The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 760 - 781: Go

"How do you communicate?" Bruto asked curiously. "You know, if I had an old man’s voice in my head since I was a child, I would have gone mad long ago..."

"Partly because our communication is one-way, most of it resembles sleep-talking gibberish, only occasionally containing some useful knowledge," the Half-elf shrugged. "I know this sounds strange, but it’s more like I sneaked into His mind, like a child who unintentionally wanders into an adult’s room and nobody notices you, at least not at first... Does that make sense?"

"But later, He noticed you?"

"Yes, just as Alamir just mentioned, the mentor craves intense emotions, and when I opened the Lord’s barn and saw the mountain of grain, thinking about my best friend who had sold himself to a band of robbers out of hunger a few days earlier, my emotions surged almost uncontrollably, and at that moment, my mentor spoke to me directly for the first time—the rest of the story is a long one. Essentially, whenever I collect intense emotions, whether my own or someone else’s, the mentor shows satisfaction, and after accumulating a sufficient amount, she even grants me new powers and spells. However, I want to emphasize that she never asked me to actively generate any intense emotions, just to collect them..."

"But not all followers are like you," Alamir interjected seriously. "Many covet the Raven Madam’s rewards, longing for His power and knowledge. Those people actively instigate conflicts, spread plagues, and create disasters, simply because pain and suffering generate intense emotions more easily, thus pleasing the tragedy’s madam."

"I can’t deny that," the Half-elf said with some pain, nodding. "And that is also why many hold prejudices against the mentor and the Shadow-Kai. But I also believe that this is not the mentor’s intention; she merely wants to escape complete destruction."

At this moment, the sound of wings flapping filled the air again, and a black shadow quickly approached from the horizon, soon landing again on the stone in front of the Half-elf. Lancelot keenly realized that, although very similar, this raven was not the same as the one before.

The black bird opened its beak and emitted a series of unpleasant calls, containing seemingly complex transformations, and Lancelot sensed a faint mental fluctuation. The white-haired, red-eyed Half-elf leaned in to listen, nodding solemnly from time to time, and posed some questions in that strange language, to which the raven responded one by one.

About five minutes later, this odd duo finally ended their communication, but the raven did not fly away, instead continuing to squat on the stone staring at them, as if waiting for their response.

"The ravens have indeed seen the three witches leave here not long ago," Tanya said confidently to everyone. "And they also know where those witches went."

"Where?" Bruto stood up directly, starting to put on his Helmet. "Can this beautiful bird take us there?"

"Yes," the Half-elf nodded again, "but it’s a place of no return..."

"A Sinister Realm?" Lancelot asked. "Kalalin just discussed this phenomenon unique to the shadow planes with us yesterday."

"Really?" Tanya turned to look at the Human Scholar. "Did you tell them that within the Sinister Realm, not even the gods can know anything that happens there, and unless granted permission by the master, even death does not allow your Soul to leave?"

"What I know is limited to rumors circulating among scholars..." Kalalin answered, his face looking slightly uneasy. "Not even death?"

"Yes, even death won’t do, the ravens are very certain of that," the Half-elf nodded. "One of their duties is to bring the souls of the newly deceased who had intense emotions to the Raven Queen, allowing them to find peace in death. Unless the lord of the Ominous Realm is defeated, those trapped inside, whether dead or alive, can only leave then."

"Is that so..." Lancelot pondered briefly, "Do you have more information about the Ominous Realm that the witches are heading to?"

"Yes," the Half-elf nodded again, "About a century and a half ago, that Ominous Realm had opened once. According to those who left from there, it’s a place called Derrick Valley—nestled between two giant mountain ranges, with fertile farmland and several villages scattered around a small town. The semi-plane’s lord is a Lich named Peyton Derrick, the last bloodline of the Derrick Family. It cruelly ruled the valley named after its family, believing everything on that land, including the lives and souls of its people, belonged to it. About half a year after the semi-plane was freely accessible, the exit sealed again, and no souls have since left, at least not seen by the ravens."

"I see."

Lancelot nodded lightly, turning to his companions, but before he could speak, Alamir quickly said:

"No need to ask, I’ll go."

"If I refused, I would never be able to look into my soul again, for the gift the Mysterious Lady gave me is burning inside."

"Wherever my brother goes, I go! I don’t want to be alone anymore!"

"Guys! Thank you!" Bruto sobbed, "Woohoohoohoo, big brother... I..."

"If our family were in the same situation, you would make the same decision," Lancelot patted the Dwarf’s shoulder. "Now is not the time for tears; keep them for when we find Uncle Barrend. Tanya, I truly appreciate your help. Let’s not delay, please lead the way."

The Half-elf didn’t respond, but simply nodded towards a raven nearby. The black bird issued an unpleasant screech, flapping its wings as it flew into the air and circled not far above their heads.

"It wants us to follow," Tanya explained. "Can you still summon your mounts?"

Guided by the raven, the group rode along a secluded forest path for about three hours. As they ventured deeper, the dark trees around them grew taller and more imposing, like withered giants using their twisted arms to completely cover the grey sky. If not for the constant cawing of ravens, they would have surely lost their way.

Gradually, the fog drifting between the tree trunks became thicker and thicker, until the visibility was reduced to less than five feet. They moved forward for about another minute, and then the fog began to dissipate, but Lancelot immediately realized that the surrounding forest was no longer the same as before. freёnovelkiss.com

(Sorry for the late update, couldn’t slack off during the day and had to work overtime in the evening, only could write after getting home...)