Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

[lordanl]

Advancing through the mountain ranges altered by the brutal quake, Zoe couldn't help but bite her lips with a hint of frustration. If it was already difficult to get her bearings in such a vast place before, now, with huge cracks in the ground, entire forests destroyed, and floods, it was practically impossible to identify any landmarks.

"A large group of creatures between Ascended and Revealed level is coming. Let's change course."

Suddenly, Erik opened his eyes and announced in a serious tone, prompting Zoe to turn and look at him, nodding with a grave expression.

"Lead the way to avoid them, Erik."

"Alright." Erik replied and gave a gentle pat on Ebonique's head, who quickly took the lead and then altered the route.

Trusting Ebonique, Erik closed his eyes again to focus on the Myst. But feeling his instincts urging him to take another direction, he communicated with Ebonique and changed course once more. After a few minutes, Erik opened his eyes again and looked west with a somewhat intrigued expression. After staring in the same direction for a few seconds, Erik turned to Zoe and commented in a serious voice.

"The Myst is moving strangely to the west; it seems like a formation, but I'm not sure."

"How far is it?" Zoe asked while scanning the surroundings, having not the slightest idea where they were.

"About 30 kilometers, give or take." Erik made a rough estimate and replied. Zoe brought her hand to her chin but quickly snapped out of it and looked at Erik.

"Should we go?"

"Let's take a look from a distance. We don't know where we are anyway, and it could very well be a group of hunters or other participants. So, we either uncover enemy information or find an ally. We don't lose much." Erik replied in a calm tone, which led Zoe to nod in agreement.

"You're right, let's go."

Quickly, Ebonique changed direction, and Hiyori followed, while Zoe informed Elara and Frank of the situation.

Not long after, the group arrived within 5 kilometers of the anomaly Erik had detected, at which point Ebonique stopped. At that moment, Erik approached the barrier containing the 'Myst vehicle' and commented in a serious tone.

"There's something ahead, but I can't detect anything alive. Though it's likely a concealment formation interfering with my Mystic Awareness."

"Let's use the concealment potions and get a bit closer. There's a chance it's a 'gateway' protected or hidden by a formation." Elara suggested in a serious tone. Zoe nodded and added.

"That's a good point. I'll go."

"Let's go together. Elara and Frank, wait further back with Hiyori and Kaiser. We'll go with Tiberius and Ebonique." Erik commented in a calm voice while taking a potion, leading to a unanimous nod from the group.

After dismantling the barrier and the Myst vehicle, Erik and Zoe took a concealment potion and sped toward the anomaly Erik could sense. Upon reaching just a few meters away, where they could see the place with their own eyes, the group found a seemingly normal area, with a few destroyed trees, small cracks, and disturbed earth, but nothing out of the ordinary.

"It really could be a concealment formation. I don't sense anything." Zoe commented in a serious tone, not doubting Erik's words. The young man with starlit hair looked at the place with a thoughtful expression before speaking calmly.

"I'll try to interfere with the Myst. I might be able to make the formation fail for a moment."

"Can you do that?" Zoe turned to look at Erik and asked in a calm tone, already feeling that nothing the star-haired young man said would surprise her. Erik closed his eyes and replied calmly.

"I don't know, but it doesn't hurt to try."

After responding, Erik fell silent and focused entirely on the strange movement of the Myst, then commanded all the surrounding Myst to gather. Erik's idea was simple: since a formation relied on the surrounding Myst to function, there was a chance that he, with his deep connection to the Myst, could interfere with it and cause it to fail, even if just for a moment.

Not long after the surrounding Myst gathered, greatly increasing the concentration around the anomaly's location, Erik tried to command it to move erratically. Instantly, the Myst he had gathered obeyed his wishes, and somehow, he could feel it begin to 'scold' the Myst of the anomaly.

As if it had been "infected," the anomaly's Myst started trying to move to the same rhythm, though failing at every attempt and being forced back into place. Just as Erik wondered if this movement would be enough to disrupt the anomaly, Zoe's somewhat surprised voice rang out beside him.

"It's your friend Chen Ming!"

Equally surprised, Erik opened his eyes and looked ahead, where he could see an almost ghostly image of Chen with tattered clothes, a scar on his face, and various wounds alongside two other young men. Being cautious, Erik decided not to reveal himself and instead attempted to send a sound transmission as the image faded, with the formation returning to normal operation.

"Chen, it's Erik."

Just before the image disappeared, Erik could see an expression of absolute surprise on Chen's face, which soon turned into a smile as he rapidly made various hand signs. With Chen's hand signals, the formation collapsed, and the other young men in the area expanded their Ethereal projections, searching for enemies.

"Erik! I've been looking for you, man! I knew you wouldn't die here, hahaha!!"

Instead of preparing to fight, Chen announced loudly, greatly surprising the two young men accompanying him. Cautiously, the two started looking around without the slightest intention of retracting their Ethereal projections.

"Don't worry, he's a friend, the most talented guy I've ever met in my life!" Chen announced in a cheerful voice, then looked around with hope. After studying Chen for a few moments, Erik sent a sound transmission to Zoe in a serious tone.

"I'll go out alone. If anything happens, don't hesitate to kill."

"Understood." Zoe replied without the slightest hint of doubt, while controlling her breathing and gripping the hilt of her katana.

At the same time, Ebonique hid completely in Erik's hair, and Tiberius concealed himself in his shadow. Once everyone was hidden, Erik began walking with a calm and steady pace toward Chen, holding his machetes in his hands.

After a few seconds of looking around, Chen spotted a nearly ghostly figure approaching in the distance, prompting him to focus his gaze and mobilize his mana preemptively. But upon realizing it was Erik, Chen couldn't help but laugh as if witnessing the funniest thing in the world while commenting.

"A concealment potion? Hahaha, I knew you'd manage to get potions and artifacts in this hell!"

Genuinely happy, Chen approached Erik and extended his hand toward him. Erik, after glancing at the cautious young men behind Chen, lowered the machete in his right hand and shook Chen's hand. The young man from the Lotus Union quickly pulled Erik in and gave him a hug while commenting in an almost melancholic voice.

"It's good to see you're okay. This has been a damn hell. I've looked death in the eyes a couple of times already."

"I can imagine. You look pretty rough." Erik commented in a calm tone while stepping back from Chen, who brought a hand to his face and spoke with a somewhat bitter expression.

"Yeah, things have been complicated. Luckily, I met the others, or I might be dead…"

"And who are they?" Erik glanced at the others and asked calmly. Chen returned to normal and turned around, then spoke in a more relaxed and cheerful tone.

"They're my companions. Haoran Leng is on the right, a reliable disciple of my Ming family. We met in the stone ruins along with Wei Lin, an inner disciple of the Black Sky Sect, an old ally of my family." Chen pointed first at the blue-haired young man and then at the one with black hair streaked with white, both bearing the typical facial features of the Lotus Union.

As Chen named each one, Erik analyzed them subtly, finding that all were at the Ascended level, with strength comparable to Chen Ming's, perhaps slightly weaker. Once he finished introducing the others, Chen turned to Erik and asked with a smile.

"And how have you been? You look in pretty good shape."

"Well, a bit better than you. I managed to find a lightly guarded temple and entered the garden." Erik replied in a calm tone, then looked Chen in the eyes and asked seriously.

"What do you plan to do from now on?"

"Our idea is to look for an 'exit,' but basically, we're just wandering around while searching for food and anything useful." Chen returned Erik's gaze and commented in a serious tone. "Though the earthquake just now complicates things. Something must be happening in this place."

"I think the same. Things got messy. We need to find a way out as soon as possible." Erik nodded and spoke seriously. Chen looked at Erik and commented while extending his hand.

"Why don't we travel together? Even if we move a bit slower in a group, it's much safer."

"How much do you trust these people?" Erik sent a sound transmission to Chen, who looked at him with a hint of surprise, then replied seriously, also using a sound transmission.

"They've been with me since we got here, and I owe them my life. They're reliable."

Erik glanced at the pair of young men for a moment longer, but realizing that even with Chen, his group outnumbered and outpowered them, and that Chen was a valuable asset, he nodded and commented in a calm tone.

"Then let's start moving together. We're also looking for a way out, and we need to hurry. Things can get ugly at any moment."

"What do you know?" Chen asked seriously. Erik shook his head and explained while turning to look at the others.

"I'll explain later. For now, let's meet up with my teammates."

Chen looked at Erik with a serious expression, noticing his genuine caution, but quickly nodded and turned to his companions.

"We're moving with Erik, a direct disciple of the Arcane Order. He's an Artificer and Alchemist with unmatched talent."

Upon hearing Chen, the pair of young men quickly bowed respectfully, cupping a fist in their hand, to which Erik nodded and replied in a calm tone.

"Let's skip the formalities. For now, let's move."

After speaking, Erik started running while sending a discreet sound transmission to Zoe to follow from behind. It wasn't that he didn't trust Chen, but safety was better than trust at any time or place.

After some time following Erik, Chen saw the star-haired young man raise his machete. Shortly after, from among the trees emerged a young man with long black hair tipped with green, alongside a beautiful young woman with short blonde hair and an imposing silver wolf nearly 2 meters tall.

"They're Frank and Elara, my teammates." Erik said, stroking Kaiser with one hand while pointing to his teammates. Chen Ming quickly bowed slightly and greeted with seriousness.

"A pleasure to see you again, direct disciple Belmonte."

"The pleasure is mutual, 'Taoist comrade' Ming." Elara replied with a calm and elegant smile. Chen smiled politely and turned to Frank, then greeted him calmly.

"A pleasure, 'Taoist comrade.' My name is Chen Ming."

"Likewise, it's a pleasure. My name is Frank Svensson."

After a round of greetings, Erik looked at Chen Ming and spoke seriously.

"I'm currently the leader of the group, so I hope you don't have a problem with that."

"Of course not." Chen shook his head and replied seriously. Erik nodded with satisfaction and added.

"Perfect. Then let's exchange information while our last companion arrives."

After speaking, Erik quickly sent a discreet sound transmission to Zoe to circle around and return. After all, if they hadn't taken advantage of when he was alone to attack, it was unlikely they would do so now with a numerical disadvantage, and it would be inconvenient for Zoe and Hiyori to remain hidden the whole time.

"Direct disciple Laverne?" Chen asked curiously, to which Erik nodded casually.

"The very same."

"I see. Lucky you've managed to stick together." Chen nodded with a hint of surprise, but his expression soon turned serious, and he began speaking in a grave tone while looking at Erik.

"But let's get to the important matter. Though we don't have much information, while traveling, we discovered a couple of important things, especially one about the Hunters."

***

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[lordanl]

Noticing he had completely captured the attention of the pair of direct disciples in front of him, Chen began to explain in a serious tone.

"The hunters are composed mainly of Sacred Geometry users and demonic cultivators, and I'd dare to speculate that the Sacred Geometry users hold a slightly lower status than the demonic cultivators."

"Demonic cultivators?" Elara asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. Chen nodded with a solemn expression and explained.

"Yes, I confirmed it with my own eyes here in the garden. I saw a group of four demonic cultivators meet with a group of eight hunters. Also, from the little I managed to overhear of their conversations, it seems they had slightly contradictory orders, so it's likely their chain of command is divided or they have two leaders."

"Two leaders…?" Erik muttered to himself, hand on his chin. At that moment, Zoe arrived with Hiyori.

After greetings and introductions, Chen continued reporting his findings in a grave tone.

"But besides that, as you must know, the hunters have functional magic artifacts, yet for some reason they're all Sacred Geometry—even those of the demonic cultivators. Their weapons and armor had magic circles engraved on them."

"That's really intriguing. It's possible the ones who truly know this ruin are the Sacred Geometry users." Zoe commented thoughtfully, recalling the leader they had captured and interrogated. Chen nodded and added.

"That's what I think, since the cultivators started using the others as a kind of guide to move through the garden."

"That's really intriguing information…" Erik said pensively, but he quickly shook his head, looked at Chen, and then spoke in a firm tone.

"But let's keep talking while we move."

As he spoke, Erik extended his hand and began creating two four-seater Myst vehicles. Although curious about the Myst construction, Chen focused on Erik and asked seriously.

"What's the reason for the rush?"

"We discovered a devouring basilisk about to awaken." Erik looked at Chen and announced in a grave voice. Chen and his two companions went noticeably pale.

"Are you sure…?" Chen asked, his voice trembling. Zoe was the one who answered, her voice heavy.

"We saw it with our own eyes. It could wake up at any moment."

Hearing the confirmation, Chen staggered back a few steps, while his two companions' faces showed only despair. Against a basilisk, there was practically no chance of survival—this ruin would become their tomb.

After finishing the two Myst vehicles, Erik looked at Chen and spoke calmly but firmly.

"Don't lose heart completely. The entry temples are incredibly sturdy. That basilisk should have awakened earlier; if they're still there, there's a reason."

"… You're looking for an exit, because if the temples are still standing after the basilisk's awakening, it's likely they can withstand it too!" Chen replied, eyes brightening as he regained a bit of hope. Erik nodded with a serious expression and, pointing to the newly created Myst vehicles, said.

"Exactly. If we lock ourselves in the entry temples, we'll be trapped. Our best chance is to reach an exit and hunker down there until it activates. So get in—we need to move fast."

"Understood, let's move." Chen nodded quickly, then turned to his companions and ordered seriously.

"Let's get on."

Once everyone was in the vehicles, Ebonique slipped out of Erik's hair and grew in size, which surprised the youths beside Chen a little. Soon the group set off together, and Erik drew the vehicles closer to him, glanced at Chen, and said in a serious tone.

"Chen, the truth is I wanted to find you too. If the basilisk awakens and we don't manage to find an exit, the only option will be to use concealment potions and formations to create bases and advance little by little."

"I see—that's a great idea, and I have a few concealment formations. The problem is I don't think they'll do much against a devouring basilisk." Chen said with a touch of concern. Erik nodded and replied evenly.

"I know. The idea is either to wait for the basilisk to fall asleep again before moving or to use distance to try to pass unnoticed. In those cases, the potions and formations should help."

"In that case they'd be viable, although to make them truly effective, we need different materials. Improvised formations are very deficient compared to proper ones. The problem is I haven't found anything useful here…"

Chen spoke in a conflicted tone when a Myst barrier suddenly sped toward them. Noticing the barrier, Chen realized there were several large wooden crates inside, which left him a bit confused. But then Erik's calm voice sounded.

"We managed to find some useful things, so the idea is to try modifying the formations to use what we have."

"As expected of you…"

Chen's eyes lit up as he looked at the crates, and he spoke a little helplessly. At his side, Haoran, the disciple from the Ming clan, couldn't help but look at Erik with a strange expression. The star-haired youth, supposedly an incredible genius, seemed far too arrogant and ignorant in his eyes.

Changing the materials for a formation wasn't something you could do casually. Not even a consummate formations master would dare make the claim the young man had just made. But to Haoran's surprise, the legitimate heir of the Ming family spoke with a serious, utterly confident voice.

"Then we need to focus on which formations we can modify, though it'll be a bit troublesome with one that's more or less a legacy of my family. Afterward you'll have to help me present something that'll let the elders turn a blind eye, or I could have serious problems."

"Don't worry. When we get back to the university, I'll help you with three formations." Erik said calmly. Chen nodded, satisfied, and smiled.

"That will be more than enough."

While Haoran stared at Chen in disbelief, Zoe kept looking into the distance and announced excitedly.

"Erik! Let's move northwest—what we can see far off might be the Blood Lake. An important landmark on the initial exploration maps!"

"Let's go!" Erik declared enthusiastically, and the group quickly changed direction.

Before long, they drew close enough to confirm they were indeed near a huge lake with water so red it almost looked like blood. Curiously, the surrounding water—probably spilled from the lake during the quake—looked like normal water. Seeing the lake, Zoe spoke with visible excitement.

"It's the Blood Lake! Not far from this lake there was an exit—if I can find the right reference point, I should be able to reach it!"

"Then lead the way, Zoe. We can't delay!" Erik said firmly. Zoe nodded seriously and ordered her contracted spirit to advance.

Flying around the lake, Erik brought the barrier with the crates closer, from which he took some sheets of paper and a charcoal pencil, then sent them to Chen using a Myst barrier. As the pages floated before Chen, Erik spoke in a serious tone.

"Let's use the time well. Start writing the general schematics of the formations you think have the best chance—offense, defense, and concealment."

"Leave it to me." Chen took the paper and pencil, but his gaze subtly settled on Erik's machetes, prompting him to ask calmly.

"Erik, is there any chance of making a formation disc, or at least a formation flag? Everything was in my storage ring, and I lost it."

"I've never done it, and one thing we discovered is that golden chains appear automatically when an artifact exceeds a certain complexity threshold, so it won't be easy." Erik replied seriously as he took the pseudo-armor from the crate along with several metal threads.

"So you've already managed to create magic artifacts…"

Chen couldn't help but speak with a hint of surprise. Although he had asked for the formation disc, he hadn't really expected that Erik—besides managing to obtain potions—had also been working on magic artifacts, and all while he himself had barely been struggling to survive.

"Yes, but as you can imagine, in a very limited way." Erik replied as he began carefully embroidering the pseudo-armor, sheltered by a Myst barrier. Chen nodded while watching what Erik was doing, a bit curious.

"I see. Even so, if things go to hell, it's worth trying. The formation disc will be crucial for quickly creating temporary formations, and the flag will be very useful to empower and control an established formation."

"Yeah, but the materials are also a major problem… In any case, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Erik said evenly. Chen nodded and began sketching the formation designs.

At the front of the group, Zoe started carefully scanning the surroundings as they moved at high speed, searching for the reference point that would let her know exactly where they were. For his part, Erik kept focusing on embroidering the pseudo-armor when he suddenly felt a strange disturbance in the Myst far away, which made him turn to look.

"Looks like a fight." Ebonique said calmly, gazing in the same direction as Erik, which drew everyone's attention. Erik quickly explained in a serious tone.

"The Myst is moving erratically to the east. It might be a fight."

"We should take a look from a distance." Zoe suggested seriously. Erik nodded and said calmly,

"I agree. Let's go."

Soon, Ebonique accelerated toward the disturbance while Erik stowed the nearly finished pseudo-armor. As they traveled, Frank suddenly noticed that Lirio, who had been resting on his legs, suddenly sat up and started sniffing the air.

"Did you find something, Lirio?"

Frank asked the little spirit, who turned to look at him and chirped adorably while gesturing with his chubby hands. Curious, Elara turned to look at the newborn spirit, then looked at Frank.

"What is it?"

"Lirio detected a familiar 'scent,' but he doesn't remember exactly what it is."

Frank replied in a serious tone, eyes on his contracted spirit. The adorable little cloud with legs stretched out his chubby hands to hold his "head" as he swayed, clearly trying to remember.

"He can remember thirty to forty scents, right? It must be something from outside the island…"

Elara said thoughtfully. Frank nodded, but just then Lirio turned to him with shining eyes and chirped adorably, somehow looking proud. Hearing Lirio, Frank's eyes widened in visible surprise, and he immediately turned to Erik and sent a sound transmission with a grave expression.

"Boss! Lirio detected the direct disciple Willians!"

"Ethan Williams?" Erik murmured to himself in surprise, then looked at Frank and asked seriously, drawing the others' attention.

"Where is he?"

"Right in the direction we're headed, and there appears to be another slightly familiar 'scent' there." Frank said in a firm tone. Elara asked with a serious expression.

"What did Lirio find?"

"Ethan Williams. It's likely he's the one fighting—let's speed up." Erik announced decisively. Zoe and Elara quickly nodded, while Chen asked curiously.

"A direct disciple?"

"Yes. Someone who also specializes in formations and the younger brother of a personal friend of mine." Erik answered gravely, then looked at Chen and continued in a deeper tone.

"I won't force you to join in, but if he's in danger and it's within my power, I'll help him. If you don't want to take part, wait for us here—we'll regroup afterward."

"A friend of yours is a friend of mine, and a formations specialist will also be a great help for deploying and modifying formations—he's a valuable asset, so I'm in." Chen replied seriously, meeting Erik's eyes. Once the star-haired youth nodded in satisfaction, Chen looked at his companions and announced solemnly.

"Prepare for battle."

""Understood.""

The two youths said in unison, then roused their mana, readying themselves for the fight. For his part, Erik reached into the storage pouch at his waist, then tossed a few potions to Chen and explained.

"The ones with the heart are healing potions, the ones with a circle are for mana recovery, and the ones marked with an X are concealment potions. We don't have many of those, so this is all I can give you. Use them sparingly."

Chen took the potions, his gaze shifting between the pouch at Erik's waist and the clay flasks in his hands. Just from those two things, Chen could imagine what Erik had been through. The potions had obviously been crafted by him, and the pouch must have been taken from a hunter leader and modified to make it functional.

"You're truly a monster…"

***

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