"We really made it!" Sumaya was shocked upon seeing what was in front of him.
He was beyond astounded thinking that their success was because of two kids, Miya and Sho.
He felt complicated when he glanced over to the two. Comparing himself with them, he felt like dust. It was not a good feeling at all.
He was already in his early thirties. He has a lot of experience. And when the world started to merge, he was one who had an advantage. He had done boxing as his form of exercise and stress-relieving. That was all to his advantage. His wisdom as an adult couldn't compare with the two kids.
The two on his mind didn't think any of it at all as they gazed over the huge tree in front of them. It was gigantic as a mountain. The tree was full of life as if it was the core of the place. Its vitality was screaming that the group felt it while they gaze upon the luster brown trunk and green leaves.
When they saw it, they immediately knew they came to the place with the Soil of Eternity. It has to be, seeing as how the tree grew big and healthy.
"This is really it. Let's scout first and see if Alpha's group reached here. I don't know what the Soil of Eternity is. I doubt it's the one we're standing on. We might need to get the soil where the tree was planted." But upon noticing the silence, Sho glanced at his group but was stunned. There was no one there.
He looked around and noticed he was all alone. Everyone just vanished into thin air.
*Or did I vanish?* He couldn't tell.
*Damn. Is this a kind of horror place? First, we became ghosts, now people are vanishing! This really feels like something out of a horror movie instead of mythologies!* He joked to calm himself.
He felt panic start to seep in his heart but immediately controlled himself with the jest. Panic only causes trouble. He needs to collect himself and view everything in an intelligent way.
*This might be a test. Illusion?* He started guessing as he continued to look around. He even tried to stretch out his hands to try to look for the other three. But his hands didn't touch any invisible people.
*Not good. I'm trapped here. Miya has the improvised ball of thread. She can exit anytime she wants. But me, Ross, Duke and Sumaya would be on our own.*
He wanted to shout out loud to look for them. However, he instinctively knew it was not a good idea. He won't be sure if they were really his group or other entity trying to imitate them. He didn't dare be careless. Aside from that, he didn't know if there was any enemy lurking out. If he called out, he might attract them.
Instead, he stood still for five minutes, trying to enhance his senses as he continued surveying the area..
~Silence.~
It was intense silence that greeted him. It was very different from the silence of the maze. The maze, although quiet, still had a few rustling that came from blowing wind. But now, it was just absolute silence.
*Illusion.* He concluded.
*Hobbies please protect me!* He tried his other skill. He was hopeful.
As soon as he did, he felt something wash over him. It felt like he just took a sanitizing bath. He felt refreshed upon release.
It did work! He was shocked and happy at the same time. Realizing his hobbies skill could be used against illusion. Well, there's no better element to fight illusion against illusion. He quipped.
*Huh?*
His thought stopped when he noticed he was standing in front of the giant tree trunk. He didn't expect to be face to face with the tree when he got out of the illusion.
*This… Misdirection Maze. It's because the Soul Avatar doesn't have the same bearing as the human body. I thought I was just standing, but I actually moved forward.*
He could only guess as he didn't know much about Soul Avatar.
He looked around but realized the place he was in was obstructed by giant roots. If he wanted to get a view, he would need to go up the root.
*Nevermind. I should get some soil for now.*
Realizing that he was out of any immediate or possible danger, he decided to do the Quest first. He didn't know what could happen next. From his previous experience, there was almost no time to rest at all. Unexpected events always happen. It was now the best time to get the soil.
He grabbed a fist of soil and put it in his inventory. He noticed the soil was very different. It had a certain energy on it. But he didn't have time to inspect it now, it was enough that it was labeled Soil of Eternity. He wanted to see the others. For him, grabbing soil was as easy as passing by a street. That's why he didn't hesitate to grab some before proceeding on looking for the group.
It would be hard to grab soil later if there was a fight. Sho was shocked by his own thoughts.
*Am I already changing? No… the more appropriate phrase is… am I going back to how I was before? Just a few days, and I'm already expecting another battle. This isn't a "normal" mindset from the original Sho.*
He could only heave a sigh as he climbed up the giant root. He didn't want to think about his past. Truthfully, he was scared of the impact when he recalled his past and also the probability of him changing for the worst when he remembered who he was.
"Rahmath!" He was shocked but glad when he saw a distant figure. He didn't hesitate to shout out her name upon recognizing the lady.
The lady looked at him shocked. After a while, her shock disappeared followed by her relief. "H-hey. D-did you find anyone else?"
"No. You're the first one I saw. I'm glad that your team got here." Of course he felt optimistic seeing Rahmath there. She was not in his group, meaning Alpha's group reached here. "Can you explain what happened to your group? Where are Alpha, Kali, Evan and Zhuang? I need more details to know exactly what happened. That way, I can crack this place out."
"I-I don't know. W-when I came b-back to my senses I'm already here." she didn't look at Sho's eyes as she shivered on her spot.
Sho frowned. *Memory loss? Or is it the effect of misdirection? I've got too little information to tell for certain.*
"Let's move around while looking for others. Did your group discover anything in this maze?" He continued to search for knowledge that might be a hidden clue. But it was to no avail. Rahmath didn't know anything. It's as if she suffered a short term memory loss.
"Well, we can't do anything if you don't remember. Let's just keep on looking at everyone else. Since you and I are here, let's assume that they are also here." He consoled her.
Rahmath seemed surprised when she glanced at Sho. "You're so mature for your age."
Sho laughed dryly. Because he, himself, doesn't know anything about how mature he is. The two searched around the tree. After more than an hour of searching, the two stopped dead on track.
Surprise and dread on their faces.