Chapter 23: A Troublesome Matter (Part 2)

Under the Ancient War Tree, beside the Sunwell.

The Ancient War Tree had not yet continued to draw water from the Sunwell, which had now recovered to about half its capacity.

Ruya had already asked all the nearby elves to leave. However, this was not her own idea but rather Asa's instruction. She was now looking at Asa with confusion as he pulled out a small pouch from his chest.

A firefly was fluttering above the two, its light clearly revealing that the pouch was made of cloth, and a rather coarse one at that. However, judging from the soft, swaying shape of the pouch, it seemed to contain water. Upon closer inspection, one could see countless tiny magical runes glowing on what appeared to be a tattered pouch that could have been picked up from the roadside.

Asa spread out the soft pouch in his hand and sighed, "I came to the Whispering Forest for this thing. The Sunwell water inside is almost gone. It can last for two or three weeks at most before it's completely drained. Then things will get interesting. So, I had to come here first to refill this pouch."

"Sunwell water?" Ruya looked at the pouch in surprise. "When did you take it from here?"

"Not me. It seems the old man brought it out from the Dehya Valley. I heard it's an antique from five hundred years ago. I'm afraid it might fail at any moment."

"What's inside?" Ruya asked. She noticed a small bulge on the pouch, indicating that it wasn't just water inside but something else soaking in the Sunwell water.

"Something very troublesome. Stand back," Asa shook his head helplessly, signaling Ruya to move away. He then crouched by the Sunwell and untied the rope sealing the pouch. "It's a good thing that crazy woman isn't here, or there would be endless trouble..."

Not far from the Whispering Forest, in another part of the woods, the magical eye above the head of a Holy Warrior was gazing in the direction of the Whispering Forest.

Knight Tamik stood nearby like a statue, his face expressionless. Next to him was another Holy Warrior. Behind them stood Talice and Yabin.

Yabin showed no signs of being captured or bound. On the contrary, he stood straight, his face filled with determination and seriousness, looking every bit like a warrior ready for battle. Talice, however, was visibly anxious and confused.

"The mage from earlier has disappeared. Now that man is with the World Tree Leaf and the Sunwell..." The magical eye above the Holy Warrior's head had condensed into a small orb, emitting a faint white light like a holy sphere. The pupil in the center of the eye had dilated to its limit.

"Hmm? Something seems to have suddenly appeared..." The Holy Warrior frowned slightly. The magical eye above his head contracted further, and the pupil expanded even more, almost breaking free from the confines of the eye. "What is that..." The sudden appearance of this thing seemed strange. The Holy Warrior not only pushed his magical eye to its limit but also instinctively widened his own eyes, leaning forward to look toward the forest.

But the moment he did so, his body suddenly shuddered, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. With a soft plop, the white magical eye above his head shattered and dissipated. The Holy Warrior collapsed to the ground, his limbs twitching. His expression and complexion were as if someone who had wanted to take a bite of food had been force-fed ten pounds of excrement—not only unbearable but also as if he were about to burst.

No one paid attention to what had happened to him. Almost the instant the Holy Warrior noticed that thing, everyone's gaze turned toward the Whispering Forest. Even Talice, who had been somewhat distracted, looked over as if she had been stabbed. Almost instinctively, they all felt something terrifying had suddenly emerged from there.

It was already night, with no starlight or moonlight in the sky—pitch black. But in that instant, everyone who looked toward the Whispering Forest felt as if they saw something. They saw a patch of blackness.

Even the darkness of the night could not conceal or blur this blackness. This was true blackness, devoid of any life or light, a blackness that seemed to devour even the pitch-black night itself. The chirping of insects and birds around them immediately ceased. Darkness and silence enveloped the area, like the legendary abyss of hell.

But it was only for a brief moment. The blackness erupted and then quickly faded away, disappearing entirely. It happened so fast that it felt like an illusion. Soon, the night returned to its normal calm, and the sounds of insects slowly resumed. Even the center of the Whispering Forest seemed to grow noisy.

"What was that? What just happened?" Talice looked toward the depths of the forest in fear and confusion. Yabin and the other Holy Warrior had just recovered from their shock, while the Holy Warrior who had used the magical eye was still twitching on the ground.

Knight Tamik remained expressionless, but his eyes shone with a fierce light as he gazed toward the Whispering Forest, like a clay statue with the eyes of a ferocious beast.

Ruya had sat down on the ground, staring in utter shock as Asa tied the pouch shut. The pouch was now bulging, filled with water from the Sunwell. The rope Asa used to seal the pouch was also covered in extremely fine magical runes.

The firefly that had been fluttering above them had fallen to the ground, dead. Not only that, but the grass around Asa and a thick root from the Ancient War Tree had completely withered. The moment the pouch was opened, a surge of energy had silently erupted and vanished in an instant, like an illusion. But any living being could sense the feeling contained within that energy.

Although Asa had quickly sealed the pouch and tied it shut, the entire Whispering Forest had been stirred. Elves woke from their dreams, moving about and asking what had just happened. The cries of unicorns echoed through the forest, creating a commotion similar to the battle during the day.

"Send the Deadwood Guardians back. It seems this thing really conflicts with the power of the Sunwell," Asa said to Ruya, frowning as he tied the now bulging pouch to his waist. The ground trembled slightly as even the Deadwood Guardians began to gather toward them.

Ruya walked over and dipped her hand into the Sunwell, directing the Deadwood Guardians to return to the forest. She then noticed that the water level in the well had dropped significantly. The small pouch had actually contained a considerable amount of water.

"What is that thing? I sensed a pure wave of darkness, somewhat similar to the aura of the Dark Servant who once invaded the Whispering Forest, but much more concentrated and pure," Ruya asked Asa, her astonishment now beyond words. "You dare carry such a thing with you?"

Asa sighed and said, "I told you, it's a troublesome thing, something I can't just throw away." He paused, then added with a bitter smile, "In that sense, it's quite similar to your World Tree Leaf."