Mountains—
The narrow and almost indistinct path wound through the flat, rocky plains leading toward the foothills, offering no shelter from the natural elements. Ahead, the mountains loomed like a wall of stone, funneling a relentless gale directly down towards anyone who approached. The wind fiercely swept across the earth, whipping up clouds of dust that stung the eyes and muffled most voices. The incline was still relatively flat, but the oppressive, howling wind made it feel as though the mountain was already fighting to push people out.
This storm had not appeared during Rose's initial investigation, once again displaying just how unpredictable each secret realm could be…
-
Along the barren road leading into the depths of the mountains, five dark-clothed figures slowly walked beneath the shadow of the fading trees.
The figure in the lead was a withered old man in a large black cloak with an abnormally strong physique. He had long, dark grey hair, unkempt, with black eyes and pointed ears. He had two long horns that protruded from his forehead, reaching a full fifty centimeters long! He had a cold and distant demeanor, with a long spear in his left hand, a powerful aura, and a mad crow perched on his right shoulder.
Behind him stood a short old man with a bushy white beard, thick eyebrows, and long, tangled white hair. He had pointy ears, a long tail, and two thirty-centimeter-long horns protruding from his forehead, one of which, the right horn, had been broken about halfway down. He seemed to be an experienced elder, with bright amber eyes that held untold knowledge.
Following these two elders were two more slightly younger demons, one man and one woman.
The first was an attractive young man with a flamboyant, almost clown-like personality, only with the face of a playboy. He had short black hair with a wild and attractive appearance. He was both tall and slender, with black eyes and pointy ears. He had two fifteen-centimeter-long black horns protruding from his forehead, and three earrings in his left ear. He was cold, comical, crazy, and cowardly, with a vengeful and unpredictable personality all mixed together.
The second was a plump and friendly auntie with a motherly aura. She had long, silky black hair with pointy ears and two thirty-five-centimeter-long horns protruding from her forehead. She had a mature motherly body with a powerful will. After a certain little girl's 'alterations', her body became a lot more voluptuous, almost seductive, and her horns had changed to something closer to dragon horns, only shorter and more curved. In her hand was an open black compass with the ability to point towards the direction one needed to travel.
Last but not least, in the far back, there was a large and powerful man with a tendency to go shirtless. His bald head and blocky face paired with his muscular physique, looking a bit like a body builder, or a powerful fist fighter. He had pointy ears, two thirty-centimeter-long backwards-facing horns protruding from his forehead, and a serious but aggressive personality, which was clear from the way he walked.
All five figures wore black cloaks that whipped around in the wind.
The woman in the middle, Raina, looked down at a black compass, which was pointing forward.
Beside her, the playboy with three earrings in his left ear, Petik, intrusively leaned over, looking closer at the strange black object in her hand, completely disregarding the woman's personal space.
"How exactly does this thing work again? I understand that it should be pointing towards my cute little Petra, but when we first used it, why didn't it send us to her right away?" His voice was clear, cold, and a bit high, lacking a lot of masculine charm, but in its place was something more adventurous and chaotic. "I remember hearing a lot about her entering this secret realm, and I can't even keep count of the number of people who are literally hunting her right now, but..." He scratched the back of his head. "But that's not the first step in this stupid compass's plan, right?"
Raina pushed him away with her shoulder, then glared. "That's right, it's not pointing towards her. The princess being here should just be a coincidence. Also, be more respectful! If she really is a blood relative of the Demon King, then your behaviour might just be worthy of death!"
Petik rolled his eyes.
"Old hag! Just because you look different, don't forget that habits are hard to break!"
From the front, the short old man turned around. "That black compass is an artifact presumably created by the Demon King around the time of their fall. Regardless of the princess's relationship, we must follow fate's arrangements to—"
"Blah-blah-blah! How annoying! Why don't you let me just run over and kidnap that little girl?"
The short old man, Hirano, glared at Petik. "You've met her, right? Tell me, young man, what do you feel are your chances of defeating the princess in a fight?"
Petik looked away guiltily. He stuttered out, "W-well! Although I am only a fifth-order practitioner right now, she should only be at the Golden Core realm, so if it's a fight..."
Raina scoffed. "If it's a fight, what? Why don't you say it out loud?"
Petik pursed his lips, then shrugged his shoulders.
Although he was two large realms above her, even he had to admit that winning against her was impossible! This wasn't something that he understood on a logical level; no, it was just an instinctual feeling, like a kind of warning that came from deep within the soul, telling him that a fight would lead to certain death.
"Tsk! What do you think, old man? Ha-ha! Do you think you can win against little Pet-pet?"
In the far front, Nodaba, who had been walking silently in the lead, looked over his shoulder. His old eyes, glancing back, were enough to make Petik shut up.
"Hm!"
Nodaba had only seen Petra once, and that was just a passing glance even before he knew who she may or may not be. Back then, although their eyes had only met for a brief moment, even his heart had felt a sense of pause while looking at that abyss-like gaze hidden behind those big black eyes, filled only with a pure and passing curiosity. It was almost as if what he was looking at was the most terrifying form of the ancient demons—the original demon race, those who followed the First Demon King, and those not formed from the myriad races, instead, those that were 'molded' from dark elementals and created by that witch.
As for these five, those that now claimed to follow the Demon King, were actually all demons 'created' after the death of the First Demon King and the fall of the First Hero. Their story was shrouded in a haze, and perhaps only Hirano, as one of the first 'new demons', knew a little, but most of what he was willing to tell was either too vague, or too...
Mm, in the end, the surviving demons didn't know if what he knew was trustworthy, but even if it was, they didn't want to think about it, leaving him and him alone to forever keep the truth safe.
After Nodaba's gaze left him, Petik jumped back up and began being a scourge again.
He hated that oppressive gaze, even if he knew that it was for the best!
-
The party looked ahead. As they advanced, they soon passed through the foothills and reached the foot of the mountains. Raina looked down, and seeing that the compass pointed forward, she decided to lead them to all advance through the mountains.
"How should we handle this?"
Nodaba paused, then slowly looked around. "Gillion, go scout ahead. Take Hirano with you." His gaze turned. "Raina, you go check that place, and Petik, come with me to look ahead."
There were no arguments, because Nodaba's identity was special.
The group split up, stepping through the storm as they scouted the surroundings…
-
Thirty minutes later, they all regrouped and shared their findings.
"It will be hard to go around the mountain, and with this strange storm, it will be even harder to climb over it," Gillion reported with an irritated expression.
The biggest problem was the aerial beasts that could ride on the wind and swoop down. Because they were too fast, even for them, who were each more of a monster than the next, they had to be wary.
"It's possible to find some large beasts to use as cover," Hirano suggested.
"Tsk, if only I had my old cultivation!" Petik grumbled.
"Be quiet! It's better not to even think about 'that'," Raina snapped.
"How should we handle this?" Gillion asked. "With the wind like this, if we just fly over, we can probably make it, but I keep feeling a sense of trepidation whenever I think about it. There should be some kind of innate restriction that restricts flying in certain places."
"Hah? But I heard that this is a secret realm related to the Hellion Family. Why would it—"
Petik trailed off.
"—Idiot! This place is too young! It's definitely not 'pure'," Raina interrupted.
"She's right," Nodaba added in a low voice. "If I remember correctly, a long, long time ago, before the elves came here, there used to be another ancient civilization, or at least their ruins, occupying the Cross Continent. It was only after the High Elves dug all of it up that their civilization exploded and experienced a technological advance, eventually replacing them…"
"Hm! You're right, I completely forgot about those things!" Petik exclaimed. "Oh man, it's been a really long time! Looking at things now, why does it feel as if the wheels of fate are just re-enacting the same mistakes of those elves? Perhaps the humans of today will soon begin to unearth 'that taboo' like the elves did a few thousand years ago..."
"Do you remember what happened in the east? Perhaps it's already started..." Hirano murmured.
"True!"
"Quiet!" Raina hissed. "Focus, Petik! We need to pass through the mountains."
"Damn granny! How about this—let's just go under!" Petik pointed. "Over there, in my area, I found the entrance to a tunnel system leading down. If we can't go over, why don't we go under?"
"Under?"
Petik nodded, "It looks like it was one of the intended paths, so why not try it?"
They all looked at Nodaba, and Nodaba slowly nodded.
It was an option, one that would allow them to also avoid the storm.
Since that was the case—
The five demons followed around the mountain until they were eventually standing before a narrow forest path that encroached slightly into the mountains, then extended beneath an overhang, and soon led into the mouth of a dark cave carved beneath a pale, jagged cliff. The stone above the entrance hung down, giving off a sense of being low and heavy, but its rough white-gray surface was streaked with cracks, moss, and patches of darkness, leaving it with an even more mysterious and dark aura.
Dense green leaves crowded both sides of the trail, making the cave feel half-hidden, almost concealed.
If one looked down, they would find a few footprints, but not many.
They all stood there, looking ahead.
Inside the entrance, the light faded quickly. The path continued into a bottomless blackness, with only a small patch of dim light visible hidden deep within, suggesting the tunnel bent or opened somewhere deeper down into another space. The air felt cool and cold, a stark contrast to the dry storm, carrying the smell of wet stone, roots, and old earth.
Outside, the world was bright and alive, but the cave was silent, dark, and faintly ominous, like a forgotten passage leading into the unknown.
If one could use their imagination, then a low rumble, one that caused the soul to shake, would undoubtedly be resonating within each and every one of their minds.
Petik looked down, then nodded.
He didn't seem to feel the strangeness at all!
With a smile, Petik turned, flourishing his arms. Then, with a wide grin, he boasted, "How is it? Isn't this just perfect for avoiding the storm? I think so! Hahahaha!"
Raina: "…"
Hirano: "…"
Gillion: "…"
All of them felt a chill!
Nodaba looked ahead, then nodded in satisfaction. "Indeed, this is a better choice. Like this, not only can we avoid the storm, but we can also keep to ourselves." He pointed down with his spear. "Not many people have passed through here, judging from the aura left behind."
Petik: "Yeah-yeah-yeah!"
Petik: (ง'̀-'́)ง
Petik: "Hup-Hup! Let's go!"
The group of five followed Nodaba down into the darkness…
-