Echoes of the Abyssal Blade: Path to Free Will-Chapter 98: Desolate Land

Raerin sat up slowly, he was feeling the weight of fatigue crashing on his entire body, despite being the strongest of everyone present, he had to face the oncoming attacks of that beast without rest.

Now it started taking toll on his body and mental state, it was difficult for him to even move a single finger of his, let alone talk to his colony members, and the others were similarly tired from encountering such a beast.

Jonan sat alone in a corner, beneath a tree, contemplating whether he would ever be of use to anyone, or will he always be helpless like he had been in the decimation of the entire city by Lyneex, and now when they were welcoming the onslaught of the beast.

With his recent transformation in power, due to the blessing that he received, he felt that maybe he had reached the monstrous level of power that Freya had reached, but upon closer look, he found a glaring problem, that while he has certainly turned into a genius, Jonan was sure that in terms of abilities, maybe he could now have an even pace compared to the other descendants of the Starfall family.

But even now, he was certainly not powerful enough to match even the monstrous figures of the Starfall family, let alone Freya, who was in a league of her own. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Kedes came beside him, "No need to dwell on the past, we were fortunate enough to get out of that ruined city, and don’t think that if my father and the others had tried more, that we could have killed that beast, you don’t seriously think that ruined city only had that beast, and you were also one of those who received the inheritance, even if you did not feel it, you could see that the ones who passed us the inheritance, and a way out of that ruined city, were guarding that city, and somehow they have failed."

Jonan almost bit his teeth, a cold reality washed over him, that maybe that ruined city was really not something they could solve with their strength, out of curiosity, he asked, "Was that beast one of the Abyssal beasts that the natives of this land fight constantly."

Kedes shook his head, "No, it was an entirely different thing, while I have also not faced any abyssal creatures, but from the records, it felt like the abyssal creatures were entirely different from that beast."

Looking at the staunch figure of Kedes, Jonan felt something similar to his elder half-brother, who is the son of Aurelia, whom he greatly respects and admires. Jonan was sure that Kedes’s strength and talent were equivalent to his elder half-brother.

And he could feel it that even in front of Kedes, he was not comparable to him, despite the difference in their realms.

"We lost too many elders," Mira said softly.

Raerin didn’t reply. The names of the dead flooded his mind. Elden. Hamec. Dozens of others.

"I should’ve died with them," Raerin muttered.

"No," Mira said, voice hard. "You survived so their deaths meant something. So we can move forward, get back to our real home, and rebuild."

Raerin looked at her, at the blood and soot on her face, the fire still in her eyes despite her wounds.

One by one, exhaustion claimed them. Their bodies, worn to ruin, collapsed where they sat. Sleep wasn’t restful. It was a blackout, deep and dreamless.

When Raerin’s eyes cracked open, the sky above was a dull grey, the color of old ash. A foul stench clung to the air—decay and stagnant rot.

He sat up slowly, his joints were stiff, and his muscles were sore. Around them stretched a land utterly barren. No grass, no trees save for brittle, twisted things that might once have been shrubs. The earth was a cracked, dark clay, and every step released a thin mist of sickly dust.

The sky hung low, the clouds thick, no sun visible through the oppressive gloom. Bones jutted from the earth in places, some human, some of beasts. Nowhere can one even see any water source, even a lake.

Mira stirred next to Raerin, coughing as she took in a lungful of the fetid air.

"Where...are we...?" she rasped.

Kedes rose, hand on the hilt of his blade, scanning the dead landscape. "All of us were too tired to care to even check our surroundings, but now we could at least perceive our surroundings clearly, and this does not look any better."

"I feel this is the first layer," an elder said.

All the other members of the colony then stood up and kept their pears with them, despite their exhaustion. From the jagged ridge ahead, figures appeared—two at first, then a dozen more.

They moved with eerie quiet, their skin a dusky bronze, hair tied back in tight braids. They carried bows strung with sinew, arrows with bone tips. Their clothes were practical: cloaks made from the pelts of strange beasts, hardened leather armor sewn with tiny bones.

They weren’t the natives of the Dragon’s Tooth colony, they’d seen before, but their bearing was different, they felt sharper, as if they were Hunters born for a land like this.

"Who are you?" Raerin called out.

A tall woman stepped forward. Her bow was unstrung, held at her side, but the quiet authority in her stance marked her as their leader.

"I am Jhirra of Hawk’s Eye Colony," she said. "Where have you come from, and which colony do you belong to, you don’t look or sound like the locals from here."

Apart from the other colony members, noticing Jonan, her brows furrowed, she had never seen anyone like him, he looked entirely different from the humans she had met.

Jonan exchanged a glance with Kedes; at least their first interaction was with a human of the first layer.

Raerin lowered his spear, gesturing for the others to do the same. "We... weren’t trying to trespass, we are from the Dragon’s Tooth colony, we are also residents of the fifth layer, we have somehow reached the first layer, our goal is to go back to our home."

Others of the Dragon’s Tooth colony were a bit stunned by Raerin’s lie, but they did not show any abnormality; they knew that whatever their chief does, it is for the best.

Thirra nodded. "Oh, so you all are from far below, well, no worries, all of you look haggard, and some even wounded, why not stay at our tribe for some time, then you can continue your journey to the lower layers."

Raerin stepped forward, every movement of his was aching. "We cannot thank you enough for your hospitality."

For a moment, the two groups stood in heavy silence. Then, Thirra gave a small nod. "You don’t have to feel burdened, I am sure, if we were in a similar situation, you would help us."

They then asked the natives of the Dragon’s Tooth to follow.

The Hawk’s Eye people moved like a graceful swallow, their passage leaving no mark on the land. The journey took hours, though time felt strange in the endless, desolate land. Their camp sat at the base of a sheer cliff, tents of woven hides and bone, fires burning with pale blue flame.

They were welcomed as honored guests. A nectar was brought, it was clean and cool, tasting faintly of herbs. A medicinal paste was applied to Raerin’s wounds, and others of the colony also received various treatments. Even Jonan, who felt small and useless, found his hands steadied by one of the women.

Soon, they were summoned to a large pavilion. At its center sat an elder man, his hair was long and it was partially black and silver-white, his eyes looked clouded but sharp.

"This is Eldhar," Thirra said. "Chieftain of Hawk’s Eye."

Raerin bowed slightly, and the others soon followed the same.

"Friends from the fifth layer, you come wounded," Eldhar rasped. "Just what were you trying to hunt, that you had to come to the first layer for it, so far from your own home, don’t you believe our capabilities, if any abyssal creature had dared come to our lands, we would have killed it with our rain of arrows."

"Eldhar, I do not underestimate you; it is just due to some circumstances, which I cannot disclose much, but we had to run from the fifth layer," Raerin said.

"Ahh I understand, you my friend must have your own troubles, forget it for now, focus on healing yourself, and getting back at those abyssal bastards."

At his gesture, food was brought—smoked meat, bitter root stew, a dark wine. It was the best thing Jonan had tasted in weeks.

"You must rest," Eldhar said. "Tonight, we hold a gathering. I have invited the other colonies too. It is a rare thing for us, to meet those from the fifth layer."

Raerin inclined his head. "Thank you for your kindness."

Raerin’s group was seated at the place of honor. They drank cautiously, the liquor strong enough to burn away weariness. Ayaka laughed for the first time in days. Valen traded stories with a grim-faced archer about his missing arm.

And for a time, the horrors of the broken city felt far away.