Alnea ignored the ravings of the lunatic. He could not understand what the man was saying anyway. But that did not mean he could ignore the man himself. He seemed to be in charge of the Wanderers besieging him and Zain. Any moves he made could be a sign for his followers to attack. Or he could just be a puppet pushed forward by the Wanderers around them. He did seem to be missing his weapons. And some common sense.

  After making his declaration, instead of charging in at him, or asking it of his followers, the lunatic took a black crystal from his storage device. A white ring adorning the middle finger of his right hand. As for the crystal itself, it looked like a memory crystal. Except, it was not. Memory Crystals did not have a reddish black glow at their edges. Neither did they look so ominous.

  If anything, the crystal looked more like the Heart of Light that he had once seen a Heterodox Wanderer use. But it did not give off the same savage feeling. Instead, it gave off a certain archaic air, as if it had just been fetched out of the River of Time. The marks of the tides of ages clearly visible on its surface also seemed to be telling the same story. That it was a from a time long gone by.

  Yet, the crystal’s appearance did not answer any questions. On the contrary, it made Alnea even more confused. Was it a memory crystal, or something like the Heart of Light? Maybe an essence of some Mystery? Or a Ritual condensed in a physical form? More importantly, where did the lunatic get his hands on it? In the Final World? Or in the Lost City? Maybe even earlier, from back in his clan? And why did he not use it earlier? Why wait until he the Final Trial was almost nearing its end? Why—

  “Are you not ready yet, Captain?” Zain said, shifting closer to his Captain. And though he only whispered his words, they were loud enough to bring Alnea back from his thoughts.

  “…Don’t make any moves yet, Zain,” Alnea said, shaking his head, while glancing at his teammate from the corner of his eyes. “Things are a little different from what we expected.”

  As were the answers to his questions, which, the Whitebud man had already answered. Miracles… certain beings… tides of time… and making him a part of miracles… Alnea glanced at the Wanderers around him, and noted the expectant smiles on their faces, as well as the naked desire burning in their eyes. It was not just the Whitebud man. They had all gone mad. Fortunately, the girls should not have to deal with such lunatics. Hopefully.

  “…You call this a little?” Zain said in a grumble, as he glanced at the Wanderers around them, and the weapons in their hands. In contrast, the staff in his hands almost seemed like a toy.

  “…Things are not as bad as they look,” Alnea said, hoping that his teammate would not catch his lie. He did.

  “…You are not a very good liar, you know.”

  “…Alright, the situation may have gotten a little out of control, but it is not as if we are out of all our options.”

  For instance, he could just rush to the Whitebud man. With only a little over ten metres between them, it would take him just a blink of an eye. Even less, if he used just the right Martial Styles and Concepts. And if he timed his attack with the flaws that the man was showing, it should not be a problem slash his sword through the man’s neck. Or at least, snatch the crystal away from him.

  Whatever method he chose, stopping the man from summoning the ‘miracle’ would not be a problem. It was what would come next, that would be difficult to handle. Especially for Zain. Against simultaneous attacks of over seventy Peak Stage False Wanderers, his vast repertoire of Arcanas would not be of any help. And neither would be the measly fighting skills he had developed in the past few months.

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  No, with Zain by his side, he could not afford to be reckless. Though he probably would not have chosen such a reckless method even if Zain was not with him. After all, the dozens of weapons glowing in strange greyish black shade of Decay, all pointed at his head, were not there just for show. And that was what those bastards had shown on the surface. There were definitely a few more such weapons, hidden away to be used at critical moments.

  “Then—

  “Watch carefully, Alnea Tresting!” the Whitebud man said, almost in a shout, as if trying to make his voice reach every corner of the forest. “This is where the miracle begins!”

  “I think—

  The Whitebud man did not give Alnea any time to think. Instead, he stabbed the crystal into his chest, right where his heart was supposed to be. And not just for show. He stabbed with enough force to pierce through his chest, and quite possibly, even his heart. At least, that was what the copious amount of blood flowing from his chest suggested. Even the crystal, which was about twice as long as the man’s palm, and a quarter as wide, was already halfway into his chest.

  Yet, the man did not even let out so much as a grunt. On the contrary, he widened his grin. As did the other Wanderers around him. Even those of his clan. It was as if what he was doing had nothing to do with them. No, it was more like they were watching a show. Those crazy bastards… Had they all fallen so far?

  “…Do we still have any options left, Captain?”

  “…Wait,” Alnea forced himself to say. “There will be a chance…”

  There were none. At least not one that Alnea could grasp. Just a few moments after the Whitebud man stabbed himself with the crystal, the blood that had been flowing out of his wound began flowing in reverse, climbing up his body, and to his chest. Except, the blood did not flow back into his chest. Instead, it was absorbed by the crystal, dyeing it in its shade, while strengthening its glow.

  From just a faint glow, almost like those of Fire Flies, the blood red within the crystal grew like a wild fire raging in a forest. That too, one doused with oil. And it showed no signs of stopping. In a matter of just a few moments, the glow was already strong enough to match the glow of stars. And soon, it became so strong, that it blinded all those who were looking at it. Including Alnea.

  Though, unlike the rest of the Wanderers, Alnea was not staring at the crystal like a fanatic. Neither was he eager to see its ‘miracle’. On the contrary, he had always been vigilant of it. So, when he noticed its glow growing stronger, he quickly looked away from it. Unfortunately, he forgot to withdraw the senses of his Spirit. No, not forgot. He never expected his Spirit to be blinded. And the crystal exceeded his expectations once again.

  Still, his quick action, allowed Alnea to recover a moment faster than anyone else. A moment, when he could finally move without thinking about the consequences. Yet, it was a moment too late. By the time he recovered his senses, the crystal was already gone, submerged into the chest of the Whitebud man, taking with it the only chance Alnea had to reverse the Fate of his team.

  “Did you see it, Alnea Tresting?” the Whitebud man said, stretching his arms out wide, and laughing hysterically.

  “…Honestly, I think the light got in the way. Would you mind repeating it for me?”

  “No worries,” the Whitebud man said, flashing his teeth in a grin. “This was just a teaser. You will have plenty of time to see the miracle.”

  “…On second thought, I am not so keen on witnessing miracles. It just sounds so old fashioned. Like something you would rely on in the Age of Gods. In the Age of Wanderers, I prefer to believe more in my own strength than the strength of miracles.”

  “As expected from an Unfavoured. But it does not matter. You will be a part of the miracle whether you like it or not.”

  “This is the problem with you people from the Lotus clan. You are such sore losers. Always relying on force whenever you cannot convince others with words. Why can you not just admit your defeat?”

  “…It is your time to admit your defeat, Tresting. Give up. Accept the miracle. Then, you will know true peace.”

  “…Unfortunately, I have already promised my teammates to lead them to victory. But I like the idea of true peace. How about I come to you after finishing my Trial?

  “…Get him,” the Whitebud man said after he finally lost his patience. At the same time, Alnea also finally ran out all his ideas.

  “Now, we really are out of all our options.”