Chapter 27 - A Return to Nothingness

As Nithe's sun dipped below the horizon, Arthur sat at a desk in his tent within the bounds of Fenric's camp. Outside he could hear Foster and his other guards hammering spikes for the large tent that would act as their barracks for the remainder of the war.

Arthur's tent was lavish since it came from the Revan estate. It had two adjoining rooms sectioned off from the main entrance space by the tent's crimson-colored canvas-like material. One adjoining room acted as the servant's quarters where Senna would sleep, while the other served as Arthur's bedroom.

The main entrance space was around nine hundred square feet and acted as a drawing room. Inside, a large desk sat in the center while a few chairs circled a small coffee table before it.

Beneath the furniture, a massive handcrafted rug sat upon multiple layers of the same canvas-like material. There were even numerous fire pits with appropriate ventilation to match, not that Arthur needed it within Revan.

In Arthur's opinion, all the furniture was opulent and gaudy, yet it was surprisingly efficient. The furniture was designed in such a way that made it easy to take it apart and rebuild it for storage and transport. It was as if it was made from many three-dimensional puzzle pieces, all interlocking together.

Whether it was more efficient to simply use regular furniture or not, he didn't know, but it was unique if nothing else.

Arthur felt exhausted by the time he finally got to sit down inside his tent. Unfortunately, he was a light sleeper ever since his name was still Ethan, and the constant noise his guards made as they set up their tent meant that he wouldn't be able to sleep, no matter how tired he was.

He had finished rewriting the mana soul spell during the carriage ride, and now all he needed to do was double and triple-check it to ensure there were no errors. However, as he stared at the strange arcane script, he found it difficult to concentrate due to the noise and fatigue; thus, he decided to put it off for tomorrow.

Kyren was floating around silently nearby with his eyes closed as if he was sleeping despite his inability to do so. Arthur debated telling him of the progress, but Senna was still setting up her room and would likely hear him talking if she entered the drawing room. Plus, he didn't want to get Kyren's hopes up on the off chance the spell didn't work as intended.

Closing his research journal, Arthur stood up and walked into his bedroom before closing the canvas flap behind him. The bedroom was just as lavish as the drawing room, except it took it one step further with multi-colored furs lining the floors and bed.

He placed his research journal in the end table drawer next to his bed and took up the lotus position on the floor, deciding to cultivate to pass the time.

Only the light chirping of insects in the distance greeted him when he opened his eyes again. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but since it was quiet now, it meant that he could finally sleep. Arthur threw the fur blanket onto the floor and collapsed onto the bed before closing his eyes once more.

A heart-wrenching guttural roar suddenly entered his ears as Arthur's eyes shot open in a frenzied panic. He quickly lifted his right arm, ready to fire out his hidden blade at a moment's notice, while his heart pounded on his ribs as if trying to break free from its cage.

Looking around at the scenery before him left him in a stupor. He was in the tunnels leading to the massive chamber underneath The Cat's Cradle.

Arthur's mind attempted to outrace his pounding heart as it tried to rationalize how he got there, but before it could, the clacking of claws on stone behind him halted any thoughts other than to flee.

He shot up and began to sprint through the damp tunnel as if driven purely by his base instincts to survive. The creature behind him roared once more as the clacking sounds grew closer.

He glanced back and noticed that he couldn't see the creature chasing him, but the clacking sounds echoing through the tunnel seemed to grow closer regardless of what his eyes revealed to him.

Fearing the worst, Arthur looked at his right arm to confirm the hidden blade was equipped, but his mind froze when he looked down. His right hand was missing. There was no wound or blood, or pain. It was just gone. Horrified by the sight, he brought his arm closer to his face as he slowed his sprinting speed ever so slightly.

"...id..." A barely audible echo reached his ears as the creature roared once more.

As his eyes focused on his arm, he came to the terrifying realization that his hand had crumbled to dust as if it were sand. Worst still, it hadn't stopped at his hand. His wrist was now slowly crumbling and turning to sand before his eyes.

He suddenly felt weightless as his body went limp and tumbled forward. He quickly tried to raise himself, but his crumbling arms had already turned to dust.

"...kid..." A voice echoed out again, but the creature's roar quickly drowned it out.

The creature's roar sounded no more than ten feet behind him as the clacking sound sped up. Arthur tried to scream, but his throat felt like sandpaper, and he frantically wriggled his crumbling body to move just an inch further from the beast behind him.

"KID, WAKE UP!" The creature roared as the last of his body turned to dust.

Arthur's eyes shot open to Kyren's face floating a few inches from his within the dim lighting of his tent. He instinctively attempted to jump back due to his groggy, panicked state, but Kyren's next shout stopped him in his tracks.

"Stop! Keep quiet, and don't move. Pretend that you're sleeping. There's someone in the tent, he's got a sword out, and he's coming to your room. Get ready to fight."

Arthur quickly checked his right arm. Thankfully, his hidden blade was there along with his hand. Unfortunately, the pain in his chest had followed him from his nightmare, making it hard to breathe as the fresh sensation of his throat turning to sand rattled in his mind.

Arthur tried to calm himself and arranged his sleeping position so that his right arm aimed at the canvas flap that led to the drawing room. But, despite having a candle lit no more than three feet from his face, the tent was eerily dark as the candle flame flickered and appeared ready to burn out.

"Keep your eyes shut and listen for my signal." Kyren announced as he floated above Arthur and peeked through the canvas wall.

Arthur did as he was told while fighting back the nonsensical urge to grasp at his chest as if it would somehow stop the pain.

He heard the canvas flap move ever so slightly as he concentrated on making his breathing appear regular.

"He's peeking inside. Don't move." Kyren's words seemed to add an extra layer of difficulty as Arthur's breathing became shaky. He could hear the canvas flap being gently raised before footsteps grew closer.

"Now!"

Arthur's eyes shot open once more as he rapidly raised his arm to the silhouette of the man approaching his bed. The man wore a muddled expression as the hidden blade shot through his heart. The sword dropped from his hand as his body went limp and followed it to the ground.

Arthur willed the hidden blade to float above the man's throat as he got up and approached. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dim candlelight as he stood over the body and the man's face became clear.

"He was one of your guards. I remember him from earlier at the manor." Kyren said as he floated to Arthur's side.

"... I remember him." Arthur whispered carefully so he didn't wake Senna.

Arthur didn't know the man's name, nor did he care at this point. He was likely approached by Elyria yesterday and agreed to kill Arthur for her. Still, he would've liked to have kept him alive if he could. He might've proved useful somehow.

Unfortunately, mercy was the privilege of the strong, and Arthur was too weak.

Arthur tiredly shuffled over to his bed and sat down while holding his face with his right hand. He felt like he would pass out, not from taking a fifth life in one day but from the nightmare that refused to leave his thoughts.

"You alright, kid?" Kyren asked in a polite tone that was out of character.

"...I'll be fine in a few minutes." Arthur replied in a pained voice as he caught his breath.

His left arm hurt more than it did earlier, thanks to his heart rate exacerbating it. In fact, his entire body seemed to be throbbing with dull pain as he shook off his nightmare.

Arthur was no stranger to surreal nightmares since he reincarnated, but their frequent visits didn't numb the reaction they elicited from his body in the slightest.

After a few minutes, Arthur sighed and looked up at the body lying on his fur rugs. "Since I won't be able to fall back asleep, let's try it."

Kyren shot him a questioning gaze. "What are you talking about? Try what?"

"I didn't tell you before because I wasn't sure if it'd work, but I've rewritten the mana soul spell."

Arthur reached over to the end table drawer and pulled out a new candle along with his journal. "I'm trying to use a method similar to how I believe Minaan creates his abyssals. If I'm correct, then I should be able to turn him into something akin to a puppet. If it works, that would be the first step to getting you a new body."

Kyren's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy shop. "Really?!?"

"Yes, but don't get too excited. As I said, it's only the first step. I'd still need to find a way to transplant your spirit into a body, and I have no idea where to start on that front, but it's progress, nevertheless." Arthur replied with a smile as he flipped through the journal pages.

"Hahaha! I knew you could do it, kid!" Kyren's booming voice reverberated through the tent. Luckily Arthur was the only one who could hear him. Else he'd wake the whole army up.

Arthur spent the better of an hour double and triple checking the spell and fixing errors.

"Let's start." Arthur declared as he set aside his journal and made his way to the corpse.

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