Chapter 69: Graystone Town

The path leading to Graystone Town wound its way through the woods. Without turning to look at the young man behind him, Grimm moved forward with effortless yet tremendous speed, as if walking on flat ground.

Kael was gasping for breath beneath his mask. He was constantly channeling his magic into his body, pushing his limits to speed up his steps. But no matter what he did, Grimm always remained exactly two steps ahead.

Kael thought to himself, 'Master Grimm... Was he really always this fast? I guess he was being kind to me during our training at the manor—I understand that better now.'

The true nature of an S-Rank legend was crushing, even just trying to keep up with him.As they approached the town's border, Grimm suddenly stopped. Raising his right hand, he signaled for Kael to stop.

The landscape stretching out before them resembled a graveyard in every sense of the word. Graystone Village had completely vanished beneath a thick layer of gray mist. This was no ordinary weather phenomenon; the mist lay over the village like a shroud. As they took a few steps inward, visibility dropped significantly.

When several figures emerged from the fog, illuminated by lantern light, Kael reached for his sword.

"Wait, Rosvil!"

From within the fog, an old man with a haggard face and dark circles under his eyes appeared. This was the town mayor. Realizing that the arrivals were the help the guild had promised, the old man's eyes filled with tears, and he sank to his knees.

"I cannot thank you enough for coming to help Graystone Village, sir!" the mayor said in a trembling voice.

"Please save us from this curse."

Grimm took the mayor's hand as he knelt on the ground and helped him up.

"Please tell us what happened."

"It all began about three weeks ago, sir. It was said that an eerie, gray smoke was rising from the old mine shaft deep in the valley. At first, no one paid it any mind. But a few days later, the mist spreading from that smoke engulfed the town. First, our livestock froze solid. We found them in the barn, turned into stone statues. Then the workers returning from the mine... Starting at their ankles, they slowly turned to stone. The most terrifying part was that they felt no pain as they turned to stone. We've lost more than twenty people so far, and the fog grows thicker every day."

Listening to the mayor's account, Grimm's mind was thoroughly confused. A deep doubt had taken root within him. A simple fog or poison couldn't turn people into stone like this. There must be a powerful curse behind it—or something far more sinister that manipulates the human body and spirit.

"Could you show us the direction the fog first spread in?"

The village headman pointed with a trembling finger toward the east of the valley, at a dark path where the trees had turned completely gray.

"The mine is over there... But the fog is so thick on the path leading there that you can't even see your own hands—be careful not to get lost."

Grimm and Kael made their way toward the area the village headman had indicated. The fog grew increasingly thick as they neared the mine. The trees around them had now completely turned to stone; nature seemed to have lost all its vitality.Grimm placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and turned to the young man behind him.

"Rosvil, don't you dare step even an inch away from me."

Kael swallowed hard upon hearing the serious tone in his master's voice. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and moved closer to Grimm.

"Understood, Master Grimm."

As they ventured deeper into the mist, even the sound of their footsteps was swallowed by it, and a deep silence reigned over the surroundings. Just as Grimm was crossing the wooded area directly ahead of him, he sensed that the presence of the young man behind him had vanished in an instant.

"Rosv—"

Grimm froze before he could finish his sentence. When he turned around, there was only gray mist. Kael was nowhere to be seen.

"What? He was right behind me just a moment ago... I didn't even feel his presence fade or his aura drift away! What's going on here?"

Grimm couldn't fathom how the boy beside him had vanished in an instant.Meanwhile, Kael found himself completely alone in the fog. He had turned his head to the left for a moment; when he looked back ahead, he could no longer see Grimm's back.

"Mr. Grimm?!" Kael called out, but his voice was swallowed by the fog. Unable to see his surroundings through the fog, he used his mana detection field.

But the only thing he sensed was absolute emptiness. Forget sensing his master's sharp aura—he couldn't detect the aura of any living being around him.

"What's going on? My mana field isn't detecting anyone. How did I lose him, even though Master Grimm warned me?"

Just then, the layer of fog in front of him split strangely in two, carving out a smooth, even path for him. It was as if a force wanted Kael to walk that path. Knowing there was no point in staying put, Kael held his sword before him and began walking cautiously along the path the fog had opened.

At the end of the path, a familiar silhouette emerged from the mist. Kael froze in place at the sight of the faces before him.

His mother, Nerya, and his father, Abaddon, stood before him. Yet strangely, his father's face was excessively faint, as if made of smoke.

The mist had begun to show Kael hallucinations, exploiting the deepest longings and fears in his mind.

Kael wanted to run to his family, but when he saw the look of disappointment in his mother's eyes, he didn't move a muscleNerya spoke in a cold, accusatory voice:

You promised, Kael... You said you'd grow stronger and heal me. But you just selfishly chased after your own power. Where were you, Kael, while I was suffering? And now you stand before me, playing the hero with a mask on your face? Did you really think you could save us with that fake, tainted power of yours? Stop deluding yourself. You're just a half-breed who belongs to neither world, bringing disaster to everyone around you, Kael. The sole reason for my illness is your inadequacy."

His father's faint silhouette called out to him from within the smoke:

"A weak hybrid who has dishonored our bloodline... Because of you, we've lost everything. Do you have any idea how much pain Nerya and I endured just to hide you from the humans, Kael!"

These words pierced Kael's heart like poisonous arrows. The guilt in his mind, the fear of failing to protect his mother, suddenly struck him like a shock. He dropped his sword and collapsed to his knees, on the verge of losing his mind, when Grosolun shouted at Kael:

"Snap out of it, boy! Those before you aren't real—it's just a cheap smoke-and-mirrors trick corrupting your mind! Get a hold of yourself!"

At Grosolun's voice, the hazy expression in Kael's eyes vanished instantly.

"R-right... This is just a hallucination. My mother would never say such things to me. I'm sorry, Grosolun. I need to pull myself together!" he said, gripping his sword tightly once more.

"It's okay, kid—focus! It seems the person controlling this fog is showing people their worst nightmares."

On the other side of the fog, Grimm was facing the worst nightmare of his life.From within the surrounding fog emerged a man from his days as an adventurer, his armor covered in blood. This man was Volt, Grimm's closest friend from his youth—the one he'd fought shoulder to shoulder with and who'd lost his life right before his eyes during a tragic mission.Volt took a step toward Grimm, blood seeping from the massive claw wound on his chest. His eyes were empty and dark.

"You left me behind in that cave and ran away, Grimm... You call yourself a legend... But you're a coward too weak to save your closest friend. I will never forgive you."

For the first time in his life, Grimm had left his sword suspended in the air. The stern expression on his face had completely crumbled. His eyes trembled; he couldn't speak in the face of his old friend's blood-soaked form. The heavy burden of the past had literally chained Grimm.But Grimm's will was not that of an ordinary warrior.

"Volt..."

"My friend Volt... Even as he died, he smiled at me and said, 'Keep living.' You... are the last person who should ever utter his name."

With a single swing of his sword, Grimm split the hallucination before him right down the middle. The immense wind pressure created by the sword had completely sliced through and dispersed the thick layer of fog in a hundred-meter radius.Grimm sheathed his sword; lightning seemed to flash from his eyes.

"Whoever is behind this fog... for showing me my old memories again and desecrating my friend's memory... I will tear them into a thousand pieces!"