Chương 105: The Forgotten

At the bottom of the lake, there is a palace and fairies.

It's like a horror movie no matter how you look at it.

The moment everyone's feet touched the ground, their weapons flashed instantly without hesitation. However, the fairy before them seemed to harbor no hostility whatsoever.

Even when everyone brandished their weapons, she remained smiling.

"I have prepared a 'gift for your return home' ————" As the fairy's words faded, Shutark received a giant strawberry sundae, Philon received a fluffy little bunny, and Frilian received a huge, thick magic book.

The fairy presented each person with a gift that suited their taste, according to their preferences.

"In addition, I have prepared delicious food and fine wine for everyone."

As she spoke, the fairy waved her hand, and a long table instantly appeared in the palace behind her. The food on the table smelled incredibly tempting and stretched as far as the eye could see.

Seeing this, Xia En gradually frowned.

Unaware of anything amiss, the boy happily held the enormous ice cream cone, ready to follow the fairy into the palace.

Before he could even take a step, he was suddenly pulled back by Claf beside him.

As I was writing, Shane's voice rang out.

"Are they trying to keep us here with this kind of trick?"

"Kraft, there should be magic in 'Goddess's Magic' to break charms or illusions, so please don't hold back."

Upon hearing Shane's words, Kraft took out the Holy Scripture and began chanting, enveloping everyone in a pale green light.

A moment later, the three who had been bewitched came to their senses.

Shutark looked bewildered, Philon instantly became alert, and Frilian—why does she seem a little disappointed?

Xia En's eye twitched.

That's a fake magic book, girl!

At this moment, the beautiful fairy in front of everyone finally revealed her true form, which was nothing more than a cloud of black mist.

Kraft was a monk, naturally immune to mind control magic, while Shane had the [Brain Occupation] attribute, making her extremely resistant. From the moment they landed, they both saw through the so-called fairy's true form.

The black mist was furious.

"You two ruined my plans!"

As he spoke, a gust of wind came, trying to burst Xia En's [barrier bubble], but it was no use. The bubble swirled around in the water, like a balloon floating in the air, and remained intact no matter how strong the wind was.

"Hold on to each other, don't separate."

"Although we don't know why this 'fairy' can see through us inside the barrier, as long as we don't leave the barrier, she can't do anything to us."

really.

Unable to pop the bubbles, the black mist raged in fury, churning and churning.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

As the black mist churned, the gale grew stronger and stronger. In an instant, the black mist and the gale merged into one, completely enveloping the barrier bubble.

When the black fog dissipated, Shane found that the surrounding scenery had changed, and they had arrived in a dark and low-ceilinged space.

The group exchanged glances. This time, no one was fooled; it was clear that this was not an illusion.

Frilian and Philon illuminated their staffs.

Using the magical light, everyone slowly examined their surroundings.

After making two turns, they suddenly realized that they were in a maze. A real maze, with countless forks in the road and dead ends.

Kraft looked troubled.

"This is troublesome—" A maze within an enclosed space, where one cannot determine direction through external means, is akin to a bee trapped in a bottle, destined only to bump into walls.

Before he could finish speaking, the three little ones looked at Xia En with anticipation.

"" Xia En silently reached into his backpack and pulled out a small twig. Luckily, he hadn't thrown it away during the blizzard.

Kraft looked at the branch in Shane's hand with a puzzled expression.

Xia En didn't explain to him and just started throwing it out.

Snapped.

The branch points to a fork in the road.

Everyone started chatting as they walked, completely unaware of the tension of navigating a maze.

Philen even pulled out a small handful of dried currants from her backpack to give everyone a snack.

Of course, I wasn't completely without nervousness.

The gargoyles at the wrong crossroads could have been left undisturbed, but Shane insisted on killing them.

"What if it drops equipment?"

He was confident.

Philon's persuasion was ineffective.

As a result—of course, nothing was revealed.

Frillie couldn't help but complain, "Gargoyles rarely drop equipment, so don't waste your time."

Xia En disagreed.

"This gargoyle must be the problem; the next one will definitely be a disaster."

Then, around the next corner, they encountered a mimicry.

Frillie insisted on rushing up to open the treasure chest, and Philon couldn't stop her at all.

This time, it was Shane who mocked her, "Don't waste your energy, you can't get a magic book from a mimic."

"This is a treasure chest, not a mimic monster."

Frillie argued even though she was wrong.

"Lady Frillien, the magical indication is clear—it's a mimic!"

Frillie wouldn't listen.

The result, naturally, was— Kraft followed behind the group, his heart pounding. He quietly approached Shutark and asked, "Have these two always been like this?"

Shutark nodded solemnly.

An hour later, the exit of the maze appeared before everyone.

The "tree branch navigation method" has proven effective once again.

"I can't believe it's possible to do that—" Kraft looked into Shane's eyes, his gaze filled with shock and admiration. This was probably the power of someone chosen by the goddess.

Having escaped the maze, the group returned to the fairy's palace.

Then they saw that black mist was crying.

Moreover, seeing that they had come out safely, the black mist immediately stepped forward and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper. I was just too scared."

As he spoke, he conjured a black mist arm and slapped himself.

His weeping and repentant demeanor was so genuine that it left everyone somewhat bewildered.

"What do you mean by that?"

As Shane asked questions, the black mist began to recount her experiences. She had been born from the bottom of the lake and could hear the prayers of the people on the shore. They loved the gentle breeze and bright sunshine, and they hoped for favorable weather.

So she leaped out of the water and swallowed the dark clouds in the sky, and the storm disappeared.

People began to call him "the immortal" and worshipped him day and night.

As people prayed, she grew bigger and bigger, and began to possess her own magic. Finally, one day, during a harvest festival, she leaped out of the lake, transformed into a human girl, and came to her own altar.

From then on, she had a specific name: [Lake Fairy].

She spent a happy time with the village that worshipped her. But from some point onward, the weather began to change, with frequent storms and even snowflakes falling from the sky. She tried her best, but she couldn't swallow up all the dark clouds.

People sighed over this.

Gradually, one family after another began to move away from the village.

Finally, she walked through the empty village. There were no more children to hold her hand, no more old women to hand her fruits and vegetables, and no more craftsmen to repair her stone tablet. As a result, her figure slowly shrank until she became a wisp of mist that could barely maintain its shape.

"I know this is because my human descendants are about to completely forget me."

"To forget means to disappear forever."

Upon hearing this, Shane suddenly thought of Kraft.

He glanced at the tall elven monk beside him, whose eyes were fixed on the black mist, yet seemed to be looking through the mist, somewhere else entirely.

Xia En recalled what he had said a few days ago: that no one in this world would remember him anymore either.

Being remembered is proof of existence. If no one remembers us, our connection to this world will vanish in an instant.

Shane couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Kraft.

The black mist before me sobbed, its voice filled with sorrow: "I truly wished to transform into the [Lake Fairy] once more before vanishing completely; those were my happiest times. That's why I wanted to keep you as my followers—I'm sorry, I almost hurt you because of that, I'm so sorry—" The group looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Seeing this, Xia En lowered his head and pondered for a moment, "If someone still remembers you, will you gain the power to regain your form?"

"I don't know, maybe it's possible, maybe it's not—this is just wishful thinking on my part—"

"Then let's give it a try."

With that, Xia En closed his eyes.

He began to concentrate his mental energy, imagining the lake fairy he saw on the stone tablet. As he moved, the figure of the black mist suddenly began to expand.

Xia En didn't stop. He meticulously sketched out the words on the stone tablet in his mind, word by word: the legendary harvest days, the celebratory feasts, the songs and dances surrounding the fairies—he exhausted his imagination, depicting them little by little in his mind.

With each bit of his imagination, the black fog became clearer.

With each stroke he made, the black mist's form lengthened.

Finally, through Xia En's efforts, the black mist gradually transformed into the form of the "Lake Fairy." Although swaying and blurry, she remained as holy and beautiful as depicted on the stone tablet.

She looked down at her hands, in disbelief.

"Thank you, adventurer."

Xia En kept his eyes closed and did not respond to the fairy's thanks.

He cannot open his eyes.

Because once he opens his eyes, everything he imagines will be negated by his deeply ingrained rational thinking, and then he will no longer be able to provide the fairy with any power.

The fairy smiled, looking at Xia En's tightly closed eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Thank you. From the past to the present, humans have always been lovely creatures."

As her words fell, her holy figure turned into a string of bubbles and completely disappeared into the bottom of the lake.

The palace began to collapse.

Without the pull of suction, Shane's [Barrier Bubble] rose smoothly, and Philon unleashed a magical attack that shattered the ice surface, allowing the group to leap out of the water.

Xia En looked down at his hand.

There lies the gift left to him by the Fairy of the Lake— >