Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Following the scream to its source, Vahn found Helen at the very center of the ruined shrine. Fortunately, unlike her real-world counterpart, this version of Helen remained fully clothed as fragments of broken mirrors danced around her in a clear violation of gravitational laws. Reflected within these mirrors were various versions of Jeanne and, each possessing subtle differences, be it the color of their hair or something as simple as the expression on their faces. There were even some who seemed genuinely happy, casting radiant smiles from their faces that seemed to light up the surroundings. Strangely, though it didn't seem as if she were in any danger, Helen was curled up in a ball hugging her knees as these images danced around her...Releasing a sigh, Vahn attempted to make his way over to Helen's side but he was quickly intercepted by a standing mirror that reflected, not Helen, but himself. This wasn't entirely accurate, however, as, instead of a direct reflection, what Vahn saw in the mirror was himself strapped to a table as mechanisms cycled his blood. Upon seeing this, Vahn raised his left brow in mild surprise before a smile naturally spread itself across his face. Then, choosing not to waste his time, Vahn reached out his hand before muttering, "Sorry, but I've already accepted who I am..." Even without him having to destroy the mirror personally, Vahn watched as it began to dissolve into dust while the version of himself within the mirror returned a smile.Having received some insight as to the 'purpose' of the illusions now, Vahn understood why someone like Helen would never be able to break free. She already lived a delusional existence and, regardless of whether or not you tried to make her see 'reality', she would deny it with every fiber of her being. He didn't know exactly what she saw, or how long she was trapped within the illusion, but it was obvious the experience hadn't been kind to her. Since there was little chance she would break free on her own, Vahn pulled out a mantle from his Inventory before sending a pulse of Source Energy through his domain to forcibly dissolve the illusion. The naked Helen appeared before him just as he wrapped the mantle around her shoulders, the mist in her eyes slowly receding as awareness returned.Seeing Helen's tear-stained face looking back at him in confusion, Vahn's own expression softened a bit as he lightly whispered, "Sorry for being late..." These words caused Helen to return to full clarity as realization dawned upon her. She quickly inspected the state of her body before hugging the mantle tightly around her shoulders, a deep frown marring her face as she said, "That was no normal illusion...it must have been the trick of a god..." Since 'normal' illusions would never have affected her, Helen knew the culprit behind her suffering, once again, had been a god. Remembering what she had to experience, Helen felt rage and shame bubbling up inside of her chest only to have it replaced with shock when Vahn nodded his head and explained, "Yes, her name is Maya."Snapping her eyes back to Vahn, Helen asked, "You know her...?" To this, Vahn simply shook his head and explained, "She introduced herself when I came to help you. Earlier, when you screamed, she was ejected from the illusion somehow. I'm not entirely sure what happened..." Since the illusion was a product of Maya's Divinity, Vahn didn't understand why her body had faded away in the middle of their conversation. There was a lot more going on than he was aware of and, knowing it was very dangerous to leave things as they were, he held up his hand to stop Helen's inquiries, adding, "Jeanne is still in trouble. We can talk about what happened after reaching the 79th Floor..."Before Helen could issue a complaint, Vahn pulled out a pile of neatly folded clothes before separating himself from Helen with a partition. Then, amidst the silence that had settled between them, Vahn reminded, "Change quickly so we can be on our way. If you fall into another illusion..." Hearing the sound of clothes begin to rustle, Vahn allowed his words to trail and instead focused on their surroundings to see if he could sense Maya. Unlike other gods, who seemed extremely limited in the use of their power, Maya was unique in the fact that it didn't seem as if she were restricted at all. Much like Ouranos, he couldn't even sense her presence and, seeing how her Divinity affected a region larger than 400km, it was impossible to consider this was her 'weakened' state...After a few short minutes had passed, Helen moved aside the partition separating them, her expression already having returned to the cold and detached mask she had mastered. Vahn accepted the folded mantle from her before throwing it into his Inventory without a second thought. Though Helen's eyes seemed to flicker at this, Vahn wasn't too interested to know what delusion she had as he plainly stated, "We need to find Jeanne as soon as possible." This earned a curt nod from Helen as the runes in her eyes began to radiate with increased intensity. Then, without explaining what she was doing, Helen looked towards the East before extending out her finger and saying, "That way..." in her characteristically soft voice.With no other leads, Vahn chose to trust Helen's judgment and began running at a pace that she would be able to match. Though it would have been faster to carry her, Vahn felt like it was very 'dangerous' to show too much sympathy to Helen in her current state. His understanding of women had increased with the passage of time but, no matter how much effort he put into 'figuring them out', Vahn was often surprised by the reactions of even his closest lovers. The meaning behind Maya's words had also escaped him as, though he knew Helen was undoubtedly very lonely, he had no means of opening her heart without, theoretically, getting together with her. This made it almost seem as if Maya was pushing him towards Helen, something the latter would have undoubtedly credited to her 'fate'...Thinking this far, a small frown adorned Vahn's face as a very real urge to send Helen back to the surface emerged in his heart. He knew she genuinely had a fate related to the Dungeon but, regardless of the machinations of gods and goddesses, he had no intention to fit into the mold they had formed. It was obvious that there was more going on in the Dungeon than he had expected and, though its purpose seemed to be the same as his expectations, it seemed like the opposite party was trying to make them follow a script of sorts. This annoyed Vahn a great deal as, though he was still affected by the Laws of Fate and Destiny at his current Soul Tier, the thought of anyone believing they could manipulate him to such an extent grated on his nerves...Just as that thought crossed his mind, Vahn noticed his surroundings had changed once again, causing the frustration in his heart to bubble up and explode in an instant. The illusion around him shattered like a broken mirror as his feet slowed to a stop. Helen came to a stop at his side, mild confusion visible in her otherwise expressionless face. As for Vahn, his eyes had turned skyward for a brief moment before turning back to Helen, asking, "Which way...?"Seeing the seriousness and 'anger' contained within Vahn's gaze, Helen nearly took a step back by instinct but ultimately managed to resist the urge as she reached forward and pointed once again. Vahn gave a curt nod in response before she suddenly felt as if her stomach was being tugged by an invisible force. Before she was able to issue a complaint, Helen found her surroundings changing rapidly as Vahn used his telekinesis to pull her along at a much faster speed than she was capable of moving herself. Helen's face morphed into a frown but she remained silent as, even more than Vahn, at least she would like to think, she was worried about her friend...---Now twenty-two years old, Jeanne was no longer the same young girl that had stumbled onto a battlefield years prior. Not only had she physically matured a great deal, even more than the version of herself that haunted her dreams, but her armor was far more immaculate than before. Instead of having to scrape together pieces that she had looted from the battlefield, she now had a full set of custom-made armor that perfectly conformed to her body and allowed her to move without restrictions. Though it was somewhat heavy, Jeanne felt comfortable in the armor, almost as if it was a second skin that she simply couldn't live without.Unlike the 'past', where the war had stopped after driving away the enemies from her homeland, this time things had been significantly different. Jeanne had proactively moved her way up the ranks instead of simply becoming a 'symbol' within the army that could be used at their leisure. She no longer took orders from others and was now in charge of a full regiment of her own that, compared to all others, was vaunted as the most elite within the region. With her trusted companions at her side and capable soldiers under her command, Jeanne's Regiment had become similar to the spear she carried at her side, piercing into the enemies heart without mercy.Jeanne was currently sitting on the back of a grey stallion as she looked up at a massive black fortress that had been built into the side of a mountain. She only had eighteen hundred men under her command while the enemy vastly outnumbered them three-to-one. Since they were also in a fortified position, the coming battle would be a hard-fought victory that would truly test whether or not her troops deserved to be called elites. If they emerged victoriously, there would be nothing to stop their conquest of the neighboring region that had greedily invaded their homeland more than a decade prior. Jeanne wanted them to pay for all the deaths they had caused and, now that she had a chance to fight back in a meaningful way, she hadn't wasted it.From Jeanne's right, no longer wearing the outfit of a 'battlefield relief specialist', a mature beauty with curly green hair rode a red-haired mare. Like her Commander, she was wearing full-plate armor except, contrasting the more 'conventional' design, the breastplate had been constructed in such a way that it perfectly cradled her ample bosom. Jeanne often complained about the design but, according to its wearer, it distracted the enemies and provided her a slight edge against similarly skilled opponents. Though Jeanne would have rebutted almost anyone else as foolish, she invariably allowed this particular person to get away with a great deal as, over the years, they had become far closer than normal friends...Gently flicking the reins of her horse, the green-haired woman came to Jeanne's side as she mused, "That is quite the welcome they have prepared for us..." In response to this, Jeanne's face adopted an eager smile before she turned to face the woman and said, "It would be a shame to keep them waiting, no? Come, Maya, let us away..." Though she was preparing to give a speech to her waiting troops, Jeanne's words trailed off when she saw her closest companion shake her head, an amused smile on her face. Just as her confusion began to compound, Jeanne's mind began to feel heavy as Maya asked, "Is this really what you want, Jeanne? Are you satisfied with being a spear instead of a shield...?"The moment she heard Maya's question, visions of all the people Jeanne had ever killed began to play within her mind all at once. She suddenly felt extremely nauseous as, compared to her 'past' self, where she had disarmed her foes and left them alive, she had killed thousands of enemy soldiers this time around. Though it hadn't been easy, Jeanne had grown accustomed to death and, not wanting to be her 'weak' self that was taken advantage of, she pushed on tirelessly until finally reaching the point where she could deal real and lasting damage to her enemies.After nearly falling from her horse, Jeanne righted herself before looking into Maya's eyes, a look of disbelief clouding her own as she shouted, "Who are you? What did you do with Maya!?" Jeanne felt as though an enemy mage had invaded her ranks and replaced her closest confidant but, seemingly unflustered by the accusation, Maya's smile just softened slightly as she explained, "I would have liked to see how far your convictions could have taken you, Jeanne. It really is a shame that our time together has come to an end..." As she spoke, Maya looked towards the distance where a loud commotion had just started. Jeanne's eyes followed Maya's, allowing her to see the image of a man 'breaking' through the sky as the world began to shatter apart like fragments of a mirror...Seeing the once-familiar figure, Jeanne's eyes widened in shock as she habitually muttered, "My Lord..." in a sheepish tone that barely reached her own ears. Then, far clearer than her own words, the voice of Maya echoed, "You are what you choose to be, Jeanne. If you wish to live without regrets, you must forge a path all your own. Few are afforded the opportunity to 'correct' their past actions...but, are you satisfied with the person you have become...?"Snapping her head back to Maya's location, Jeanne noticed that the woman had simply vanished, much like the rest of the world around her. A powerful feeling of loss spread through her heart as even the horse she was saddled to ceased to exist, dropping her unceremoniously towards the ground. Before she landed against the hard bedrock below, however, a pair of warm arms wrapped around her shoulders before gently lowering her onto a cushioned surface. Jeanne felt hot tears flowing from her eyes as she looked up into the same face that would often appear in the back of her mind whenever she did something she didn't truly believe just...Seeing Jeanne's crying figure, Vahn felt her anguish as his own, causing his heart to twist painfully in his chest. Reaching out his hand, Vahn wiped away her tears with his finger before pulling Jeanne into a warm hug as he whispered, "It's okay, Jeanne...everything is okay now..." Though he wasn't exactly close enough to Jeanne to warrant such a response, Vahn could see the loss and confusion contained within her gaze. He had seen the two armies within the illusion she was trapped in and, noticing that even her appearance was drastically different from normal, it was obvious she had experienced something far different than Helen and himself...Having Vahn embrace her made Jeanne feel suffocated as tears continued to pour down her face in even greater volume. Her memories returned to her like an unrelenting tide, washing away the fourteen that she had spent within the illusion. It was already becoming difficult to recall what had happened but, even if the memories faded, the emotions that had driven them still persisted. Jeanne felt incredible shame, not for having fallen into the illusion's trap, but as a result of becoming a person that was almost the complete opposite of everything she believed in. It felt as if her whole world had come crashing down and, instead of pride and dignity, the only things she felt right now were an overwhelming sense of shame, sadness, and, most heartbreakingly of all, warmth...---Though Helen felt greatly relieved when she and Vahn had found Jeanne, these feelings quickly faded when she saw the genuine concern Vahn had for the latter. Unlike when he had saved her, Vahn had tightly embraced Jeanne and immediately began trying to console her without even a second thought. It wasn't the same unceremonious response he had given her, almost as if the fact she had been trapped in an illusion was an 'inconvenience' to him. Seeing the stark contrast in how Vahn treated the two of them made Helen feel as though her speculation about the relationship between the two was undoubtedly true. Though her interactions with Jeanne over the past few days seemed to contradict this, Helen now felt as if she had been slapped in the face as the 'truth' was revealed before her very eyes. An overwhelming urge to shed tears welled up inside her fractured heart but, knowing there wouldn't be anyone to console her, Helen buried her emotions as deeply as possible before turning her eyes away from the scene of Vahn and Jeanne's embrace...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is a bit of a butthole, even if he has reason to be','I dreamed a dream of time gone by...','Hearbreak...')(A/N: I have no idea what happened but I somehow ended up sleeping for 11 hours. I'm not the type that ever uses an alarm clock so I was genuinely shocked when I saw what time it was after sitting down at my computer. There will still be three chapters today but the release may be a few minutes later than the standard two hour window.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Because of the increased size of each successive Floor, it took Vahn's party nearly four hours to reach a surprisingly small chamber that seemed to connect to the 78th Floor. This was after traversing nearly 370km of complex architecture and mowing down more than a dozen groups of powerful adversaries. Though none of them posed an actual threat to the party, there were a few troublesome enemies that Vahn would rather not face too often. This was especially true for any enemy that specialized in magic as, even though Vahn could 'cancel' the spells used by people on the surface, the magic used at these depths was often instantaneous. There was even a feminine monster that looked like an Elf and, if not for her blue skin and white hair, she would have been indistinguishable from a High Elf.The biggest difference was the fact that her teeth were sharp, much like an animal, and, instead of trying to converse with them, she had barraged the party with powerful Ice Elemental magic from the very moment they entered her domain. Unfortunately for her, Vahn's flames were a natural counter while Fenrir, seemingly offended by the Elven monster's use of Ice magic, personally dealt with her in a rather extreme fashion. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Eva's magic system was from a Tier 5 Record but, regardless of the efforts put forth by the peculiar Elf, she was unable to match up to Fenrir's standard. The fight hadn't even lasted three minutes before Fenrir had frozen the unfortunate Elf in a pillar of ice that stretched nearly 200m into the air. Then, without any fanfare, Fenrir used her [Severing Claws] to make a singular blade that was nearly 30m long before cutting the frozen Elf into ribbons while she was unable to resist.Though there were other memorable moments, Vahn didn't particularly mind them as he inspected the strange runic patterns on the stone door barring their passage to the 78th Floor. Helen, seeing Vahn stand silent for more than a minute, misunderstood his actions to mean he was confounded by the runic inscriptions so she sonorously murmured, "It says that, to continue forward, you must face a trial of isolation...it does not seem as if the Dungeon will allow us to continue as a group any longer..." Since she had more than a little time on her hands, Helen had often studied ancient languages and, though she could only utter a few syllables, even understood the language of the gods to an extent.Hearing Helen's words, Vahn gave a dismissive nod without turning to face her as he had already understood the passage's meaning long before she made sense of the text. The Path provided him with an instant translation feature and, though he probably should have thanked her for the 'assistance', Vahn found himself ignoring Helen more often as of late. Upon realizing this, Vahn released a small sigh before sparing Helen a glance as he explained, "I appreciate your willingness to help, but I had already translated the text with a single glance. One of my 'Innates' allows me to translate any language instantly so you don't have to bother yourself over whether or not I understand the meaning behind any runes we come across..."In response to Vahn's words, Helen simply averted her eyes in a seemingly disinterested manner but, even with her proficiency with masking her emotions, it was easy to see she was affected by what he had said. Vahn shook his head at this before returning his attention to the passage and wondering about his next course of action. Though he could break through into the 78th Floor by force, it was one of the few Floors before the 90th that he was genuinely concerned about. This was because, even after inquiring about its contents from the mirror, Vahn had been unable to glean any insight into the 78th Floor's contents. There had been no enemies listed and, even after asking the mirror to show him the Floor directly, the only thing reflected in its surface was a hazy mist that was impossible to see through...While her Master was thinking about the best course of action, Fenrir had grown a bit absentminded so she lackadaisically traced one of her claws along the surface of the stone. Though it was several times harder than the surrounding bedrock, her claw easily cut through the surface as if it were nothing more than a thick paste. Fenrir was slightly surprised by its resilience, as there was actually a little resistance whereas even Adamantine, one of the hardest materials known to man, was powerless against her claws. She didn't get to process the full extent of the stone's durability, however, as a light quickly enveloped her body in response before she simply vanished from the area in an instant.Seeing Fenrir suddenly disappear, Vahn furrowed his brows before immediately using the Unit Management function of his system to call her back. Fenrir had been gone for less than a second but Vahn noticed that her scarlet eyes had glazed over slightly as a thin mist slowly receded from their surface. She returned to normal a few seconds later, a confused expression on her face as she looked around before fixing her gaze firmly on his face. Fenrir's confusion was replaced by relief and affection as she leaped forward, tightly clinging to her Master's neck as she said, "Master, where did you go? Please don't leave Fenrir behind again..." Though she had been the one to 'leave', it was obvious that the mist that had covered Fenrir's eyes had affected her mind somehow, causing Vahn's mind to race as he gently stroked the affectionate Vanargandr's head to console her.Since Fenrir was equipped with several accessories that should have made it borderline impossible for her mind to be affected by external sources, Vahn knew that the 'mist' contained on the 78th Floor wasn't simple. It likely had the ability to hypnotize trespassers and force them to see illusions that also influenced a person's perception of time. According to Fenrir, she had been gone for several minutes after getting separated from the rest of the group. Though she had tried to find them by relying on her senses, she had been unable to make any headway as even Vahn's scent, something she could never forget, seemed to have vanished from her sensitive nose. This was why, after embracing him, Fenrir took several deep and audible breaths of Vahn's scruff to 'refresh' her memory...After making sense of the information provided by Fenrir, Vahn turned to Helen and Jeanne to explain, "This stone seems to transport anyone who touches it to the 78th Floor. I'm not sure if it will forcibly split us up but, going by what Fenrir had stated, there is a good chance the 'isolation' it speaks of is related to the illusions. I don't know what you will see if you choose to proceed further but I'm confident that I will be able to avoid being affected..." Though it may be better to send Jeanne and Helen back to the surface, Vahn knew neither girl would be dissuaded so easily. As for Fenrir, he could simply teleport her to his side after clearing the 78th Floor so she could either wait for his summons or return to her core form to temporarily reside within his Inventory. Since the latter option caused Fenrir's hair to stand on end, Vahn went with an even better solution, calling Fenrir to his side back in Babel Tower so she wouldn't face any unforeseen danger.In response to Vahn's words, Jeanne hadn't wavered in the slightest as she proudly raised her chin and proclaimed, "Worry not, my Lord, I will not be bested by a simple illusion." Though not nearly as impressive as her physical and magical immunity, Jeanne's resistance to illusions was very near the level of an Innate. This was the result of her Pure Light Affinity which, even compared to Darkness, had the highest compatibility with Illusion-Based magic. At the same time, this meant that anyone with a Pure Light Affinity was almost completely immune to the illusions of others, the only exception being illusions created by Innates and those conjured by those with a Pure Darkness Affinity. Even then, the latter could be broken out of with relative ease while the former would depend almost entirely upon the victim's willpower and the strength of their own Innates...Unlike Jeanne, Helen's expression remained relatively unchanged but, similar to her counterpart, she explained, "I will be fine." There was absolute confidence contained within Helen's words, almost as if she treated the thought of being affected by an illusion as inconsequential. Seeing this, Vahn gave a wry smile before placing his hand above the stone door and saying, "If we get separated, I will come to search for you. Let's regroup on the 79th Floor..."Without waiting any longer, Vahn placed his palm on the cold stone surface and allowed himself to be transported by whatever mechanism facilitated entrance into the 78th Floor. His vision was clouded by the strange mist almost instantly but, having already prepared himself, Vahn managed to shrug it off without any difficulty. Though his mind felt dull for a brief moment, it didn't seem like his mind had been captured in the illusion, something that Sis had confirmed for him. Even so, Vahn was unable to perceive his surroundings at all as even his domain didn't seem to provide him with proper feedback.Feeling rather annoyed by this, Vahn pushed his [Will of the Emperor] to the extreme in a single burst, causing the mist surrounding his body to retreat as a 'bubble' formed around him. With the mist scattered, Vahn was able to sense his surroundings, allowing him to notice that the entire floor was filled with the bones of various different creatures. He hadn't even noticed it before but, now that the mist had been pushed away, there was a seemingly endless expanse of bones that had been compacted together to form the floor. This wasn't an exaggeration either as, even after removing a section of the floor to inspect it further, Vahn noticed that the bones had been compacted to the point of becoming a single solitary mass after only 30cm. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of phenomenon would bring about such a result but, deciding it was best not to find out 'personally', he quickly set about looking for Helen and Jeanne.As expected, the stone door had placed him at a completely random spot on the 78th Floor and, even after creating a bubble more than a kilometer wide, Vahn was unable to see any sign of the two women. He wasn't particularly worried about them, as even Helen was more than capable of protecting herself, but it was still better to regroup as soon as possible. If this Floor was anything like the others, that meant its size was likely more than 500km in diameter while even the ceiling above was nearly 2 kilometer's distance from the ground. The density of the mist even constricted his domain somewhat so he was unable to expand his perception even a third of the normal amount without taxing his reserves faster than he could replenish them.With few options available, Vahn decided to pick up a wayward bone and, after marveling at the peculiar glow emanating from it, placed it joint-side down before releasing it. The bone fell slightly towards the right so Vahn chose that as his direction before throwing the glowing bone into his Inventory for identification. There were several unique bones located on the Floor and, though it was strange that all other remains were missing, Vahn could only speculate the reasons as he looted anything that caught his eye. Bones, especially those belonging to high-leveled monsters, were exceptionally good materials so, after offering a prayer to the deceased, Vahn grabbed a few that would be particularly useful for creating spears, javelins, and other unique weapons...---Unlike Vahn, who easily shrugged off the illusory mist, Jeanne hadn't been nearly as fortunate as her confidence would have made others believe. The moment she placed her palm against the stone, Jeanne found herself standing the middle of a battlefield as hundreds cried out for aid. Instead of her mature, albeit rather petite figure, she was now nothing more than a young girl whose sword was nearly as long as she was tall. The shield in her left hand felt far heavier than normal while the smoke rising up from the burnt corpses of her allies caused a nauseous feeling to rise up in her stomach. Jeanne tried to convince herself that this was simply an illusion but, almost as if to spite her attempt, the nauseous feeling overwhelmed her in an instant as she expelled the contents of her emptied stomach. Since her country was at war, and she was nothing more than a commoner, rations had been tight for the last two weeks...As this thought crossed her mind, Jeanne's eyes widened as she shook her head fervently to clear away the invasive memories from her past. She noticed that it was becoming harder to think about her current Lord and the situation she had found herself in, almost as if the illusion was sending her back in time and forcing her to relive her worst nightmares. As if to respond to this line of thinking, Jeanne felt a strong grip around her left ankle as her body was pulled back with incredible force. She instinctually twisted her body and, though she was now much weaker than her 'future' self, the heavy blade in her hand moved as an extension of her body as it cut through the neck of a balding man with a 'hungry' gaze. His expression turned into an abject stupor as he released her leg and tried to stimy the flow of blood before falling forward onto two other corpses.Using her gauntletted hand to wipe away the spittle from her mouth, Jeanne looked down into the face of the man as recognition flashed across her eyes. She remembered things going far differently in the past as, instead of deftly killing the man, he had ripped off several pieces of her armor before an arrow had penetrated the side of his head. It was that moment that caused Jeanne to close off her heart to men as, even after hundreds of years passed, to the point that she couldn't even remember his face clearly, that same hungry gaze had always haunted her. Now that she could see his face clearly, Jeanne found herself breathing heavily as an overwhelming sense of relief replaced the anxiety in her heart. Then, seemingly forgetting she was in an illusion, Jeanne picked up her sword with a fervent gaze on her face as she muttered, "This time will be different...I can change everything..."---True to her words, Helen was completely unaffected by the mist and, after placing her palm against the stone door, she found herself within the confines of a small shrine. With her hand still raised, she sent out a pulse of bluish-white light that caused the mist to slowly recede but, unlike the vast landscape of bones that Vahn had found himself in, Helen instead found that the shrine around her was completely empty while every visible surface was a pure unblemished white marble. At the center of the shrine, a small pool of crystal clear water could be seen situated in a small curved basin. Finding herself drawn to the pool, Helen found that the surface was perfectly reflective and, though she had seen herself in mirrors several times, this particular image caught her eye as, instead of having pure white hair, Helen noticed that there was a subtle green glow present that had never been there before.Before she realized it, Helen had gently touched the surface of the water with her index finger, causing small ripples to expand outward. Curiously, however, her reflection seemed unaffected by these small ripples. Furrowing her brows slightly, Helen tapped against the surface of the water several times for reasons she herself didn't understand. No matter how many times she broke the surface of the water, however, the reflection in the pool remained unaffected and, though her own expression had turned dour, the image in the pool had a small smile on its face. Helen felt like the smile cut through her heart like a sharp knife and, though she was usually very calm, emotions she had kept at bay for hundreds of years seemed to break through their confines as she sent a ball of magical energy into the already chaotic pool. This caused the water within to immediately evaporate but, as if to mock her, Helen noticed that the thing that had been reflecting her image was the bottom of the pool and, though she had used a lot of her energy in the attack, it had been completely unaffected by her efforts. Instead, it continued to smile back at her while the peculiar green sheen of its hair became more prominent with the passage of time...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir won't let anyone copy her...!','*Casually loots bones*','What lays within...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 997: Illusion