Ritual

We finished our lunch and cleaned up the place.

By then, the noon sun had already begun to fade.

I looked up at the sky.

The position of the sun had changed.

That also meant the shadows of the three giant trees had changed.

I looked at the ground.

The shadows were no longer where they had been earlier.

“Old man.”

“What is it, kid?”

“Take a look at the shadows.”

Ryan turned toward them.

He stared at the ground for a few seconds.

Then he stood up.

“Yes, kid.”

“What?”

“They've made a peculiar shape.”

I looked at the shadows again.

They seemed to stretch in one particular direction.

Ryan looked back at the inscription he noted down.

“If I had written the line correctly...”

He pointed toward the end of the shadows.

“This must be the way.”

“So we follow the shadows?”

“That's what I'm thinking.”

I nodded.

We started walking in the direction they pointed.

The forest slowly became darker as we moved.

The white glow of the afternoon sky began changing into orange.

I looked up.

It's getting late.

But sstill.

We continued walking.

After some time, I couldn't help myself.

“Old man.”

“What?”

“How long are we going to walk?”

Ryan didn't stop.

“Calm down, kid.”

“I've been walking for quite a while.”

“Then stop talking and listen carefully.”

I frowned.

“Listen to what?”

Ryan raised his hand.

We both stopped.

For a moment, there was nothing.

Only the sound of the forest.

Then—

A faint sound reached my ears.

Splash...

I looked around.

Then I heard it again.

The sound was soft.

Almost like someone humming a song from far away.

I looked at Ryan.

He was already smiling.

“The fairy's lullaby.”

I turned toward the sound.

The sound grew clearer.

Water.

Somewhere ahead.

I looked at Ryan.

“So that's what the inscription meant.”

Ryan nodded.

“Looks like it.”

We continued toward the sound.

And somewhere beyond the trees...

was the place where the fairy's lullaby born.

As we moved closer to the sound, it grew louder and louder.

At first, it was just a faint sound in the distance.

But after some time, it became impossible to ignore.

The sound of rushing water filled the forest.

And before we even realized it, our surroundings had become covered in thick mist.

I could barely see a few steps ahead.

“Old man, wait—”

I tried to catch up to Ryan.

My foot suddenly slipped.

“Whoa!”

I was about to fall when Ryan grabbed my hand.

“Careful, kid.”

He pulled me back up.

“See? This is a wet area. It's slippery, and the mist makes it hard to see.”

He tightened his grip on my hand.

“So stay close and follow me carefully.”

“Got it.”

We continued through the mist.

The visibility was terrible.

Every step had to be taken carefully.

We kept walking like that for almost forty minutes.

Then finally—

The mist began to clear.

I stopped.

In front of us was the source of the sound.

A massive waterfall descended from high above, its water crashing down into the earth below.

The falling water looked almost like a giant white curtain.

For a moment, I just stood there.

It looks like the water was brought down from heaven itself.

I couldn't take my eyes off it.

“Old man...”

Ryan looked at me.

“What?”

I pointed toward the waterfall.

“It's beautiful.”

Ryan sighed.

“Kid, this isn't the time for sightseeing.”

I looked at him.

“From this point onward, we should expect enemies or monsters.”

I turned back toward the waterfall.

Then Ryan suddenly became serious.

“Actually...”

“What?”

“Don't move.”

I froze.

Ryan looked around us.

“Monsters.”

I looked into the mist.

“Where?”

“They've surrounded us.”

I carefully looked around.

Through the mist, I could see faint movements.

One.

Two.

Then another.

Ryan counted them silently.

“There are about twenty.”

“Twenty?!”

“Keep your voice down.”

I looked around again.

The creatures were positioned all around us.

Ryan lowered his voice.

“This isn't a good place to fight.”

“Because of the monsters?”

“Because of everything.”

He pointed toward the ground.

“It's slippery.”

Then toward the mist.

“Visibility is poor.”

He looked at the waterfall.

“And we don't know what's waiting beyond it.”

I tightened my grip on silviet.

So much for enjoying the scenery.

Ryan slowly moved into a defensive stance.

“Stay close, kid.”

The sounds of the monsters grew louder through the mist.

We were surrounded.

The sounds around us grew louder.

The monsters were closing in.

I looked around.

They had completely surrounded us.

Ryan tightened his grip on his weapon.

I raised my hand.

“Old man.”

“What is it, kid?”

“No need to worry.”

Ryan looked at me.

I focused my mana.

The wet ground beneath us began to freeze.

Sibearia.

Ice spread across the water-soaked ground.

One monster stepped forward.

Its feet suddenly froze to the ground.

Then another.

Then another.

Within seconds, the freezing spread through the entire area.

The monsters were trapped.

I looked at Ryan.

“The field is on our side.”

Ryan stared at the frozen monsters.

I smiled slightly.

“So we can play by our rules here.”

I moved forward carefully.

The monsters struggled to free themselves, but their feet were completely frozen.

One by one, I took them down.

I didn't rush.

I moved carefully across the frozen ground and dealt with each monster.

Soon, the sounds stopped.

Silence returned to the waterfall.

Ryan finally relaxed.

“Well done, kid.”

I looked around.

“See? Nothing to worry about.”

Ryan shook his head.

“You really do like making things difficult for yourself.”

“Maybe.”

He looked toward the waterfall.

“Now, let's focus on why we're here before any other guests decide to arrive.”

“Right.”

We moved toward the waterfall.

The water crashed down in front of us like a giant curtain.

Behind the waterfall was something I hadn't expected.

A massive opening in the rock.

A tunnel.

I looked into the darkness.

It was impossible to see how far it went.

Ryan stood beside me.

I looked at him.

“Old man.”

“What?”

“I hope this actually leads us to the Shrine.”

Ryan smiled faintly.

“There's only one way to find out.”

I looked into the dark tunnel.

Well... here we go.

We stepped into the darkness.

Ryan raised his hand.

A small flame appeared above his palm.

The light spread through the tunnel.

“That's better.”

I nodded.

We continued deeper into the cave.

The further we went, the worse the place became.

Bones were scattered across the ground.

Some belonged to creatures I couldn't even identify.

Others were piled against the walls.

The smell was horrible.

I covered my nose.

“Old man... what happened here?”

Ryan didn't answer.

He kept walking.

The tunnel continued for what felt like a long time.

Eventually, we reached the other side.

The cave opened into a much larger area.

I looked around.

Then I noticed something beside the wall.

human bones.

There was something hanging around the neck of the skeleton.

A small bag.

Ryan stopped.

His face changed.

“No way...”

“What is it?”

He walked toward the skeleton.

He crouched down and carefully picked up the bag.

He stared at it for several seconds.

“This bag...”

Ryan's voice became quiet.

“Yes.”

He held it tightly.

“This belonged to my brother.”

I looked at the skeleton.

“You mean...”

Ryan nodded.

“This must be his corpse.”

He stared at the remains.

“But what happened to him?”

For the first time, Ryan looked completely lost.

I crouched beside him.

“Let's see if there's anything inside.”

I carefully opened the bag.

Inside was a small book.

I pulled it out.

It was old and damaged, but it was still intact.

I opened it.

Most of the pages were completely blank.

Only seven pages contained writing.

I looked at Ryan.

“Old man.”

“What?”

“There are notes in here.”

Ryan looked at the book.

“Seven pages?”

“Yeah.”

I turned to the first written page.

Whatever had happened to Ryan's brother...

These seven pages might be the only thing he left behind.

Ryan took the book from my hands.

He opened it carefully.

The first page had only a few lines.

Ryan began reading.

“To my brother, Ryan...”

He stopped.

His fingers tightened around the page.

Then he continued.

“If you are reading this, then I have failed to return.”

“I am sorry.”

“I came here because I finally understood what happened to those who came before us.”

“Every Aster who performed the ritual before me died far too young.”

“I do not want to pass this cycle to you.”

“So I chose to come here myself.”

“I will give my full life force to the seal.”

“If I can complete the ritual properly, the Guardian will remain safe, and Lionheart will remain protected.”

“Perhaps this will finally end the cycle.”

Ryan stopped for a moment.

He turned the page.

“But things have not happened according to plan.”

His eyes moved across the next few lines.

“Ryan, if you have come here in the future and found this book...”

“Do not give your life force to the seal.”

“Whatever happens, do not give more than you have to.”

“The sealing ritual is performed near the Shrine, beside the small statue of the Guardian.”

“Do not interrupt the ritual under any circumstances.”

“And make sure to...”

The sentence ended there.

Nothing followed.

Ryan turned the page.

Blank.

Blank.

I looked at him.

“That's it?”

Ryan didn't answer.

He stared at the unfinished sentence.

Then he slowly closed the book.

For a while, he said nothing.

I could see him thinking.

Then his expression changed.

“Old man?”

Ryan stood up.

“I think I know what we need to do.”

“What?”

“We need to check the seal.”

I looked at him.

“The seal?”

“Yes.”

Ryan looked toward the darkness ahead.

“My brother came here to perform the ritual. He believed giving his entire life force would protect the Guardian and Lionheart.”

“But he still died.”

“Yes.”

“And the barrier is still weakening.”

Ryan nodded.

“Which means something isn't right.”

He looked down at the book again.

“If the ritual was completed properly, the seal should still be functioning.”

“Then why is the barrier losing its power?”

Ryan's expression became serious.

“That is what we are going to find out.”

I looked toward the deeper part of the cave.

So the problem may not be the ritual itself.

Something else is happening to the seal.

Ryan tightened his grip on the book.

“And this time...”

He looked at the remains of his brother.

“I won't make the same mistake.”

We continued deeper into the darkness.

Toward the Shrine.

We finally entered the shrine grounds.

The atmosphere immediately felt different.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

Ryan looked around.

“Somewhere around here should be the Guardian statue.”

We searched the area.

After a while, we found it.

A small statue stood in front of the shrine.

Ryan immediately walked toward it.

“This is it.”

He sat down in front of the statue and slowly placed his hand on it.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

WHOOSH!

Something suddenly came from the side.

A huge tail swung directly toward Ryan.

“Old man!”

Ryan quickly moved away.

The tail missed him.

BOOM!

It struck the shrine instead.

The entire structure shook.

Cracks spread across the walls.

Then the shrine completely collapsed.

I immediately became alert.

What the hell was that?

I looked toward the creature.

A massive snake-like monster stood behind us.

Its body was enormous.

But that wasn't what caught my attention.

The dark energy surrounding it was overwhelming.

This energy...

I knew that feeling.

It was almost the same level of dark energy I had felt from Guliath.

My grip tightened.

“Silviet.”

The sword appeared in my hand.

I moved in front of Ryan.

“Old man, stay behind me.”

The monster raised its tail again.

I prepared myself.

And It swung.

I tried to block it.

But—

BOOM!

I couldn't stop it.

The impact sent me flying backward.

“Gah!”

My body slammed into the cave wall.

For a moment, everything went blurry.

I forced myself back up.

“Ryan!”

The monster had already turned toward him.

Its tail moved again.

“RYAN!”

I tried to move.

I was too late.

BANG!

The tail struck Ryan.

“RYAAAAAN!”

I watched him get thrown away.

Then—

Something changed.

The ritual.

Ryan's hand was no longer touching the Guardian statue.

The connection had been broken.

A strange energy suddenly erupted from the statue.

The entire shrine grounds began shaking.

I could feel an enormous amount of power building up.

“What is happening?!”

Ryan was lying on the ground.

The statue began glowing.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!

A massive blast erupted from the Shrine.

Everything disappeared beneath the explosion.

And for a moment...

There was nothing but light.