Chapter 49: The Root and the Reflection

Chapter 49: The Root and the Reflection

"Quest updated," the voice of the Great System sounded for Emilia and several others. "Attention! The accursed ruins have been temporarily neutralized but are not definitively destroyed. Quest Goal: Enter Gaia’s private domain, defeat its Guardian, and destroy the root leading from the surface to the depths of Tartarus."

"Quest details: The private domain exists outside of time and space. Anyone who enters will be confined there until its destruction. The entrance is unstable and will randomly teleport you to various locations."

"Quest warning: The private domain is protected by primordial chaos. Only the chosen can survive inside. Teleportation in 5...4...3..."

"But I’m not..." Emilia never finished what she was trying to say before she, along with the Mayor, Fjorn, Douglas, and three others of the Echidrids, were sucked into the portal.

"2...1... Teleportation successful. Good luck."

The world spun before Emilia, and the strange, primordial chaos assailed her senses.

Everything merged into a kaleidoscope of whirling colors, sounds, and sensations. She felt her body stretch and contract as if made of rubber, and the mana within her danced wildly and uncontrollably, threatening to tear apart her energy channels.

For a brief moment, she lost all sense of direction, up and down, real and unreal. Time fused into one endless instant, filled with the sensation of cold, heat, silence, and a deafening scream simultaneously.

This chaos was the most ancient thing she had ever felt—as if she had returned to the moment of creation itself.

When the whirlwind finally ceased, she found herself in a place unlike anything familiar.

Emilia opened her eyes, and all she saw was a strange, empty darkness. Only here and there did scenes appear and vanish, like fractured pieces of a mirror floating in the void.

Each shard revealed a different moment from the past. She saw majestic, ancient cities frozen in a moment of battle, and faces of people she had never met. All of it was shrouded in a deep, absolute silence. Suddenly, one of the scenes moved closer and focused, showing her a terrifying picture: a torn sky, formless monsters crawling on the ground, and faces twisted in horror. A cold shiver ran down her spine.

In certain spots, strange roots emerged from the darkness and pierced the mirrors, greedily sucking the life out of the scenes. The beings within looked paler, as if they were about to vanish at any moment.

Emilia slowly moved forward, observing the fragmented events. Suddenly, a suspicion dawned on her. "Isn't that Hercules battling Alcyoneus? And isn't this the scene where the Titans abduct Hera? And here, the ancient King Minos—ruler of the island of Crete?"

Emilia recognized the scenes from the sacred books; many of them were painted on the temple walls or woven into tapestries and hung on the library walls to retain warmth in winter and create coziness.

Furthermore, the faces of various mythical figures were often inscribed as decoration on clay pots in the market. There wasn't even a small child in the neighborhood who couldn't recognize the likenesses of Achilles, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus, Jason, or Heracles.

Emilia pressed onward. The sky, which had been a completely all-consuming black, turned dark gray, and Emilia began walking across strange, cracked earth. The path led steeply upward, like a mountain ascent. Rocks or trees frequently sprang from the gloom, blocking her way.

Hours later, the darkness began to fade, and Emilia found herself surrounded by huge, wide tunnels. Countless roots burrowed into the black rocks, only to unexpectedly emerge a few meters later. Their thick tangles soared high across the ceilings or plunged sharply to the ground. Emilia had to be extremely careful when crossing them, lest she be pierced by their endless, sharp thorns.

She gripped her small spear tightly in her right hand, her heart trembling. Five combat talismans were constantly ready, and she frequently patted her pockets containing the explosive acorns. At one point, she heard the sound of battle, and Emilia instantly froze and crouched low. She did not know what to do, or where to flee. Just then, she heard Fjorn’s voice shouting for help. Emilia hesitated only for a brief moment, then ran toward the fighting.

Less than a minute later, one of those strange mirrors revealed itself to her view. Only this time, it seemed somehow more alive. Strange creatures made of darkness surged out of it and attacked the roots with their sharp claws. Two of these creatures were fighting Fjorn, who desperately defended himself with a magical shield and the large knife he often used to carve formations.

Emilia immediately began activating her talismans. Two fireballs flew toward one dark figure, followed by two more toward the other. Sweat streamed down the little girl's forehead as she guided the spheres with her mana as best she could.

Before the monsters, engrossed in battle, had time to notice her, they were struck by the magic. Fjorn seized the chance and attacked the larger of the creatures with his knife, slicing its throat. Strange, sticky blood began to pour onto the tunnel floor.

Emilia pulled out a handful of acorns and began to activate them. The monsters preoccupied with the roots were easy targets, and the acorns began to explode among them. Emilia watched with horror as their bodies were torn apart by the explosions, and she staggered, overwhelmed by the enormous amount of mana she had expended in a short time.

Fjorn lay on the ground, blood flowing from numerous light wounds on his body. Feverishly, Emilia pulled out her brush and paper and began to draw a healing talisman. Her determination was immense. She put everything she had into the talisman. The thick ink slowly filled the energy-imbued paper, and Emilia controlled her mana. Please let me succeed, please let me succeed, she kept repeating to herself.

"Calm down, Emilia," Fjorn said in a quiet voice. "You’ll fail this way. You must calm yourself, or it will be harder to control your mana. Don't worry, these are only superficial wounds. Take it easy, relax, I will guide you."

Fjorn utilized his decades of experience, expertly guiding Emilia’s movements. He saved her from at least four different errors, and through their combined efforts, they finally managed to create the talisman. Emilia activated it immediately, and a mist of celestial energy descended, beginning to heal Fjorn's wounds.

"Emilia, I need to collect blood from the monsters' hearts. Come and move me closer."

"You are still injured, Uncle Fjorn, you mustn't move. This talisman stops the bleeding, but the internal trauma remains. Stay put and circulate mana through your body to direct your natural healing."

Fjorn sighed. Emilia was right; he shouldn't risk moving at this critical moment. "Alright, I will instruct you. Come and take my knife."

Emilia slowly approached and took the large knife. It proved to be quite heavy, and she held it awkwardly with both hands. "Move closer and make an incision in its chest. Then you must use your mana to begin extracting the blood. Reach into my backpack and take one of the bottles."

Emilia put down the knife and began searching the backpack. Once she found the bottles, she grabbed the knife again and hurried toward the corpses. Guided by the relentless instructions of the formation master, she managed to cut into the body and reach the heart.

This was the tricky part, and she began using her mana. "No, you need to concentrate it more. You must overcome the natural resistance of the dying body."

Emilia tried again and again, but she simply lacked the necessary strength. This was a craft that required immense experience and years of training. Just then, she noticed something with her soul sense. Aren't those pieces of soul energy, stuck in the monster's organs? She focused better and was certain. A realization immediately flashed in her eyes: I need to purify the heart of the residual soul energy; that way, the resistance will decrease.

Emilia focused on her soul power. She had not worked with the souls of other beings, but her instincts began to guide her. She touched the monster's open heart with her hand and closed her eyes. She felt the powerful thirst within herself. Mentally, she reached out and touched the foreign energy through her hand and through her aura. Then, she slowly began to absorb it.

A feeling of incredible ecstasy suddenly flooded the transmigration’s very soul. She had never experienced such a powerful feeling in either of her lives. Soon, however, she began to recover herself. She decided to ignore these intense feelings, erecting a mental wall between them and the core of her essence. She firmly refused to associate herself with them. Under no circumstances did she want to fall victim to their greed.

In less than a minute, the heart was purified of soul fragments, and Emilia heard the System's voice in her head:

"Congratulations, Emilia. You have unlocked the skill Soul Absorption."

That was my fastest skill unlock yet, she thought, looking at the blue screen.

She still had work to do, though. "Dispelling Ignorance." Emilia activated the ability granted to her by the Aspect of Hecate, which was infinitely more potent than her ordinary Mana Sense. She quickly began analyzing the aura of the heart she had just freed and immediately started tuning her own aura to match that of the heart. In seconds, her mana quickly began to dwindle, and she hastily stopped the skill. Then, she slowly continued to fine-tune her aura.

Fjorn observed her attempts with the aura and immediately understood what she was trying to do. He began to guide her, and soon Emilia managed to draw a small amount of blood from the monster's heart. "Hurry, there should be more!" the old master urged. Emilia continued to persist, and not long after, a stream of blood shot out and slowly began to fill the bottle, guided by Emilia's synchronized mana.

"Incredible. I didn't think it was possible for you to succeed," Fjorn nodded his head.

"It took me months. How did you overcome the resistance so fast?"

Emilia chose not to answer and only shook her head slightly. Fjorn quickly understood that he shouldn't ask further—for what mage in this world didn't have their own secrets?

Emilia rested briefly and moved to the other corpses. Gradually, she filled three bottles with blood before Fjorn stopped her. "It's too late; the remaining blood has already lost its properties. We mustn't mix it with what's in the bottles. Come here, let me show you how to construct a simple restorative formation."