A few days had passed since the incident with Junia.
Cochlinia was steadily healing from the scars left by the Medice, mostly thanks to their annexation by Numidea. Although the reception was initially poor, Decima's contributions to the settlement's reconstruction immensely helped Aeden's reputation amongst the surviving population.
But it was time they resumed their journey.
The Hiem Solstice marked the beginning of the hibernal season. As the longest night of the year, post-war nations learned to dread its repercussions outside their protected cities.
The Phobetic Nightmares, corporeal and ferocious, become sturdier and even more aggressive.
Phantasic Nightmares, ethereal and cunning, deepen their ghastly torment towards the poor targets they prey upon.
Yet, the most terrifying of them all only wake up from their slumber: Morpheic Nightmares, birthed from the most primal fears of sentient life, quietly haunt the world beyond the domed settlements.
According to Megissa, there was a very high chance to encounter at least one should they experience any further delay. Before the solstice, they needed to reach Umoja, a port city also known as the Duni Moyo - or "Heart of Cultures" in their language.
From there, they'd take a boat for the Tae Lanu, a giant archipelago at the northernmost edge of Occidia. Normally, they would have directly made for the Central Continent, but Aeden wanted to experience the culture of the Illi Moava - famed warriors of the seven isles.
If there was something he had learned in Cochlinia, it was undoubtedly his weakness. Even with his mother's power, the Sorceress of Slaughter's legacy, he lacked experience. It was of no use for him if he didn't know how to master it.
He still remembered Cernunnos lessons back in Numidea: Power was wasted on those complacent enough to rely on brute force. A fight was often decided in the blink of an eye. A single wasted movement or wrong move could mean the end.
They were headed for the Central Continent, the cradle of civilizations and biggest expanse of land. It was also the most hostile to Sorcerers, with half of it mainly dominated by Lichtenhimmel, a human-centric kingdom that preached their supremacy over other forms of sentient life.
Even surviving there would require his full strength, but it was also the perfect place to make a name for himself. According to the Sorcerer of Knowledge, every one of his siblings had to mark the world in some way or another to earn their title, a feat he can only accomplish away from his birthplace.
He needed to do it, at least just to make Damara's sacrifice worth it…
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Decima violently adjusted Aden's giant trunk on her shoulder, much to her friend's displeasure.
"Be more careful, Deci! All of our provisions AND my weapons are in there."
"Don't worry, I'm sure it can handle a little bumping," she sighed, looking back at the barrier's entrance. "I'm going to miss Cochlinia."
Nihil and Megissa closely followed behind them, half-concentrated on a map to figure out their next itinerary.
Minerva and most of the surviving Cochlinian spellcasters waved at them from the settlement's entrance. Aeden waved back with an awkward smile, still unsure about how he should behave as their official 'leader'.
"Right, we should circle around the Lower Hills. Minerva told me it's crawling with Ailegean, a vicious species of Phobetic Nightmares."
"Then it only leaves the flatlands. We'll be walking in plain view for miles. Isn't that just as dangerous?"
"Hm…-" her finger slithered up a sinuous path on the map, landing on a marked location. "-we could always cross through the ruins. There should be plenty of places to camp and hide."
Nihil grimaced. "Yes, especially with all the wraiths, spectres and phantoms roaming around. They're echoes of civilisations from before the Profane War, obviously crawling with mindless undead."
"Aren't you proficient in Sealing spells, Nihil? You should be able to whip up an anti-undead protection in no time… Or are you scared of ghosts?" Aeden teased him.
"O-... Of course I'm not afraid of them! It's just that regular barriers won't be useful against that type of enemy."
"Don't worry about that," Megissa rolled her eyes. "The curse of undeath doesn't exist in Occidia, so unless a passing Necromancer decided to use ruined cities as his dumping grounds, there shouldn't be any undead."
Nihil let out a sigh of relief, though he quickly tried to hide it. Aeden noticed his expression and only grinned.
"Anyway, let's keep our focus. Albeit unlikely around here, we could be attacked by Nightmares from anywhere. I'm not familiar with the species outside Numidea."
"Right!" They all nodded, braving once again the unknown.
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At their pace, it took them two days to start seeing some changes in the meandrous verdure of North Occidia; strange stone rings encircled the lake they followed, shining with silver patterns under moonlight's kiss.
Wisps glittered around them during the night, waltzing between ominous floral circles in the middle of the plains. Megissa warned against approaching them as they gleamed with malicious Mana through her Mana Oculus. She theorized that they were Fae traps, used to attract unknowing prey in their beguiling clutches, though was ignorant of what would ensue.
Daylight come, ruined obelisks would be visible, rising to the clear sky on the horizon - their purpose lost to time. Verdant plants coiled around their peaks, peacefully munched on by twin, pure-white stags with reddened antlers. They seemingly broke the laws of physics, standing vertically on the rocky walls of the structure. Once noticed, barely a glance was lost on the spellcasters as they went their way.
Further away, a harras of Bucephali strode defiantly against the wind, their mighty hooves echoing throughout the flatlands. Curiosity guided their steps, shadowing the party for a moment before it was sated. They most likely had never seen humanoids.
On the fourth day, Aeden's party finally reached the first hollowed city.
Adorning a desolated depression, buildings sculpted from rock all but eroded with the years, leaving only intricate steps whose chaotic shapes left no clue about the settlement's origins. Thick arborescence dug deep into its foundations as roots twirled around some structures while crushing others, revealing a network of subterranean passages.
Climbing down a giant tree to avoid any landslide, they snuck between two crumbling walls towards a ruined hall, hidden from prying eyes.
"I guess this is as good a place as any," Aeden gazed at the setting sun from the cramped opening. "We'll stay here for the night."
A gentle stroke on his giant trunk activated its glyphs, opening it with an oddly sinister creaking sound. The Sorcerer plunged his arm inside the spellcraft's nothingness, taking out food for everyone else.
It was mainly stale bread, cheese from Cochlinia, and smoked meat from whatever they could occasionally hunt.
"I still find that thing disturbing, no matter how many times you use it," Megissa spoke as the enchanted box closed. "Pocket dimensions are the stuff of myths, even for Sealing and Alteration spellcasters."
"I reckon' my Master could build something like that easily," Decima interjected while eating.
"I don't know about that," Nihil answered, looking curious. "You said that it was a gift from your mother, right? Do you know how she made it?"
"Mother didn't make it, actually. She told me that someone else gave it to her," Aeden looked thoughtful. "A dear friend…"
He trailed off, abnormally pensive. A wave of nostalgia washed over him even though he had no recollection of that "friend". Yet, simply glancing at the spellcraft spread warmth all over his body.
"You're spacing out again, Aeden."
"He tends to do it sometimes. You should've seen him in the Sygian ruins. It was as if he was in constant pain."
"Hey, I don't do it that often!"
"It's much easier to read your expression without the cloth," Megissa grinned. "It seems everything is alright now."
"What do you mean?"
"You've been distracted for a while. I guessed that it was linked to what you did to Junia."
"Not really… I'm just having trouble figuring some things out."
"Having trouble adjusting to that power?" She hesitated for a moment before finally asking. "Why did you keep it sealed for so long?"
"I… don't want to talk about it right now," he faced away from his friends.
"And here I thought Nihil was the broody one," Decima brushed it off.
Aeden kept silent for the rest of the night, much to his friends' confusion and worry. He wasn't the best at communicating his emotions, which led to him closing himself off and staying quiet in situations like these.
However, he struggled even to understand whatever was going on in his own mind. There are times where he'd feel on the very brink of insanity, with clouded thoughts and bloodthirsty urges.
'Perhaps,' he mused, 'I inherited more than power from my Mother.'
That simple theory scared him. If the crazed murmurs were those of the Sorceress of Slaughter, then it was only a matter of time before they overwhelmed him.
There was no way he could ignore a legacy from her. Yet, accepting it would mean twisting his very psyche into something none of his friends would recognize.
Would he really be able to do it, knowing it could mean losing them?
'I don't know…' was the only answer his wits could come up with.