Tara felt oddly amused despite the dull ache in her body. She stole a quick glance behind her and saw Adian slipping into his usual thoughtful expression, his metallic mask reflecting the dim light.
Nearly ten teenagers remained unharmed, their fragile steps cautious. Those who'd been injured had been thrown into the corpse room earlier, left to fend for themselves.
'Why don't just abandon them, lest to attract more monster because scent of blood?'
She shifted her attention forward but couldn't ignore the feeling of someone staring.
Lifting her gaze, she locked eyes with Bratel. His expression was sharp, and his face practically screamed, 'How did a dumb woman like you survive?'
Tara rolled her eyes in response. 'Just like you survived.'
"Tsk…" Bratel snickered, his derisive tone loud enough to make the teenagers ahead stumble.
Tara didn't bother hiding her smirk. It was fun to see those arrogant pricks fearing even faintest sounds.
Her amusement faded quickly when the chain around her wrists tightened suddenly. She glared at the boy in front of her, the very same noble brat who had been flaunting his father's status earlier.
His pace slowed as he crept closer to her, his pleading eyes practically begging for something.
"Please, don't offend them further," he whispered, his voice trembling.
Tara raised a brow. "Isn't your father a knight of Primal?"
The boy nearly tripped over his own feet. "That was before…"
"Now he changed?" Tara's lips twitched upward. "Who is he now?"
"You—"
"Sorry, I'm a lady." She pretended to flex her non-existent curves but stopped halfway, realising her current frame didn't lend itself to such dramatics. Instead, she simply shrugged.
"I can't impregnate, only conceive."
The boy's cheeks flushed red, his suppressed anger painting his face like a ripe tomato. Tara bit back a laugh.
He deserved it. After all, this was the same brat whose idiocy had nearly gotten her impaled on a metal spike or worse—eaten by whatever monsters had lurked in the mist earlier.
"Haha…" Bratel's soft chuckle drew her attention, but she didn't bother responding. Just looking at him worsened her mood.
It was not a good feeling to around a person who could potentially control your emotions.
The journey across the metallic field was exhausting. The dull gray sky blended with the spikes scattered across the terrain, making it a constant challenge to avoid stepping onto one.
Every step required vigilance, and by the time they reached the edge of the field, Tara's legs were screaming for rest.
She breathed a sigh of relief as her feet finally met solid ground. Turning back, she gasped softly.
The metallic field was changing. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the spikes began to melt, their sharp edges dissolving into dust that shimmered faintly before settling into the soil.
"The spell stops when it runs out of radial," Adian explained as he passed her without a glance. "Its remnants fade completely in a day or two."
Tara watched him fall back into his brooding silence and shrugged. She scanned the new surroundings. The sky was still the same dull gray, but the atmosphere here felt different—lighter, more vibrant.
Her eyes widened as the landscape came alive with colour. Vibrant plants swayed gently in the faint breeze, their leaves glowing faintly as if touched by some ethereal light.
They all seemed to converge at a single point, where a beam of light shot into the sky.
The beam shifted colours with every passing second, creating a cascading river of multicoloured brilliance.
The light arced high into the sky before descending to the distant horizon, forming a rainbow-like bridge that touched the land far away.
"Beautiful…" Tara whispered, unable to tear her eyes away. It was the most mesmerising sight she'd ever seen.
"It is…" Bratel's voice startled her. She hadn't even noticed him approach. He stood just behind her, his gaze fixed on the spectacle.
"That's why millions of people saw heaven after falling into it."
Before she could fully process his words, a cool sensation washed over her, making her shiver. Her position shifted subtly, and she realised she was no longer standing where she remembered.
Her heart skipped as she noticed the teenagers ahead of her moving toward the light with an unnatural, dreamlike obsession. Their eyes were glazed over, their movements slow but deliberate.
"Pathetic," Bratel growled. With a flick of his wrist, he sent razor-thin shards of metal flying toward the teenagers.
The sharp projectiles pierced their necks, snapping them out of their trance-like state.
The teenagers stumbled, clutching at their throats, their expressions a mix of confusion and terror.
"It's called the Converging Falls," Bratel muttered, his tone filled with disdain. "Those who lose themselves in its glow become one of the Shades."
Adian turned slightly, his gaze lingering on the Falls for a moment before speaking.
"Even I can't guarantee an escape if I were caught by it. Fortunately, Atlantis lies in the other direction. A day's journey, and we'll cross the outer Shades and reach the outside."
The teenagers remained silent, their faces pale with fear. Despite the horror etched into their expressions, none of them dared to speak.
Their mouths stayed firmly shut, still that didn't hide their expressions of relief.
Tara frowned. She couldn't understand it.
Fear was one thing, but the complete lack of resistance from the teenagers puzzled her. She could almost feel their acceptance of their fate, the way their shoulders sagged under the weight of inevitability.
'Don't they want to escape?' she wondered.
Her gaze drifted to the Converging Falls again. Even she had felt its pull for a brief moment, a faint whisper at the edge of her mind promising peace, warmth, and safety.
It wasn't real. She knew that. But it had been convincing enough to tempt even her.
"Sigh." Tara exhaled sharply and turned her attention back to the path ahead. The vivid colours of the plants faded as they moved further from the Falls, the oppressive grayness of the Shades creeping back into view.
That's when Tara recalled Adian's words from before. Going to Atlantis City?
Wasn't that the capital of Primal, where the Primal Palace was situated?
That was the place the previous Tara had been fleeing to.
Why was a Domain Master going into the territory of another?
As far as she remembered, no Domain Master willingly entered the region of another lord since they would be suppressed under the regional star.
Unless he was so powerful—or going to war.
Was she unintentionally about to be dragged into a war? Tara decided to ask.
"Are you going to fight?"
Adian stopped mid-step and glanced at her. Even though the metal mask covered his face, she could feel his frown.
"Why would I? I'm just an escort."