to us, we need to be ready to use them right away." He poured aether into his legs, the jungle blurring into a smear of emerald and brown as he fled the encroaching shadow.' Do I come out?' Colossus asked through Link.' No!

'Seth immediately answered.' This isn't a fight we can win. And don't worry, buddy, we are safe with the scrolls.' Behind Seth and Elena, the forest erupted into chaos—timber snapped, branches shattered, and deep, predatory roars reverberated through the trees. Seth's lungs burned with every ragged breath, and his boots skidded through slick mud. He was pushing his body to its limits to stay ahead of the advancing wall of destruction.

The sheer number of crashing trees and the heavy, rhythmic tremors of the ground suggested that there were more than a few beasts on their tail.

"You need to go faster!" Elena shouted from over his shoulder. The cold breeze of a spell that brushed his neck as she wove her staff.

"I'm already at my limit!" Seth barked back, vaulting over a fallen trunk without slowing. Another thunderous crash split the forest behind them.

"That's not just a few beasts!" Elena cried, twisting slightly, probably to glance at him.

"Seth—there are dozens!"

"Yeah, I guessed that already!" he snapped, pouring even more aether into his legs. Ahead, he spotted a jagged fissure in a limestone cliff, its narrow entrance half-hidden behind a curtain of hanging vines. The sight instantly brought back the memory of the undead cave in the Wicked Forest—when he and Nightmare, in fleeing the Inferno Bear, had thrown themselves into the darkness with no idea what waited below.

'At least this time there's no hundred-foot dive at the end,' Nightmare chuckled inside the teardrop necklace.

'Thankfully,' Seth shot back through Link before shouting to Elena between two breaths.

"Hold on!" Elena tightened her grip around his shoulders as Seth veered sharply toward the cave, shifting his balance as he charged through the tight opening and tore apart the vines. The bright tropical sunlight vanished the moment they crossed the threshold, replaced by dark, suffocating gloom. Seth slowed to a walk, hand taking hold against the cold stone as he strained to hear whether the beasts outside would rush past—or pursue them inside. The expected silence never came.

Instead, the air around him began to warp and stretch with the familiar, gut-wrenching pull that seized one's body when entering a Rift. Once again, Seth felt the sudden, profound absence of ambient energy—an emptiness that resonated with the Null affinity within his Well.

"Shit," he cursed as the world pulled itself back together a heartbeat later. The humid scent of vegetation had vanished and was now replaced by something so sharp and frigid it stung his nostrils and throat. He set Elena down, his golden eyes adjusting to the dim light of runes carved into the long, winding tunnel surrounding them. Seth touched frost coating the jagged stone walls, then crouched to do the same with the sheet of translucent, pale-blue ice covering the ground.

Elena hugged her arms around herself, breath fogging in the freezing air. She turned slowly, taking in the frozen tunnel.

"Seth… where are we? It feels like we stepped into—""—a new Rift," Seth finished for her. Elena's eyes widened.

"Another one? Even though we were already inside the forest Rift?"

"Exactly." Seth pushed himself upright, his eyes following the glowing runes winding deeper into the frozen corridor.

"Happens more often than people think." He tilted his chin down the tunnel.

"That's probably why places like Asethka are so important. Multiple entry points… dozens of Rifts connected together. From one city, Wielders can dive across an entire network of realms." Elena shivered as she raised her hands, which were still clutching the two Escape Scrolls. Seth noticed it, and without a word he slipped a hand into his Endless Pouch. The faint shimmer of spatial distortion rippled for an instant before he pulled out a thick fur jacket.

He then stepped toward Elena and draped it over her shoulders. The noble blinked in surprise, fingers instinctively grabbing on to the edges of the coat.

"Thanks," she said quietly. She pushed a loose strand of hair from her face and glanced down the frozen passage.

"But I don't think it will be necessary. We shouldn't stay here. We have no idea what Tier this Rift is… or how dangerous it might be." Seth shook his head before holding his hand out to feel the unnaturally dense, cold aether in the air.

"Aren't you interested in getting stronger?" Seth asked with a glance back at her.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, her brow furrowing as she gripped the coat tighter.

"Don't you feel the absurd amount of Ice aether inside this cave?" Seth replied. He gestured to the shimmering walls.

"This place is perfect for you." Elena hesitated. Her gaze slowly tracked along the faint veins of pale-blue frost beneath the tunnel's stone like frozen lightning.

"…I do feel it," she admitted after a moment.

"It's strong. But is it really worth the risk?" A smile tugged at Seth's lips. He knew two things that could give such a high density of aether: Essences and Seeds.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find something that will be worth it."