Foreboding Storm - Chapter 124

Princess Qamari trembled uncontrollably, her limbs flailing and mouth hanging open like a drying fish as she thrashed on the damp ground. Sweat ran down her veiled face, sticking the fabric to her skin.

Through the pain and her intermittent screams and pounds, she sensed the presence of another being circling around her in anxiety. But she was neither in the condition nor in the state to reassure the anxious individual.

Every part of her body screamed in pain, the dull throbs scattering her thoughts and hurling her conscious into a hurricane of relentless torment and numb sensations.

Swirls of white radiance entered and exited her body like shimmers of sunlight, leaving in their wake a dreamlike silvery glow.

Amidst the pain and agony, Princess Qamari felt an unbearable tearing and crushing as the radiance shattered and mended her skeletal muscles and tissues over and over again.

“Ahhhhh!”

As the overwhelming pain spread from her core to her chest, lungs, throat, and every pore of her skin, her body rose into the air and flashed with a blinding brilliance. With a powerful burst, the light winked out and she crumbled to the ground. Her vision blackened and Princess Qamari fell into a dreamless slumber.

The golden sword swirled around the motionless figure, radiating waves of warm golden energy that shot into the surrounding, keeping away the magical beasts.

*

On the other side, the group of apprentices from the seven academies huddled under a giant cave, taking shelter from the Ice Cyclone that covered the entire Forbidden Zone in a cloak of white snow.

Their quivering breaths passed through dry, cracked lips as they wrapped their arms around their torso. Red and swollen patches of skin could be seen on various parts of their body, the clothes smeared with frozen blood as torn and shredded pieces hung on the side.

In the center of the cave was burning a magic flame crackling and flickering under the onslaught of the fierce winds. Howls and roars of wild beasts intermingled with the raging ice storm creating a cacophony of heart-rending shrieks.

Wu Lin watched the descending snowballs in a daze. All his planning, efforts, and scheme fell apart with the advent of the Ice Cyclone.

The Forbidden Zone was a dangerous region to navigate without the presence of the chilling cyclone. With it present, escaping with their lives intact would be as difficult as ascending a flaming mountain.

Clenching his fists, Wu Lin stared venomously at the accursed snow.

“Why now? Why only when I’m so close to achieving my goal?”

His deep eyes flickered with unwillingness and stubbornness.

“Brother Wu, the left side of the cave is chipping away. We need to come up with a solution to restore it or prevent it from crushing. Otherwise, we will all be buried here.” Ru Wen trembled as a gust of wind brushed across his face, bringing with it the chilling ice of the falling snow.

“In one of our Sealand Academy’s old records, the previous generations coped with the Ice Cyclone by digging underground. If we combine our strength and dig a tunnel, we can survive this disaster.” Jun Meng stepped up and said pensively, his gaze, like everyone else, fixed outside the cave.

“If there was a solution like that, then why didn’t you mention it earlier? Were you waiting for all of us to perish in this cave?” The female leader from the Erumi said in displeasure.

“This is not the time for this. We should get started on digging the tunnel. Get all the earth elemental magicians to the front. They will pave the path.” The Janah realm leader wasn’t interested in witnessing another drama when the lives of his academies magicians were at stake.

As such, he took the lead and gathered the earth magicians from his academy, digging in the center of the cave.

“Let’s go! Let’s help them!” Rubbing his hands together, Ku Ji hollered to the Fierce Gales apprentices and joined the Eternal Academy apprentices.

With the two of them taking the lead, the rest of the academy students followed. In a matter of moments, the entire cave was littered with dirt and debris as weak and powerful earth magic spells intertwined and smashed on the hard ground and created a deep hole.

*

Princess Qamari woke with a start, her skin dry and clammy as she supported her heavy head. A distant glaze settled in her purple pupils as she glanced around with a blank expression.

“Princess, you are awake!”

At this moment, Skyler’s excited shout broke through her trance, bringing her back to her senses. Looking over, she saw the golden bird flapping her wings joyously as she spun in the sky. Her heart lifted as her gaze fell on the cold, desolate region.

“This is…?”

Without warning a flood of memories rushed into her head, causing her head to spin as she struggled to her feet. She winced in pain, every part of her body aching as if she had been beaten to unconsciousness.

“Skyler, where are we?”

The last thing she could recall was the group of black-clothed men fleeing in the descent of the Ice Cyclone. Exhausted and weak, she lost the strength to continue the long trek in the snowstorm and had to take Qaliq’s support.

But what happened afterward was a mystery to her.

“Along with the masked man, you got swallowed by the Mind Fogging plant. But a while ago, the illusion of the Mind Fogging plant dissolved. Right now, we are in the heart of a mystical space inside the Forbidden Zone.”

Skyler was a mystical soul that evolved into a golden bird. She possessed mystical origins and powers, however, her master’s current abilities were too low to unseal them.  She could only perceive that which her master perceived. And in the best-case scenario, she could guard her master in her weak and unconscious state.

As such, her abilities were restricted and her actions limited.

“Oh? Then do you know where he is?”

“No, Princess. This mystical space is larger than it looks. You fell together but in a moment of weakness, got separated. The best we can do is keep a lookout while moving along. Princess, the Forbidden Zone is an ancient magical beast territory that has many opportunities for strengthening your elemental energy. You need to take full advantage of this chance.”

Skyler flapped her wings and landed gracefully on her shoulder.

“We should explore the depths of this mystical space. The magical beasts will be more prevalent than other regions of the space, but the rewards will also be higher. If we encounter a sticky or dangerous situation, we can always flee.”

“Haha…flee, huh? As a princess, such an image does not befit me. However, there will be no one to see, so I guess that works fine. Come, let’s go and see what this mystical space has to offer.” Princess Qamari sprinted into the distance and jumped, landing right on Skyler’s back.

Her strength hadn’t recovered yet, so she couldn’t use her magic at the moment. However, with Skyler and Snow by her side, she wasn’t afraid of encountering trouble. Her violet pupils changed back to gold and her black hair became silver-violet. With her arms spread out carefreely, Princess Qamari entered the depths of the mystical space.

Roar!

Crash!

Boom!

In a land strewn with bones and skulls, a white-robed figure flashed back and forth amidst a group of One-Eyed Leopards. The One-Eyed Leopards roared and lunged at the figure, slashing viciously with their knife-like claws, producing gusts of blade winds that crushed the surrounding bones.

Princess Qamari slid backward, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike of a gray One-Eyed Leopard aimed at her throat as she swung Skyler sideways and sent the beast’s head flying in the air. Blood gushed forth, spraying her in a shower of red petals.

“Princess, go right! I sense an intense elemental fluctuation coming from the area!”

Skyler’s anxious voice sounded in her mind, causing her to change her attack stance mid-strike and dashed into the grim tunnel. The One-Eyed Leopards, seeing her flee, took it as she getting daunted by her might and relentlessly chased after.

Princess Qamari leaped over a barricade of spear-sharp wild beasts’ spine bones jutting precariously on the tunnel entrance and landed on her side.

“Ahhhhh!”

The One-Eyed Leopards, too late to respond, crashed directly into the protruding bones and cried out in pain. Their deafening shrieks bounced off the dark tunnel wall as Princess Qamari climbed to her feet and proceeded into the depth of the tunnel.

“Princess, there are no magical beasts nearby. You can speed up, but be careful. Such a strong elemental energy fluctuation is sure to attract many vicious wild and magical beasts.”

“Skyler, can you sense what the fluctuation of the elemental energy is? If it isn’t something of interest to us, it would be best if we don’t waste our time and effort on it.”

Princess Qamari only wanted to get the Magical Kilin heirloom and leave the Forbidden Zone. As for the advancement into the Secondary Elemental stage, the Elemental Revolving Stage, her fierce talent and large quantity of magical stones were enough to tackle it.

“I can’t sense it. The elemental energy wave I am receiving is comprised of a multitude of energies. It is impossible to identify which is which from this distance.” Skyler also knew her Master’s thoughts and felt depressed for not being of use.

“It’s fine. If we are lucky, we will not encounter any beasts above level four.” The two conversed as they headed into the belly of the grim tunnel that opened up into a spacious cave of three more damp tunnels.

“Which way do we go now?”

“Princess, take the right tunnel.”

“Hmm…”

In this manner, the female and glowing sword went in one tunnel after another, damp and dark caves greeting their presence.

After what felt like Eternity, Princess Qamari stood before an entrance emitting a chilling aura that sent her skin crawling in goosebumps.

A serious expression appeared in her eyes as she looked at the only tunnel in the cave with trepidation and apprehension. The piercing chill and ghostly whispers resounding from the place made her feel as if she was making her entrance not to an ancient cave, but to hell.

“Skyler, can you still not sense what’s in there?” She uncertainly asked.

If it could be avoided, she really did not wish to enter the cave.

“No, Princess. I cannot sense. I suspect there is a defense spell in place. Unless we manage to solve it, we cannot go forward.”

Princess Qamari wasn’t concerned about staying in the place. What she wanted to know was what the cave hid so vigilantly for so many eons. As such, on hearing about the defensive spell, her tension decreased by half.

“Okay, since we can only move forward, then we will march forward. If things get too out of hand, we will flee the scene.”

Satisfied with her plan, Princess Qamari gingerly entered the dark tunnel. This tunnel was a lot darker and stretched further than the others, ghostly shadows of screaming faces lingering on its damp walls. A while later, she stood before the cave entrance and gaped.

“Skyler, is this real? I am not dreaming, am I?”

Blinking rapidly, her gaze swiveled in astonishment. What entered her sight was a vast field of greens, blues, reds, and oranges that filled the place with a radiant glow. The faint fragrance of medicine and herbs spread in the air as Princess Qamari looked at the field of fresh and thriving herbs.

But what was even more astounding was the myriad number of Restorative Plants!

They silently floated in the center of each group of herbs, releasing bright light and warmth for the plants to thrive in while sucking their lifeforce. And in the center of these groups was a crystalline pool of milky white fluid that released intermittent pulses of elemental energy.

“Is this….the legendary Restorative Plants?” She whispered in awe.