Chapter 71: Elara Peace
The ruined city was brightened under the warm glow of the evening sun. Jaden stood near the broken statue of Nightshade.
"Hah... finally..." Jaden exhaled as he read the message before him.
"I can finally leave this shithole," he muttered with a slight smile.
Turning around, he looked at the buildings, streets and structures of Nightshade City, which had long since turned into ruins.
"It looks so... sad..." he mumbled as his legs moved by themselves.
His face was covered with the blood that had trickled down his eyes, nose and mouth. His eyes sagged with fatigue, his mana was running low, yet his steps carried him forward without any command.
He didn’t force himself to walk—his body simply moved on its own.
He first looked at the ruined hall of the church of knowledge, whose once jade white walls were covered with unidentified plants and moss.
His gaze shifted and fell on the symbol of the church at the far end of the hall, but it was no longer there; instead, there was nothing as the wall had become ruins.
Jaden looked at it for a few moments before turning around and leaving. His steps were deliberate and slow, as if he wanted to see it all for one last time.
"To think Nightshade City fell into such ruin because of its own founder," Jaden muttered, his tone edged with slight anger, but he knew that the city he had known as Nightshade City was simply a reflection of this; it was simply a fake.
As he walked by a few streets, his eyes landed on a three-storey building, the Sunflower Cafe no longer looked as welcoming and comfortable as before.
His gaze stopped for a moment before it shifted to his next destination.
A blue screen appeared before him.
[You are being rewarded for completing the quest...]
He read the message with his fatigued eyes before waving his hand over it as if swatting it away.
He didn’t speak as he had no energy to do so, despite the fatigue trying to consume him; his steps quickened, and a few moments later, he stopped.
Before him stood a mansion which no longer had the grace it once did. Jaden stepped past the broken wall that used to be the gates of the mayor’s mansion. However, he didn’t enter the mansion; instead, he walked over to the once opulent garden of the mansion.
His steps stopped once again as he looked at the single flower that stood planted. Even in this ruined city, its beauty shone brightly.
Jaden slowly took out his camera and positioned it at the flower and clicked the shutter button.e
[Capturing a mundane flower Lethyros.]
[Capture Requires - 0 slots]
[Confirm | Deny]
Jaden didn’t even read the message and muttered.
"Confirm."
The flower burst into black sparks and entered his body. He summoned it right after.
A white rose-like flower with a crimson stem appeared in his hand. Jaden’s hand moved across its petals as he mumbled with warm tears in his eyes.
"Mother..."
He let out a shallow breath before he turned around and walked into the mansion. The interior was similar; most of it was in ruins or covered with the untamed growth.
Jaden soon stood before the broken door leading to Theron’s office, and he pushed it open. Just as he stepped inside, his gaze fell on a wooden table and chair, both covered with dust and small stones.
The wall behind it had long since fallen, and from there, he saw the rising moon. He walked over to the chair and looked at it with complicated eyes before sitting on it. He placed his hands on the table, and a screen appeared before him.
[Ding!]
[You have obtained a skill!]
[Site tethering: Host can tether to seven locations and teleport to them.
Sufficient mana is required for teleportation. The Host has to be within a safe location.]
Jaden read the message before him with a raised eyebrow. This skill... it was what he needed right now, and obtaining what he needed shouldn’t be that easy. There were no coincidences, after all.
However, for now, he pushed that thought to the back of his head and mumbled, his voice laced with fatigue.
"Site... tethering."
Another screen appeared before him.
[Assign a name to the location.]
A faint smile appeared on his lips as he spoke in an unexpectedly energetic voice.
"Elara Peace..."
[Name ’Elara Peace’ has been assigned to the location.]
[Host may teleport to the saved location whenever they wish.]
Seeing the message before him, Jaden smiled faintly as the fatigue finally overtook him—his eyes fell shut, and his head sank onto the table.
At the same time, snow began to fall within the Elara Peace, covering it with the white of a new beginning, calm and peace as if the heavens were welcoming the scion of ice.
His body crumbled into colourful sparks as a message appeared before him.
[Leaving the ’dream’ realm.]
Time blurred as Jaden’s body shifted from the semi-physical dream realm back into the mortal realm.
A few moments later, his eyes trembled as he felt something sharp at the back of his head; he slowly opened his eyes to a dark roof covered in soot. As the sleepiness drained, the sounds of screams from outside also became much clearer.
"What’s going on? What are these screams?"
Jaden slowly stood up and looked around. He was in a large room, which was mostly covered in soot, and it had numerous windows. However, he couldn’t check what was happening outside because he was completely naked. Looking around, his eyes fell on a set of light blue shirt and pants, which were hanging in the corner of the room. He walked forward, took them off, and examined them. They were stained in soot, but were still wearable.
"This should do, for now." He muttered before putting them on and walking towards the nearest window, which was also covered in thick soot. He wiped it off and looked outside.
"Blasted hell..."