Chapter 47: Aric’s Revelation

“It’s been quite a while, and I haven’t even introduced myself yet!”Aric turned, a smile gracing his lips as he spoke.

‘So, you *do* realize you haven’t introduced yourself,’ Qi Lin mused inwardly.

Meeting their undisguised stares, Aric sheepishly scratched his cheek.

“My apologies, truly,” Aric said, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m Aric, an Elf. And you all?”

“Ailin,” Ailin replied simply.

“Nia!”

After Nia and Ailin introduced themselves, Aric turned his gaze, a hint of confusion in his eyes, towards Qi Lin, who had fallen silent instead of speaking.

“Is something amiss?”

“You said your name is Aric?” Qi Lin countered, bypassing his question after a brief, thoughtful pause.

“That’s right, why do you ask?” Aric inquired, crossing his arms, a flicker of bewilderment in his expression. ‘Is there something peculiar about my name?’ he wondered.

“Do you happen to have a younger sister? An Elf like yourself, whose name is Aali?”

Aric’s eyes widened fractionally, then his pupils constricted sharply.

“How do you know that?” he pressed, a tremor in his voice. “Do you know my sister? And tell me, are you familiar with Manda Town?”

Qi Lin, feeling Aric’s urgent grip on her shoulders, nodded emphatically.

“That’s… that’s wonderful!” Aric’s excitement mounted. “How is my sister? Is she well? And what about everyone in Manda Town?”

Qi Lin lowered her gaze, her voice softening as she delivered the difficult truth: “Not very well at all.”

“What are you implying?” Aric’s brow furrowed with concern.

“Manda Town was discovered, and everyone had to migrate. I’m not yet certain where they went… As for Aali… she…”

As Qi Lin hesitated, her words trailing off, Aric sensed a growing unease within him.

‘Could it be…?’

‘No, that’s impossible. I’m surely jumping to conclusions.’

Dismissing the preposterous notions swirling in his mind, Aric patiently awaited Qi Lin’s revelation about Aali.

Ailin, observing Qi Lin then Aric, nodded to himself. ‘If my intuition serves me right,’ he thought, ‘the Elf Qi Lin asked me to find must be his sister.’

“Hmph,” Qi Lin exhaled, taking a deep breath before speaking slowly. “Aali is missing. I don’t know where she went, but I followed Ailin’s trail, which led us here. Then we were both captured, and you were the one who rescued us.”

Aric’s brow remained tightly furrowed, and he fell silent.

“Well…”

Noticing Aric’s somber demeanor, Qi Lin had intended to offer words of comfort, but he cut her off.

“I understand,” Aric sighed, his voice heavy. “Thank you for bringing news of my sister.”

The usually cheerful Aric, now with a grave expression, spoke these words before picking up the oil lamp he held and walking off into the distance.

Qi Lin pressed her lips together, then, with a helpless glance at Nia and Ailin, they all followed closely behind him.

After a considerable walk, the four emerged from the winding forest path.

GazIng at the two-story cottage in the distance, constructed from fine timber and exuding the distinct charm of Manda Town, Qi Lin felt a wave of disorientation, as if she had somehow returned to her very first destination after transmigrating.

“You live here?” Nia asked, her eyes wide with curiosity, her ears twitching as she took in her surroundings.

“Yes, this is my home.”

His expression softened somewhat, Aric, seemingly having processed the news of his sister’s disappearance, managed to conjure a smile that wasn’t entirely forced.

“Is it truly safe to reside here?” Ailin questioned. “If I’m not mistaken, the only way to reach this place is through the sewers beneath the Imperial Capital of Candillac.”

Ailin voiced the apprehension that weighed most heavily on his mind.

“Rest assured, it’s quite safe here for now…” Aric said, setting the oil lamp beside the doorway. After a brief pause, he amended, “Temporarily, perhaps.”

“Temporary? Perhaps? What exactly do you mean by that?” Ailin asked, a look of utter bewilderment on his face.

“It means that if the Imperial army hasn’t yet realized you’ve escaped, then this place remains safe,” Aric explained. “But if they do discover your absence, it won’t be. The Empire will undoubtedly expend considerable resources searching for you, and if they uncover this location, well, ‘tsk’.”

With a dismissive ‘Tsk,’ Aric opened the door and stepped inside.

‘Prisoners escorted by a colonel must surely hold significant importance, especially those confined near Novas.’

‘I wonder if rescuing them was truly worth the trouble…’

‘Still, at least there was an unexpected bonus. I just hope that silly girl is safe and sound.’

“Erm… Aric,” Ailin began, his brow furrowed as he looked at Aric, who had settled onto a bench. “I wanted to ask, is this an alternate dimension, or something else entirely?”

“An alternate dimension, yes.”

Hearing Aric confirm his suspicion, Ailin exhaled in relief, but the Elf’s subsequent words instantly reignited his apprehension.

“However, it’s on the verge of collapse.”

“Collapse? Why is that happening?” Ailin exclaimed, his brows knitting into a worried knot, for collapsing alternate dimensions were a rare and alarming phenomenon.

“It’s exactly as it sounds,” Aric replied, rising from the bench and stretching his back. “I am not the creator of this space, so I cannot supply it with primal magic energy. Once its energy reserves are depleted, the space will simply collapse, and we will all be transported back to that sewer. As for the one who created it, they passed away just a month ago.”

Noticing the somber shift in Aric’s tone, Ailin found himself at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.

Nia, sensing the abrupt shift in atmosphere, hesitated, unsure of what to do.

“…Approximately how much time do we have before it collapses?” Qi Lin interjected, breaking the heavy silence with a crucial question.

“If the old man wasn’t mistaken, we have about half a month, perhaps,” Aric admitted with a shrug. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared bring you all here for refuge.”

Biting her lip, Qi Lin sank into contemplation.

“Ailin, correct?”

Disregarding the trio’s silent contemplation, Aric turned his attention to Ailin and spoke.

“Yes,” Ailin affirmed, though he remained uncertain of Aric’s intentions.

“She mentioned that you possess the ability to track down my sister?” Aric asked, gesturing towards Qi Lin.

Understanding Aric’s unspoken request, Ailin nodded. “I belong to the Canine Tribe of the Beastfolk, and tracking is one of our greatest strengths.”

“I’ll be relying on you, then!” Aric said, bowing his head slightly.

“There’s no need for such formality…” Ailin replied, a touch of awkwardness in his voice from the gesture. “You saved me, which means I owe you a debt. Helping you is only right. Furthermore, having just overheard your conversation, it seems the person you’re seeking is the same one Qi Lin is searching for, which makes my involvement even more imperative.”

“Aric, your sister once told me, with tears in her eyes, that you went missing several months ago,” Qi Lin began, her curiosity piqued. “What exactly happened?”

“That, I’m afraid, is quite a long story,” Aric replied, his voice laced with melancholy as he gazed deeply at the verdant forest beyond the cabin door. “It’s also the very reason I find myself in this place.”

Qi Lin, Nia, and Ailin exchanged glances, then settled into a quiet anticipation, waiting for Aric to recount his tale.

“Do you… by any chance… know of the Sin Annihilation Cult?” Aric asked, walking to the door, closing it, and then fixing the trio with a serious gaze.

“The Sin Annihilation Cult?” Qi Lin repeated, shaking her head after a prolonged period of thought yielded no recollection of the name.

“Neither of us has heard of it,” Ailin added, glancing at Nia.

Ailin, noticing Nia’s expectant gaze, could only offer a wry shake of his head.

“Is that so? I see,” Aric responded, letting out a long breath as his expression grew increasingly somber.

“You’re all familiar with the War Fiends, aren’t you?” Aric continued. “Those beings controlled by the Empire, who have mercilessly trampled upon every race across the continent.”

As the trio nodded in confirmation, Aric pressed on, yet his subsequent words struck them with profound astonishment.

“And the very origin of the War Fiends,” Aric declared, “lies with the Sin Annihilation Cult I just spoke of.”

“Aren’t War Fiends supposed to originate from beyond the heavens?” Nia asked, her tail gently swaying, her eyes wide with unfeigned curiosity.

“Indeed, War Fiends do hail from beyond the heavens,” Aric confirmed. “But the Sin Annihilation Cult is the true orchestrator behind their existence.”

Whether Aric’s words held truth or fabrication, the three couldn’t discern. However, they instinctively understood that they were on the precipice of uncovering something profound and clandestine, even if the revelation might ultimately prove to be untrue.

“Why are you sharing this with us?” Ailin inquired, his gaze fixed on the floor, articulating the very question that lingered in the minds of both Qi Lin and Nia.

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