Vol 2 Chapter 7: Mind-Altering Toxins
In Hai-Teweru, every soul was unique. After death, unless influenced by external forces or consumed by powerful obsessions, a soul would leave the body, gradually releasing its spiritual energy, eventually settling into a low-energy, stable state. Such a soul possessed minimal cognitive abilities, no sensations, existing in a state of absolute tranquility. This was called “Rest.”
A soul at rest had no impact on the living. People died every day in Hai-Teweru, but thanks to this low-energy, stable state, the world wasn’t overrun by ghosts. In ancient times, people believed in reincarnation, but it was later proven to be a fallacy. Each life was unique and finite. Based on this understanding, the Necromancy school emerged, albeit with a complicated history. However, out of respect for ancient beliefs, some necromantic spells still invoked the concept of reincarnation—it was merely a formality, not affecting the spell’s effectiveness.
“Soul Recall,” a crucial aspect of necromancy, relied on this characteristic of souls. Souls were difficult to destroy. Human magic couldn’t harm them, only specific Divine Arts could achieve this, and even then, it came at a significant cost. Annihilating a soul wasn’t a trivial matter. Few were willing to pay the price.
This was why necromancers, even before they turned to evil, were ostracized and persecuted. Before their emergence, the dead kept their secrets. But necromancers shattered this rule. If the dead could speak, many powerful figures would be in jeopardy, their secrets exposed.
However, as Abyss attempted to summon the souls of the deceased in this graveyard, he discovered that not only was this world devoid of life, but it also lacked any souls to summon. It was as if they had vanished.
He had only witnessed such a large-scale disappearance of souls once before, among the followers of the Lord of Submergence. They had offered their souls as sustenance to the giant jellyfish, in exchange for power.
What had happened to the people of this world? Not only were they dead, but their souls had vanished as well? Abyss stared at the massive altar, a sense of unease creeping over him.
But his priority was to find Rebecca, resurrect her, and escape this place. He would return to investigate the mysteries of this world later, if he had the opportunity. He sensed something unusual about this world, a lingering dissonance that he couldn’t quite grasp, although everything about this place seemed wrong.
“Finding Rebecca might not be easy,” Abyss said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “The flow of time in this world seems similar to ours. If she arrived here and died over forty years ago, any traces she left behind would have vanished. We’ll have to rely on other clues to find her. Let’s split up and search. I could summon more helpers, but I can’t seem to use my rings to summon my undead friends in this world. We’ll have to manage on our own.”
“That’s easy. If Rebecca left any intentional markings, we’ll find her,” Leona said confidently, patting her flat chest. “She’s smart, she must have left some clues.”
“Not necessarily. She probably didn’t expect anyone else to follow her to this world,” Abyss said. “There aren’t many geniuses in this world, especially not those who can combine alchemy, mechanics, and spatial magic.”
“Let’s analyze the clues we have,” Flora said, encouraging them. “If we focus our efforts, we’ll find her.”
They divided the tasks and began their search. Abyss, naturally drawn to graveyards, focused on the tombstones. Leona went to investigate the altar. Flora attempted to use Divine Arts, but her prayers went unanswered. Her connection to the gods was severed in this world, making her no different from an ordinary girl (except for her superhuman strength). Her task was to search the area around their current location.
Abyss walked through the graveyard, a truly silent place, devoid of any life, not even a single undead. He felt a sense of relief having Leona and Flora by his side.
Without their company, he might have been driven to suicide by the overwhelming silence.
“Wait… Why am I thinking about suicide…” he thought, a sudden unease gripping him.
He chanted a spell, summoning his magical catfish. He retrieved a bottle of antidote from its mouth and drank it without hesitation.
There was something wrong with the air here!
The potion, enhanced by magic, quickly took effect. He felt a warmth spreading through his stomach, and he started sweating. He wasn’t sure how effective the antidote would be, but he had to act quickly, before the suicidal thoughts consumed him.
The graveyard was empty, devoid of any offerings or signs of visitation. Each tombstone had a stone slab before it, covered in dust, but nothing else.
Abyss found no clues here.
Flora also seemed to have come up empty-handed. She had meticulously searched the ground for any traces, but found nothing.
Leona, meanwhile, was nowhere in sight. She was the fastest and most physically capable among them. She had already circled the altar and was now searching the surrounding area. Abyss wasn’t worried about her missing any clues, but he was concerned about her carelessness.
He would check on her later. Perhaps with three pairs of eyes, they might notice something he had missed.
“ABC! You said Rebecca was lying in a pool of clear water, with sunlight reflecting off the surface, right?” Leona suddenly shouted from afar.
Abyss looked up and shouted back, “Yes! Did you find something? There doesn’t seem to be any water source nearby.”
“Of course I did!”
Leona rushed towards the altar and smashed a hole in its wall with a single punch.
“Stop destroying things!”
“Get in here! I’m a princess! I’m not crawling through a tiny window!”
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