Pillar of Yita

”Brother Ade has been like this for several hours.”

Tianlan looked at Fang Hong lying on the bed, couldn’t help but ask worriedly.

The cabin was momentarily quiet, the ’storm’ from a few hours ago had long since passed. If not for the bloodstains and feathers left on the deck, it was as if nothing had ever happened. The Dragon Beast Army eventually brushed past Charter City and disappeared at the horizon’s edge.

Yet the true storm brewing in the north was imminently approaching, the sky was gloomy and overcast, ice-cold wind cutting like knives, mixed with some snowflakes while the ropes on deck swayed and howled.

But inside the room, sound was isolated; Miss Fairy sat quietly on the pillow, looking up at them and said, ”Mr. Knight is not in any danger.”

Atira gently nodded after hearing this, turned and said to the others, ”Let Ade rest alone, you all should go back.”

The others left one after another, Tianlan tugged Gita’s hand, only then did Miss Natural Historian leave with frequent backward glances.

”I will stay to look after my cousin,” Tang Xin said.

Atira glanced at Hilveld beside her, ”Are you staying too?”

Hilveld nodded lightly.

Tang Xin looked at her, feeling a vague sense of unease, she bit her lip saying nothing, walked to the bedside and stared at Fang Hong, seemingly plunged into slumber.

...

Fang Hong blinked and looked around the scene with some surprise.

The remnants of the Holy Sanctuary, the spacious square, contrasting with the environment of the glacier cliffs thousands of meters away, surrounding were warm as spring gardens—not far from the central square stood a statue, a stone figure of a girl with lowered eyebrows and eyes, surrounded by thorns and roses.

He had seen this place before, inside Dika’s Phantom Realm. And at this moment it seemed to still be inside that Phantom Realm, he couldn’t help but look around, the square seemed just to have experienced a great battle, broken walls and ruins, scars scattered everywhere.

Some Construct remnants still lingered on the square, continually emitting black smoke.

How could he end up back in this Phantom Realm again? Shouldn’t it have vanished when Dika returned to the Ether Realm?

Or is this a dream?

Fang Hong suddenly remembered everything that happened before, he was struck by Lady Misu—or Nikopolas with that beam of Golden Flame, then seemingly entered into a deeper dream. Upon waking from a haze, what he saw was everything before him.

Yet the scene in front of him was not quite consistent with what he knew, more like after the aftermath of that great battle; could it be that after Dika’s return, this world had not perished?

But this could not explain his dream, how could he return here.

”Right, how to leave this place?”

Fang Hong surveyed the area around him, a large square with only him present. He tried giving himself a couple of hits, but apart from feeling pain, there was no reaction. This small test left him doubtful, even two hits were so painful, could this place possibly exist for real?

Once this thought arose, Fang Hong suppressed the idea of leaping off the cliff below. He tried to call Miss Tata, but there was no response.

A faint warmth suddenly came from the position of his chest.

Fang Hong was slightly startled, looked down and found what was heating was the pendant hanging there—which was actually the Ring of Golden Flame tied to a cord. ”Hmm?” He softly exclaimed, shouldn’t this have long lost its power, thoroughly turned into an ordinary ring?

Thinking so, but Fang Hong still took it out. That ring which should have thoroughly lost its power, now emitted a faint brilliance in his hand, the light flowing along the band-like pattern on the ring, slowly like golden lava.

Just like when he first saw it.

While Fang Hong was in a daze, suddenly the light became extremely bright, forming into a beam, abruptly shooting into the smoke and dust ahead. Fang Hong immediately raised his head towards that direction, only seeing the light vanish at the square’s end, the direction of the ruins of the Holy Sanctuary—

...

As Fang Hong slowly awakened, he saw Tang Xin placing her cool hand on his forehead, looking at him with a tint of worry.

While Hilveld sat quietly on the side, watching the scene with interest. The others had all left, leaving only the two of them in the room for the time being.

He looked around with a slight sense of bewilderment, the previous experience felt like had a strange dream, unconsciously touched his chest, but there were no injuries, the place struck by Nikopolas in the dream was fine.

He felt no discomfort, instead, his spirit was quite refreshed, as if he had rested thoroughly.

”Brother, you... woke up?”

Tang Xin noticed her cousin’s movement, quickly put her hand down.

But Fang Hong did not immediately reply, instinctively reaching towards his chest, pulling out a pendant from there. The ring hanging on the cord indeed, just like in the dream, was slowly flowing with golden light.

The room seemed to dim all at once, the golden light reflecting in the eyes of the three, Tang Xin with surprise in her eyes, remarked, ”This ring...” Hilveld also stood up from her position, looking at him with questioning eyes.

Tang Xin then said, ”...Wasn’t it supposed to have lost its power?”