Chapter 129: The Third Altar

Chapter 129: The Third Altar

In a fortress.

“You let two of them get away!?” Kogen roars, his fingers gripping his throne like he intends to break it.

Udana drops to one knee. “Please forgive us.”

“What happened?” Kogen asks, calming down at least slightly.

Gen steps forward, smiling with dark intent within his eyes. “I can’t speak for the others, but the one I was fighting was sent flying back from my attack and was not seen again. It’s possible she went downstream in the river, but who knows for sure.”

“You mentioned that at least one of them is a divine being,” Kogen says. “Zeth. What is his connection?”

“Unknown at this point, but Zeth has black hair,” Udana replies. “I don’t think he could be in relation to the Light Goddess.”

“That means nothing,” Kogen states. “Look at that painting over there.”

They turn toward the wall. A painting hangs there, depicting a roughly detailed child with blonde hair and green eyes. Looming over the child is a massive, indistinct red monster. The background is engulfed in fire. On the frame are the words: “Harmona’s Second Son.”

“And what about it?” Udana asks. “Zeth has black hair.”

“Do not forget that this fortress was once used by worshippers of the Light Goddess,” Kogen says with a demanding tone. “There are books here that describe past events. Something happened to him that caused him to lose his divine powers, and his hair turned black. Zeth is likely the Light Goddess’s second son.”

He pauses, humming as he contemplates something.

“We cannot allow the Light Goddess to know what we are doing. We must execute Zeth.”

“I understand,” Udana says.

Gen turns and begins walking away, his smile widening as he thinks, “I let the one I was fighting get away intentionally. I look forward to seeing you again, daughter of the Dark Goddess.”

***

At the entrance to an underground cave in the northern part of Harmone.

Zeth, Sasha, Keith, RAG, and Zaydra stand at the cave’s entrance. Kren is absent, having returned to the task force.

“This is the closest altar to where we were before,” Zaydra says.

“In a cave?” Keith asks.

“What’s wrong with that?” RAG replies.

Keith rubs his head. “It’s just that a divine altar in an underground cave seems random to me.”

“During the time of the Great Chaos, we had to hide the altars from the Dark Goddess’s attention,” Zaydra explains. “While this is the closest one, it is not the easiest to reach. This cave is now ruled by lost spirits.”

“Lost spirits?” Zeth asks.

“Yes. They are spirits of the dead who were rejected by both Heaven and Hell.”

“How is that possible?”

“It is very rare. It happens when someone is not good enough for Heaven but not bad enough for Hell. On average, across the entire world, there is only one new lost spirit every fifteen years.”

“So why are they here?” Zeth asks.

“Spirits can only exist where there is divine energy,” Zaydra replies. “Anywhere else, they dissolve into nothingness over time. They are trapped here.”

“That’s horrible,” RAG says. “Is there really nothing that can be done for them?”

“We are trying to find a solution,” Zaydra replies. “But no one can agree on one. I pity these spirits. Unfortunately, they have gone mad and become hostile to living beings. Regardless, we’re going in.”

They enter the cave. At first, everything is quiet. As they move deeper, silhouettes watch them from the darkness.

They step into a large chamber where the altar stands.

“We have yet to see any spirits,” Keith says.

“Shut it,” Sasha snaps. “You’ll jinx us.”

A low moaning sound echoes through the chamber, causing the heroes to tense up, fully alert.

More than ten lost spirits emerge. They’re vaguely humanoid-shaped and their ghostly blue transparency makes them stand out in the dim cave room. The spirits charge toward them.

“See! I told you!” Sasha shouts. “You jinxed us!”

“Did not!” Keith protests. “They were always here!”

Keith throws a punch, but his fist passes straight through one of the spirits. His eyes widen in shock.

The spirit grabs onto him, and he cannot shake it off. Zaydra fires a Star Shine Blast, knocking the spirit away.

“They are only affected by energy-based attacks!” Zaydra shouts. “Use those!”

The heroes have reached the third altar, but they must deal with the lost spirits before they can use it.

Chapter 129 END

To be Continued in Chapter 130: Crying Spirits