Chapter 3: Time to Depart

Isz trained day and night without stopping. Time flowed differently for him, but his body ultimately exacted its toll. "My body aches," Isz muttered.

 "I cannot draw any more power from it. Is this my limit?" "You need to rest," the Lightning Beast urged. "You are maintaining a good pace and building intimacy with your sword, but your body will shatter if you continue like this." "You are right," Isz agreed. "I had better stop for a moment." Isz leaned against a tree and fell asleep right there. 

 While sleeping, he experienced faint, nonsensical dreams, featuring a voice calling him to battle. Upon waking, Isz found himself unable to move his body. An intense agony enveloped him. The pain was so severe that he instinctively began emanating lightning to regenerate his wounds, but something felt wrong. "Wait!" the Lightning Beast warned. "Focus your power not on healing, but on strength." "How do I do that?" Isz gasped in agony. Unable to endure the pain, Isz fainted once more, regaining consciousness a short while later, eager to resume his training. Isz accessed his beast mode without any difficulty, greatly refining his techniques with both the sword and his lightning release. Orange leaves fell from the trees across the grounds, and the wind blew as Isz swung his blade. His speed was so immense that anyone watching from afar would see only blurred shapes glowing with purple light. 

 Finally, he struck with his sword. The attack seemed to conjure purple stars around the blade, generating a subtle distortion in space. Isz concentrated his strength and unleashed the attack, destroying part of the area. However, several stones and metals absorbed the strike and reflected it back, blasting Isz backward. "Damn it," Isz growled. "How did that happen?" "That is Oxina," the Lightning Beast explained. "That is why this chamber possesses properties of temporal distortion and energy absorption." "What is Oxina?" Isz asked. "It is a metal that originates from far away, far beyond this world," the Lightning Beast answered. "I did not expect humans to be capable of manipulating it." "Is that a good thing?" Isz questioned. "Well... in a way, yes, since a skilled individual can absorb energy from the metal just as you do," the Lightning Beast replied. "The downside is that an ordinary human would die, unable to endure the heavy atmosphere of this place." "I see," Isz said. "So, am I ready? I mean, I have been here for only a short time, but I think I can accomplish something." "You have evolved immensely," the Lightning Beast noted. "I cannot give a definitive answer." "I do not think I have time," Isz stated. "It is time for my departure." Isz gathered his belongings and exited the Chamber of Ascension. At the temple gates, two guards different from the ones Isz originally met were standing watch. Isz greeted them and asked them to notify Harpya that he had finished, which they did promptly. When Harpya arrived, he greeted Isz with deep emotion. "I thought you had died in there," Harpya admitted. "Calm down," Isz reassured him. "I managed to train a lot. I was only in there for a week. Did a few extra days pass out here?" "No..." Harpya revealed. "Six months have passed for us. The temporal distortion is massive." Isz was taken aback, and Harpya proceeded to explain everything that had occurred during those six months. Harpya related how he had rescued a wounded Nyx along with his squad. He reported encounters with monsters possessing overwhelming powers and mentioned that several soldiers had fallen during that time, leaving outlying areas unprotected. "Does this have anything to do with Irineia?" Isz asked.

 "No," Harpya answered. "We have heard nothing about her since. It truly seems she died when the tower collapsed." "Someone is acting as the intermediary!" the Lightning Beast interjected. "What?" Isz asked aloud. "Someone who originates from the same place as us," the Lightning Beast clarified. "Only such a being would possess the power to continue conjuring creatures." "Do you have any idea what it might be?" Harpya asked, observing Isz. "Could it be a Voice?" "No," the Lightning Beast corrected. "The Voices made pacts with Irineia, but they did not appear to be in command of anything. I believe it is another entity entirely."

 "Is there any way for us to find out?" Isz inquired. "Not at the moment," the Lightning Beast replied. Isz was summoned by the king, who was gravely ill, to receive a new assignment. The mission was to head west, where he was to make contact with isolated settlements and report on the situation. Isz was initially hesitant, but the king explained that Harpya had shared Isz's suspicions. He was being deployed due to reports from nearby towns concerning a mysterious cult, where residents were experiencing miraculous healings and receiving protection from fairies, phenomena deemed impossible in that region. Isz accepted the mission and prepared to set out on a new journey alongside Cerberus. Isz donned a dark green button-up shirt, a leather vest equipped with a bandolier for knives and ammunition, pants and boots fitted with additional blades, as well as his gloves and trench coat. Before Isz departed, Harpya invited him to share a cup of coffee and talk. The conversation was brief. Harpya expressed his lingering dread and urged Isz to take reinforcements, but Isz reiterated that none of the soldiers could stand against Irineia if she was indeed behind this. Harpya also mentioned that letters had arrived from Rosie for Isz, but Isz replied that he had no time for that now. Isz bade farewell to Harpya and encountered Nyx gazing out at the castle gardens. Nyx was in a wheelchair, missing one arm and an eye. 

 Nyx greeted him, confessing through tears that he had ruined everything and failed to avenge their guildmates. Weeping, Nyx begged Isz to avenge their comrades and promised that as soon as he recovered, he would join him. Isz nodded, reassuring Nyx that before he even recovered, he would put an end to this nightmare. Nyx nodded back, wishing him good luck. Isz departed with Cerberus toward the train station. Along the way, he ran into Baron. "Isz! It has been so long, where have you been?" Baron asked. Isz greeted him, explaining that he had been extremely busy and needed to travel. "You have a sorrowful look in your eyes, kid," Baron observed. "After your journey, come by my tavern." "I promise I will," Isz replied. "Thank you for the invitation." Isz bade farewell to Baron. "It is just you and me again, Cerberus," Isz whispered. "I hope I can protect you this time." The hound barked, and Isz boarded the train, his map marked by the king with the location of his mission.