After passing the rift, the journey was not far anymore. They strode along a winding path and reached a point that Northern knew all too well.
Northern at first squinted his eyes suspiciously, although the place occurred to him as familiar, he couldn’t pick in his memory which point he had arrived here.
‘Maybe it was just one of the times from when I was lost in my subconscious’ Northern turned his head around.
Even though he had given himself a reasonable explanation, it was still puzzling. He almost felt as if he was being lazy in his mind.
So, he tried to think deeper.
This point, they had traversed from stony earth to black soil, the air around this area was pungent and disgusting.
And almost suffocated Northern.
The terror on the other hand does not look to be affected by things such as smell, all the times Northern have been assaulted by bad odors, it stood unaffected.
Northern felt jealous a bit. Of all things he could condone…but bad smell…
‘Damn those kids with body odors in the town’
He would go as far as distancing himself with anyone that stank, bad breath or body odor, whatever kind of bad smell it was.
He paused and looked leftwards as they walked the moisty black soil that threatened to sink their legs.
Seeing a cavern entrance, a few memories effortlessly flooded into his mind.
“Of course…” A wistful smile appeared on his face as the sight rang a bell in his mind.
‘Mr Fluffy…’
He paused and stared into the darkness of the cave for a while. Then his eyes shot wide—Northern dashed forward immediately.
Not caring that the terror might mistake his action—Night Terror however, cocked its head left and right before following Northern, and it did not run.
Northern made his way through the inky darkness of the cave without any discrepancies. Then stopped.
Small twigs were gathered together, their edges burnt off, and ashes underlaid beneath.
Northern narrowed his eyes.
‘It’s fresh…’
Just like the time he came here…
‘There’s someone living in the cave?’
Of course, Northern had earlier thought it to be one of the students, perhaps someone that got teleported into the rift alongside him.
However, it was impossible for the person to survive that long, except they stayed in the cave throughout.
It was not like staying in the cave would guarantee their safety too. If they didn’t walk into danger, danger would walk ‘into’ them.
For anyone to survive at all in a rift, particular this hellish realm, they had to know the ropes so much.
‘When I arrived before, the fire was burning, now… it seemed to have been freshly put out’ Northern crouched, observing the ashes with a keen look.
He didn’t need to touch it to tell that it was warm, he could see the subtle waves of smoke that flowed out which by the way should be invisible at this level.
Northern stood up and slowly rolled his eyes across the cave.
‘No signs of life…none at all’
He heaved a sigh and turned, saying to Night Terror as he passed it:
“Let’s go”
The stalwart monster who had been silently looking from behind with a hint of puzzlement turned around and silently followed Northern. Barely making a sound even with its feet.
Tugged with so many confusing questions, Northern tried to keep a clear head as he neared his second goal.
After a couple minutes of work, they reached another setting, the land had changed from what Northern last saw it to be.
Becoming dry and a prelude into barrenness. But the three large rocks that made it distinct were still there unchanged.
With those Northern was sure he was in the right place.
This was another reason while he chose this route.
Of course, Northern did not just decide based on assumptions, it wasn’t like he knew his way around the rift.
After receiving [All Eyes], he took himself to sit at the edge of the mountain, where he observed Night Terror.
However, Night Terror was not the only thing he observed.
By pure coincidence, his eyes fell on the three rocks that marked he area where he kept his treasured possession and that was when he remembered the pile of soul cores he had buried somewhere. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
He couldn’t even remember which rock he had buried it beside but he was sure it was beside a rock. So, he began to dig.
The Mortal blade became a shovel he used to upheave sand which was already hardening.
After digging deep enough, Northern with the back of his hands
—particularly his hand wraps—wiped away the beads of sweat that formed on his forehead.
Then he dragged himself towards the next one, which was the smallest, situated in between.
Night Terror wordlessly…sorry…growllessly observed the human as it began digging with what should be a weapon of war.
A mantle of authority that the lord of the castle had itself bestowed upon him. An expression of amusement contorted morbidly on the monster’s face.
The monster almost flared as Northern shouted:
“Yes!”
Licking his upper lips like a dubious maniac, he began to remove all the soul cores and there were quite a number of them.
Northern when he was done stood up, turned and pointed to the cores, his eyes glimmering with pride.
“Here, I’ve seen you eat soul cores, you can eat these too and become stronger for the purpose of what lies before us!” Northern stated confidently to the monster.
His act of silence was met by a grave silence, Night Terror had a deadpan expression, first unresponsive.
Then it slowly shifted its four eyes to look at the piles of soul cores on the ground, brought them back to Northern and narrowed them.
It too…was probably as cautious as the human. And Northern could see that.
With both of his palm extended into the air Northern gestured:
“Calm down, calm down… I’m not being thoughtless. I will get automatically stronger as I fight but you I presume have to eat these. So it’s a fair trade, isn’t it?”
The monster after staring at Northern for a dozen seconds finally trudged forward and picked one core.
The monster crushed the core within its hand then poured it into its mouth, moving onto te next one.
Behind the terror, Northern sneaked out a menacing grin.
Now that the second part of his plan is done… Night Terror at least until their battle is bound to trust Northern enough not to look back.
Monsters were simple minded after all no matter how intelligent they seemed.
‘I can do this…’
He had spent so much dreadful time in this hell and finally, he will end it himself. There is only one way this can go…
Northern looked at Night Terror, his blue eyes glowing, subtly radiating an ambience of cold brutality.
He muttered:
“This… is only allowed to go my way. I will end this hell today”