Chapter 237 - Staggering Confusion

That said, the Sprite opened up to Rynold. The creature's hostility towards the strange human soon disappeared. Rynold, meanwhile, wasn't getting any answers to his questions. But, even so, Rynold was glad that the Sprite didn't see him as a threat anymore.

"Do you... have a place to go to, little one?"

Rynold asked, expressing his concern and eagerness to help. He wasn't sure how to articulate it, of course, considering he was talking to a creature a thousand times smaller than he was.

Despite the absence of any communication, the Sprite understood what Rynold said. The creature flew up to Rynold's shoulder and settled there. Rynold, on the other hand, took this as a sign of cooperation. He then proceeded to walk forward, acting as a vessel to bring the Sprite home.

The two got along well. Rynold kept walking under the Sprite's guidance. By pulling Rynold's shirt collar, he knew where to go.

They moved along the forest. Throughout the journey, Rynold didn't recognize where they were going. All of it looked the same to him. The Sprite, however, seemed to know the way.

"I'm guessing this is the place?"

Stopping at what looked like an elevated grove, Rynold couldn't tell if they had arrived at their destination or not. It all looked the same to him. Nothing changed, apart from the distances between each tree and the elevated ground.

As Rynold took a gander around the place, the Sprite, in the meantime, left his shoulder. It flew down to the ground and hovered a few inches from touching it. The creature then approached the elevated earth. Rynold sensed the slight tinge of Mana coming off of the Sprite and watched as the ground opened before them.

"Well," Rynold said as the ground formed a small hole, "I guess this is where we part. Take care, little one."

Turning away from the Sprite, Rynold planned to continue his journey. The Sprite, on the other hand, pulled at his pant leg. The creature didn't seem to want for Rynold to go just yet.

"What is it?" Rynold asked as he turned around once more. He then lowered himself by squatting, meeting the Sprite in the eye. Or, at least, as close as he could do so. "Is there something wrong?"

Asking out of concern, Rynold watched as the Sprite descended into the small hole on the ground. Rynold, on the other hand, wasn't sure if he should follow. Not that he could, anyway, as the hole was too small for even his foot to fit in.

"Uh..."

Rynold stayed in the same position for quite some time, wondering if maybe he should leave or not. He considered it several times over as there wasn't anything that kept him here.

"Woah!"

The ground suddenly opened up and swallowed him whole. Rynold wasn't sure what had just happened and could only yell one syllable as he fell into the hole. The darkness consumed his vision as he soon landed on his back in the underground.

"Hello?"

Rynold asked as he pushed himself upward. He didn't fall for very long, barely even a second by his count. So, he was still on the surface, with the only thing keeping him away was the hollow ground. He could bust out of it at any minute, of course, but Rynold wasn't in a hurry just yet.

A few moments after he landed, the darkness soon turned to light. Artificial lighting, Rynold thought as he caught a glimpse of his surroundings. He couldn't move his head much, sadly, considering the hole that swallowed him didn't give him enough space to move.

"Okay," Rynold murmured underneath his breath as he tried to squirm his way to a better position. But, no matter how hard he tried, Rynold couldn't achieve anything. "Isn't this just great?" Rynold sighed as he said mockingly.

Having enough of this, Rynold pulled his arm back as best he could. With his Mana Gauntlets, he could break out of the ground without much effort. But, just when he was about to throw his punch, something tapped the side of his cheek.

"Little one? And...," Rynold turned to look at the other sprites behind the one he met. "You brought your friends, huh? Isn't that nice? But, if you don't mind, can you help me out here?"

The Sprite realized Rynold's difficulties and expanded the hole. Rynold managed to get some more room. It wasn't enough space for him to walk or move around in, but it sufficed.

"Thank you," Rynold nodded, "So, why did you bring me here? Do your friends need help as well?"

Rynold didn't know what to expect here. He hadn't seen so many sprites all in one place before. Not only that, but his [Encompassing Serenity] was still far from its cooldown. So, Rynold was somewhat skeptical of him being here.

That said, the Sprite didn't seem to be asking for Rynold's help. In fact, the one Sprite he met before was rallying the others. For reasons that Rynold couldn't recognize, the Sprite seemed enthusiastic. It was talking about something, although Rynold wasn't sure what.

After a few moments of exaggerated gestures, the Sprite turned back to Rynold. It looked as though the creature was pleased. The Sprite then raised its hand at Rynold. To which, the other sprites followed and did the same.

"What are you guys doing?" Rynold expressed his doubt. Anyone would do the same at this point.

He had no clue as to what the sprites were thinking. Rynold might as well be facing his death now. There was no telling what the creatures were about to do to him.

Contrary to Rynold's fears, however, the sprites didn't do anything after that. They lowered their arms as if nothing had happened. At least, nothing that Rynold noticed. Following which, the other sprites left the room, leaving the Rynold and the one he had met before alone.

"Um...," Rynold wasn't sure how to ask politely, "What happened back there? What did you guys do to me?"

Much like before, Rynold didn't get his answer. The Sprite still didn't say anything to him. But, for some bizarre reason, the creature looked pleased. Rynold didn't know what had happened to him.

"What am I even doing? I keep asking you these questions, and you can't even answer. What am I supposed to do about it, then?"

Rynold was audibly frustrated. He didn't know what had just happened to him, annoying him to some degree. But, no matter how pissed he was, the Sprite didn't answer. It didn't even seem to acknowledge Rynold's bouts of confusion.

After that one sentence, Rynold didn't bother to ask any more questions. He knew that it would have only fallen on deaf ears. And, considering he was unharmed, though, Rynold decided to let the matter pass. It was a better option compared to stressing out over it.

That said, Rynold wasn't quite sure how he should proceed from here. As he looked at the Sprite, who seemed to be having a good time, Rynold calmly addressed the situation.

"Uh, do you mind opening up the ground?"

Rynold asked directly, worried about what the Sprite might think. Surprisingly, though, the Sprite seemed eager to let him go. It agreed and moved the ground upwards, letting Rynold leave.

"I guess I'll see you around," Rynold nodded to the Sprite, saying his goodbyes. Even though he wasn't sure what had happened to him just then, Rynold was otherwise unharmed. Then again, he still couldn't help but wonder what actually occurred.

But before he could walk away, though, the Sprite flew up to him. Rynold watched as the creature hovered before him.

From there, the Sprite's injuries seemed comparatively healed. The spell that Rynold had cast did its job, recovering the Sprite's physical form and healing it. Although, Rynold didn't know why the Sprite seemed eager to confront him now.

Since the Sprite couldn't convey any words, the creature bowed. Rynold took that as a sign of respect and gratitude, much like any person would. In which case, Rynold responded with a nod. Following which, Rynold exchanged his words of goodbye before leaving once more.

'Did they do something to me?'

Looking at his hands, Rynold didn't see or feel anything out of the ordinary. Even so, he felt curious. Wondering as he walked, Rynold continued to roam around the forest.

Not paying attention to where he was going, Rynold soon reached another part of the forest. He didn't even notice that he had gone so far as everything in the area looked the same to him.

Rynold only stopped until he reached the end of the forest. He had accidentally found his way towards a river. A stream of water that ran in a single direction.

'That's not surprising,' Rynold thought to himself. 'A forest as luscious as this wouldn't survive without a source of water nearby. Although, it is kind of weird that there are no animals around.'

That said, Rynold followed the direction of the stream. He went to where the water would end up, walking along the river. Rynold took a part of his day tracking where the water went. And, soon enough, Rynold found himself at the very edge of the landmass.

'This place is an island?' Rynold stood in awe as the water rushed by his side. 'And a pretty big one at that. Huh. Never would've thought that this place was an island on its own. The Mech God must have a lot of pull to own a place like this.'

With that in mind, Rynold walked towards the shoreline. He then stopped just before the water reached the shore. Rynold stood there, feeling the wind against his cheek.

'Man, I can't wait to leave this place already. It's going to be one shitstorm if this keeps up.'

Rynold instinctively reached out, wishing that he had a way out. But, as soon as he did, something repelled his hand and forced him back. Rynold didn't know what had just happened then.

Landing on his back, Rynold brushed the sand off his clothes as he stood up. He then approached the shore once more, wondering what had pushed him away.

'A wall? Wow. He really must not want us to leave.'

It was invisible. There were no signs as to where it started or where it ended. Rynold just knew there was a wall there, keeping everyone within the island. Although, at this point, Rynold wasn't sure if he should be impressed or downright pissed at the inhumane keeping of them here.

'There's nothing I can do about it, though,' Rynold sat on the shore as he watched the waves of water clash. 'Might as well sit here and pass the time.'

Sitting on the sand, Rynold grabbed a small rock he found on the ground. He then threw it to the wall, thinking it would be repelled just like the wall did to him.

But, the stone passed through the wall without a problem. Doing so made it clear for Rynold that he was more captive than anything else. The wall was meant to keep him and the other Candidates in, while anything else could pass through without any problems.

That said, the stone he threw at the open sea caused a ripple effect. It was much like any normal stone. But, the consequences of doing something so simple managed to throw Rynold out of whack. The waves became more violent for some reason. It shook so violently that Rynold instinctively stood up and jumped back.

'That shouldn't happen.'

Rynold clicked his tongue as his instincts warned him that something was going to happen. Something bad. Rynold got ready and activated his Protecting Light. In a matter of seconds, the crashing waves became louder and a cry came from the ocean.

'You're fucking kidding me,' Rynold thought to himself. He didn't know that such a simple action would cause something so catastrophic.