Chapter 1756: Chapter 1756

The elf’s words from across the stream saddened Sigrid, but this time, the young nun stood a little stronger against the rain and sorrow. They exchanged no more words, working in silence until the body was completely covered.

They stepped back, and once again, an eerie emerald flame flickered to life between the cobblestones, its glow rising defiantly against the downpour. When the fire died out, Jenkins sifted through the human-shaped pile of white ash and found a small, emerald-green glass bead. Within it, flecks of golden dust swirled, catching the shimmering light from the stream.

This wasn't a Bestowal, not even a numbered item. Jenkins glanced at the elf on the opposite bank, who patiently explained:

"Place this over your heart, and you will gain one ability and one empty bubble."

In other words, he would gain a new ability without using his existing empty bubble. The generosity of the ever-great Lord of Blossoms made Jenkins sigh in admiration once again.

"This is a [Yellow Spell] ability, [Living Wood Shield]. As long as you wear any piece of jewelry with a wooden component, you can summon a wooden shield at will. The shield will persist as long as you channel a sliver of spirit into it, and it can deflect most energy-based spell attacks. Unfortunately, it isn't strong enough to withstand heavy physical blows, but it functions perfectly well as a standard wooden shield."

It was a very practical ability, but for Jenkins, who had his eye on [Aegis of Tomes], [Living Wood Shield] was rather redundant. Even though it wouldn't use up his last empty bubble, mortal spells were largely ineffective against him to begin with. Even if they worked, they couldn't breach the threshold of his [Undying Man] ability. As for attacks from higher-dimensional beings, the wooden shield would be utterly useless. So, while nice to have, it wasn't essential.

He pressed the bead into Sigrid's hand, pleased that when the time came to ask for the World Tree Seedling, he wouldn't feel quite so awkward about it.

This time, Sigrid didn't try to refuse. She simply looked at Jenkins with a serious expression and accepted the gift.

Seeing that Sigrid’s spirits had lifted considerably, the two of them resumed their vigil, waiting for the fourth body to appear. As they waited, the elf’s song drifted across the stream once more.

In the rain, the song carried an ineffable sorrow:

"The tale begins with the first morning light, A blade of grass parts stone to greet the day, Then dies in the warm sun, a sheep’s quick bite.

At noon, man slays the sheep in turn, Feasting upon its flesh and blood, Yet he too must die when shadows return.

All things return to the earth, To nourish the fields for a new day’s birth.

The cycle of living, the cycle of death, Hunter and hunted exchange their last breath.

Praise nature, Praise its revered order.

Praise the world, Praise all that I am given."

The poem ended, but the glowing portal back to the material world did not appear. The song began to loop, its melody repeating against the patter of the rain. Jenkins found he didn't mind; he rather liked this tune.

Sigrid stood close to Jenkins, her head resting naturally on his shoulder as if seeking warmth. He listened to the rain, and the thread of insight he’d lost earlier returned, welling up in his mind. Amid the elf's song, the drumming of the downpour, and the babbling of the stream, he felt himself brush against something beyond the mortal realm, something hidden within the pervasive dampness.

Tonight was the first day of the new month, and he still hadn't had time to process the knowledge gained from the Month's End Whisper just hours before. This new surge of insight tangled with those ineffable truths, leaving Jenkins feeling even more adrift.

He tried to clear his mind, to simply listen to the rain, but he couldn't quite grasp the inspiration. It was like a fleeting flash of light in the darkness, gone before he could seize it.

Lost in this internal struggle, they were startled by the arrival of the fourth body, drifting down from upstream. Jenkins waded into the water and pulled it ashore. It was an elderly woman, and once again, he didn't recognize her.

"Is it someone you know?"

He bent down, hooking his hands under the old woman's arms to drag the body fully onto the bank. Sigrid knelt beside it and brushed the wet hair from the woman's face. The color that had just returned to her own cheeks drained away again.

"She's... her full name is Emeri Capet..."

Jenkins understood at once. He remembered Sigrid had taken the surname of the nun who had found her on the church steps. His rough-and-ready handling of the body instantly softened; he lifted the corpse into his arms more gently.

"Has she... passed away?"

Jenkins asked, trying to keep his tone steady.

"No, she's alive and well at a church in Rhode County, in the Cheslan Kingdom. I go back to see her every Year's End Festival."

"It's alright," Jenkins reassured her. "Papa Oliver's body appeared earlier, and he's perfectly fine, isn't he? He'll probably be yelling at me the moment we get back. These aren't real bodies. They're just illusions from the Mysterious Realm, meant to test us."

Her voice was nearly lost in the downpour, but Jenkins could tell she was holding strong this time. Unlike an unchangeable past, a future that had yet to happen couldn't shake this resilient young woman's heart.

He laid the body on the pile of cobblestones, but before he could even pick up the first stone to cover it, the corpse's hand shot out and grabbed Sigrid's wrist. A hoarse, elderly voice cut through the rain:

"Sigrid, I will die one day."

The blonde girl looked helplessly at Jenkins.

"And you, one day, will stand before my grave and watch my coffin as it is lowered into the earth. You will toss a handful of soil upon it, lay a flower down, and see me put to rest forever. When that day comes, will you cry?"

The maliciousness of the question made Jenkins wonder if Sigrid had somehow offended the master of this Mysterious Realm. After all, the questions he'd faced with the previous bodies hadn't been nearly so cruel.

"Yes, I will cry for you."

"Then will you miss me when I am gone, Sig?"

"Yes, I will miss you."

"And will you grieve for me when I die?"

"Yes, I will grieve."

"Then you resist my death."

"No, I do not resist it."

The girl's voice was calm and steady as she spoke:

"The spirits of nature teach us that the journey toward death is itself a part of nature."

She shot Jenkins a quick wink.

"Death is natural, a vital weight in the scales of balance. I will grieve for your passing, but I will not resist death itself. I will die, too. We all will. It’s nothing to fear. When death finally comes, so long as our loved ones are with us, I don't think it's something to be afraid of."

The old woman's hand released its grip, and Jenkins saw Sigrid let out a long sigh of relief.

She beckoned to Jenkins, a faint smile even touching her lips.

"That was much easier this time. I think any follower of nature, anyone with courage, could have faced that question."

Jenkins nodded, about to praise her wisdom and bravery, but then he saw her gaze fix on something behind him, her expression turning to one of sheer terror.

Thinking there was danger, Jenkins whirled around, his fist ready to fly. But there was nothing there. Then, at the edge of the darkness far from the shallows, he saw a woman hesitantly approaching. She was dressed in rags, her face etched with misery, and she was cradling an infant in her arms. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ n0velfire.net

As she slowly made her way toward them, the phantom of a road shimmered into existence beside the rain-swept stream. The woman stood on one side of it. On the other side was a black wrought-iron gate adorned with gold, the kind typically seen at a country church. But the illusion consisted of only the gate, so Jenkins couldn't identify which church it might be.

The woman hesitated, then, without crossing the road herself, she placed the infant on the other side. She turned and vanished back into the depths of the darkness. Every church despised those who abandoned their children, so her fear of approaching was understandable. Jenkins grasped the symbolism of her placing the child on the other side of the road, but he couldn't condone the act itself.

The woman's departure did not dispel the illusion. The phantom road seemed to solidify, merging more seamlessly with the landscape of the Mysterious Realm as the downpour soaked it and the gate.

Jenkins watched the infant by the roadside with a growing sense of unease, trying to make sense of the scene. Just then, a familiar rustling sound echoed from the spot where the woman had vanished. Peering into the unnerving darkness, he saw them: the two deer from before, their bodies horrifically decayed, their flesh a roiling sea of maggots.

The road was no longer an illusion; the monstrous creatures left tangible footprints on its surface. They ignored the people in the light by the stream, instead trudging through the rain toward the baby. Perhaps sensing the danger, the swaddled infant began to wail, its cries carrying far on the rainy air.

Jenkins frowned and looked across the stream to the elf.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"This has nothing to do with you. You should..."

He was probably about to warn Jenkins not to act rashly—at least, that's what Jenkins assumed—but then the elf abruptly changed his tune.

"Here, you may do as you please. There is no need to restrain yourself."

Sigrid shot past him, running toward the shadowed road, but Jenkins grabbed her right hand and yanked her back.

"What are you doing, running into danger like that?"

With that, he pulled his cane from where he'd stuck it in the ground and gave it a sharp flick, sending a fine spray of water arcing from its surface.

"All things are of nature."

He murmured the words as he walked, the very air—space itself—seeming to resist his advance toward the road. The feeling was viscous, like pressing against a barrier of slime, but Jenkins refused to take a single step back. Watching the two monsters close in on the infant, he slowly exhaled. A brilliant light, woven from gold and green, erupted from his body, shining like a blazing torch against the downpour of the Mysterious Realm and illuminating the path ahead.