Foreboding Storm - Chapter 118

Crown Prince Lail did not want to admit that he was worried for Laila. When she told him she would enter the Forbidden Zone alone, he suggested continued cooperation without a second thought.

However, by the time he returned to his senses, the words had already passed through his lips and were irretrievable.

‘What am I doing? I should be distancing myself from her, not creating an opportunity to grow attached.’

Now, he could only hope for her to turn down his invitation and save him from future trouble.

His gaze shifted to her face only to see her sight fixed on his hand with a displeased frown. Looking down, he saw that he was still holding her wrist. As if electrocuted, Crown Prince Lail instantly withdrew his hand and embarrassedly looked at her.

“Sorry.”

It was all he could say under the circumstances. Although he had no ill intentions when he grabbed her wrist, it didn’t mean that others would see it the same way and view it from the same perspective.

Princess Qamari knew that the man meant well and didn’t hold his rude behavior against him.

Seeing her not rushing off in anger, Crown Prince Lail released a breath of relief and continued.

“The Forbidden Zone is not a place to be traveled alone. Especially not with the region being a place where you will be entering for the first time. Along with the wild beasts, you will also need to be on guard against the magical beasts, natural environment, and magical foliage. This isn’t a task that one person can accomplish on their own.”

Although he wanted to distance himself from her, he knew that his worries were valid. Since he had already made the proposal and she could now be considered his acquaintance, he decided to persuade her to journey together to the best of his abilities.

Whatever happens later, he will face it later. For now, he would focus on the present and ensuring the safety of the woman before him.

‘Sigh. I guess that’s the only way now.’

Having decided on a course of action, Crown Prince Lail felt lighter and more relaxed than he had been for the past few days.

Princess Qamari understood the dangers of the Forbidden Zone more clearly than anyone else. Before her departure to the Northwest, she had specifically gone to the Building of Knowledge to scavenge every little detail she could find about the continent.

Combined with the assistance of Snow and her level 3 magic ability, she had created a magical map that categorized the possible dangers and fortunes in the dimension. As such, when Qaliq made the suggestion to travel together, even though she felt reluctant to stay with him for fear of growing attached, she couldn’t refuse.

‘It’s either them or him.’

Her gaze went back to the apprentices who were still competing and completely immersed in their own contest. If a magical beast decided to give them a surprise visit, they wouldn’t even have the chance to retaliate before getting butchered.

She retracted her gaze and without hesitation, moved forward.

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

Even though she didn’t want to admit it, Qaliq was still a more dependable partner than those in the clearing. Besides, she felt an inexplicable sense of ease and trust in him that she had never felt with anyone else.

Crown Prince Lail was briefly taken aback by how quickly she agreed. From her, he had always felt a distinct distance, one that he was certain she purposely kept between them. However, he was not bothered by it, since he too wanted to maintain a distance from her.

As such, he was prepared to give a long speech about the advantages and disadvantages of entering together. Unexpectedly, she agreed to the suggestion on the first attempt.

‘Of course, as a magician with hidden depths, it only makes sense for her to be aware of the dangers of the Forbidden Zone.’

Sighing deeply, he went after her.

The two, under the cover of night, stealthily approached the black shield. Circulating the elemental energy in their Realm Heart, they raised their hands towards the shield and a violent surge of elemental magic flowed out and smashed directly on the shield.

Boom!

The resounding explosion startled the apprentices, causing them to abruptly turn towards the black shield in surprise and astonishment.

“What’s going on? Why is there an explosion?”

“It came from the direction of the black shield! Is someone trying to enter the forbidden zone on their own?”

“Wishful thinking! In order to enter the forbidden Zone, at least one level-three elemental magician will need to unleash their elemental energy onto the shield. Only then will the black shield’s teleportation mechanism be activated.”

“But what I want to know is who the daring individual is. They dared to approach a magical shield made out of the combination of the seven elements without knowing what they are up against. They are seeking death!”

“Wu Lin, what do you think? Who could be so reckless as to throw their life away?” Ru Wen curiously asked.

“It doesn’t matter who they are. What matters is that they won’t live past the night.”

“Brother Ouyang, tonight we will see blood without shedding it ourselves!” A second-year from the Blazing Academy snickered gleefully as he watched the scene in excitement.

“Idiotic fool!”

Even though the apprentices of the seven academies were astonished and surprised at the sudden occurrence, no one stepped forth to stop them. They all expectantly waited in anticipation for the stranger to shriek in pain.

Unfortunately, the scene they were impatiently waiting for did not occur. On the contrary, a radiant flare burst and transformed into a hole that sucked in two dark silhouettes!

“What!?”

“There were two individuals?”

“It opened! The black hole opened!”

“The two of them must have been level three elemental magicians.”

The spectating apprentices went into an uproar as they saw the portal form and the silhouettes of two individuals enter the Forbidden Zone.

“Everyone, the competition is concluded here. We are entering the Forbidden Zone!” Wu Lin swept his sleeves and strode forth with a furious expression.

The unexpected turn of events caught him by surprise. When the black shield buzzed, he hadn’t blinked an eye, expecting the reckless individuals that were attempting to enter to meet with their end.

However, what he never anticipated or took into consideration was the fact that the shield’s portal might get activated. This was out of his expectation.

As it stood, they could no longer continue the competition because the strangers that entered the Forbidden Zone were likely to gain the greatest advantage.

“For the portal to open, at least one of the strangers must be a level-three Initial Stage elemental magician.” With a dark scowl, he appeared before the black shield with the apprentices of the seven academies trailing behind.

“They entered first, so they will have the initiative. However, they are only two people. We need to finish them off at the fastest speed. We will decide who will lead from there.” Ku Ji had a fierce expression on his face, making him appear like a devil from the Nar realm as he growled.

“Enough talk! Activate the portal.” The Janah realm’s third year indifferently said.

With the addition of Jun Meng and the other third-years of the other realms, the black shield was immediately bombarded with elemental magic, causing it to tremble as it vibrated with ancient magic and activated the teleportation portal to the Forbidden Zone once again.

Another bright flare filled the region and a dark portal appeared. The apprentices’ eyes glowed with anticipation as their figures got sucked into the hole. With a burst of light, the light winked out and the apprentices disappeared.

In the sudden silence, the black shield vibrated a few more heartbeats before resuming its original appearance. Under the multitude of stars and cloaked moon, numerous bones and skulls gleamed eerily in the desolate region as an ominous air enveloped the atmosphere.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Right at this moment, three groups of black-cloaked men with a sinister aura surrounding their figures came into existence. Under the masked faces of the men, only their crimson eyes with bone-chilling bleakness were exposed.

In the center of the black-clothed men was a woman in white robes and a butterfly mask. Sweeping the region with her predatory sight, the woman’s gaze fell on the corner Crown Prince Lail and Princess Qamari had earlier stood.

“How is it? Did you locate her?”

“Yes, Boss. There is a faint trace of her aura in this region. But it’s very faint and there are no other trails. I believe she might have entered the Forbidden Zone.”

“The Forbidden Zone? Heh…what a perfect grave she has chosen for herself. Gather the rest of the forces. I want you all to enter the red zone and present her head to me within the next 3 days. Otherwise, I will have yours!” With a flap of her white sleeve, the woman turned and disappeared.

“Yes, Boss!”

The black-clothed men bowed with clasped fists in the now empty spot and dispersed in three different locations.

A short while later, they reappeared.

Only, their numbers grew four times larger, enveloping the barren field like a mass of black ants.

“The Boss’s orders are clear. We are to bring her the head of the female within three days. If we fail to do so, she will have ours. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Head Kun!”

“Then let’s go!”

With a flash of light, the men in black disappeared.

*

In a land with no celestial bodies and trillions of stars, a rift appeared. The rift raised fierce gales of wind that shot into the surrounding space and created spatial holes. The mini rifts shot out sharp wind blades that reduced the surrounding landscape and creatures to dust.

From the space distortion, two figures dropped and crashed to the ground.

“Cough! Cough!”

Princess Qamari felt as if every bone in her body had gone through a grindstone, the soul shuddering pain making her grit her teeth in agony.

“Are you okay?” Crown Prince Lail asked.

The teleportation portal wasn’t as stable as the ones in the academies and realms, making traveling through it akin to squeezing through a slit at the bottom of a door. It was both agonizingly painful and lung crushingly suffocating.

Feeling the excruciating pain in his body, Crown Prince Lail could not help but worry about Laila. His concern and barely concealed worry-filled voice immediately made the girl raise her head.

The moment his eyes fell on her face, his breath caught.

This…was he dreaming!?

He roughly shook his head and looked at her again, sighing with extreme disappointment and regret when he failed to see what he saw.

“I am fine. How about you?”

“I am fine. We should leave. Our appearance caused a great disturbance in the area. It probably startled the wild and magical beasts in the region. In our present state, we don’t have what it takes to face them.” He replied evasively.

With her trailing behind, Crown Prince Lail staggered to his feet and walked towards the distant trees.

For a split moment, when their gazes connected, he thought he saw her eyes change color. They went from gold to violet, raising turbulent waves in his mind and heart.

For that split moment, he mistook her for the woman he held in his heart. He mistook her for his wife.

However, it was only his imagination, a play of his desires on his mind.

‘Do I want her to be Princess Qamari? Is that why I saw her eyes as violet?’

He wasn’t blind to the disappointment and regret he felt when he saw her golden eyes again. While part of his disappointment was due to not seeing his wife again, the other part and the regret were due to her not being Princess Qamari.

This knowledge, the fact that he wanted Laila to be Qamari, made his blood run cold.

How could he even imagine another woman as her? How could Laila be in Princess Qamari’s place?

They were two completely different people!