Chapter 13: Wards of the Ravine

A gray, lifeless sky brooded over the jagged hills as Sir Galland and his knights guided their horses along a rocky ledge. Down below stretched a ravine choked with twisted brush and serrated spires of stone. A damp wind gusted through the formation, howling across the natural pillars like a mournful chorus.

Reziel clenched the reins tighter, peering over the ledge. Slippery gravel crumbled beneath the horse's hooves. His side still pulsed with residual pain, and he braced himself with each precarious step. Behind him, Aria Highwind led a scouting pair to check if the ravine floor was passable. The rest of the knights kept watch for any sign of cult ambushers.

This place feels cursed, Reziel thought, noting how unnaturally silent it was aside from the wind. No bird calls, no scuttling animals—just desolate rock and the faint tension thrumming in the air.

About a half-mile into the ravine, the ledge split in two directions. One led downward to the valley floor, the other curved around a tall spire, disappearing into the mist. Sir Galland raised a gauntleted hand, halting the column.

Aria trotted forward on her chestnut mare, reining in beside Reziel and Galland. "The downward trail may be broader, but we saw movement below—flickers of light behind the rock pillars. Could be cultists."

Galland surveyed the second route, which snaked up and around. "The upper trail seems narrower, with even less cover. If the cult set wards or illusions, it might be easy for them to ambush us from higher ground."

Reziel looked between the two ominous paths. "Neither looks safe."

Galland's mouth set in a firm line. "True. But we must choose. We can't divide our forces too thinly in hostile territory."

A brief murmur passed among the knights. Finally, Aria proposed, "We take the lower path. If the cult is using illusions, they'd likely place them where travelers are forced to pass. We'll face their traps, but we'll have room to maneuver. We can keep scouts on the ledge above to watch for ambushers."

Galland considered this, nodding. "Agreed. We'll deploy watchers on that upper ledge. The main group descends. Let's be ready for anything."

Splitting off four knights to the vantage point, the bulk of the expedition guided their mounts down the sloping trail. Horses snorted and skittered on loose gravel. Near the bottom, the air grew colder, thick with the scent of damp stone.

Twisted pillars of rock loomed on every side, forming a natural maze. Shadows lengthened under the overcast sky, making it hard to discern whether a dark shape in the corner of one's eye was a lurking cultist or just a jagged boulder.

A tense hush clung to the knights. Clutching her spear, Aria rode close to Reziel, scanning the stones. He sensed her guarded readiness—each breath measured, her eyes flicking from one rock formation to the next. Behind them, a squire led the supply wagon, its wooden wheels crunching over pebbles.

Halfway through the ravine floor, Sir Galland slowed the column. He raised a hand for quiet. Reziel strained his ears… and caught it: a low, droning hum, barely audible. It resonated like a distant choir note, vibrating through the stone.

Is that chanting?

Suddenly, a knight near the front swore under his breath. He pointed to the sandstone at his feet. Strange symbols flickered across the surface: faint runes that looked half-burned, half-carved. They shimmered in and out of sight like illusions dancing on the rock face.

A swirl of violet light rippled across the ravine walls. The runes intensified, forming ghostly shapes that stretched overhead in an arched pattern—like an invisible curtain. Reziel's pulse raced. Cult wards…

Sir Galland's voice cut through: "Form up! They're activating illusions or wards!"

Knights scrambled, bringing shields up, scanning for an imminent attack. The air buzzed with arcane tension. Then, all at once, the runic shapes glowed and coalesced into a hazy barrier across the ravine pass—an intangible gate of shimmering purple that flickered like a mirage.

One of the knights, teeth clenched, tested the barrier with his sword tip. It passed through the haze, producing a light ripple in the ward. "No resistance," he reported, warily. "But I sense strong magic."

Aria frowned. "Could be a disorientation ward—or something that twists our perception. Passing through might scramble our senses or separate us."

Reziel shuddered. He recalled the cult's tendency to trap intruders with illusions. The thought of stepping through and not knowing reality from mirage made his stomach knot. Meanwhile, the droning hum continued, intensifying.

System Prompt

Warning: Ambient Arcane Distortion Detected

Risk of Illusory Influence. Remain mentally focused.

He grimaced. Noted, System. Thanks for the heads-up.

Galland dismounted, motioning for a knight skilled in defensive magic to approach—a middle-aged woman named Anora. She pressed a hand to the barrier's surface, closing her eyes. Soft white mana flickered around her palm as she murmured a protective incantation.

Reziel watched, heart pounding. If they couldn't break or bypass this ward, the entire expedition would be stalled or forced onto the risky upper trail.

After a moment, Anora let out a breath, turning to Galland. "It's a layered illusion ward. Likely designed to separate or mislead those who pass through. But it doesn't seem lethal—no direct harm, just potential confusion or hallucinations."

Galland nodded, lips pressed tight. "Can you dispel it?"

"Not entirely," Anora admitted. "It's anchored further ahead, probably near the fortress. I can, however, weave a lesser ward of clarity around each of us—it should reduce the illusions' impact."

A collective sigh rippled through the knights. Galland wasted no time. "Do it. We'll proceed with caution."

While Anora worked, Reziel and Aria moved aside to let her apply the protective magic to each person in turn. The sensation was odd—a brief warmth, like stepping into a mild sunbeam. When Anora cast the same spell on Reziel, he felt the System pulse, as if acknowledging the foreign mana.

System Response

Clarity Ward Detected. Temporary Resistance to External Illusions +15%.

Reziel exhaled, relieved. At least the System isn't fighting it.

Soon, all were prepared. Galland re-mounted, glancing back at the anxious faces. "On my mark, we pass through. Keep line of sight with your squadmates. Call out if you feel disoriented."

Steel scraped as knights unsheathed blades, prepared for a trap. Then, at Galland's signal, they moved. One by one, horses and riders stepped into the shimmering haze.

The world blurred the instant Reziel crossed the threshold. The ravine's rocky formations wavered, and for a heartbeat, he thought he glimpsed an endless corridor of shifting illusions—like stepping inside a kaleidoscope. Colors bent, shapes elongated.

But then, the clarity ward flared around him, snapping the environment back to a rough approximation of normal. He heard knights gasping and cursing as they regained their bearings.

Aria's voice cut through: "Stay together! Don't wander!"

Reziel spotted her ahead, spear raised defensively. The shimmering haze still clung to the edges of his vision, but the illusions no longer gripped him fully. Others weren't so lucky. A knight off to the right swung his sword at empty air, muttering he saw "shadow figures" lunging at him.

Anora quickly pressed a hand to his shoulder, reinforcing the ward. "Focus! They aren't real—your mind is being toyed with."

They pushed onward, guided by Galland's authoritative shouts and Anora's steady presence. But the illusions grew subtler, more insidious. At times, Reziel saw flickers of robed cultists dashing behind rocks—yet when he turned, nothing was there. The droning chant melded with the howling wind, making it difficult to discern real threats from illusions.

Suddenly, a whispery voice brushed Reziel's ear: Reziel… host of the Forbidden System… He jerked his head around, heart pounding. No one stood behind him—just the empty ravine. A cold sweat broke out across his brow.

"Aria!" he called, fighting the rising panic. "Did… did you hear that voice?"

She spun her horse around, scanning the area. "Voice? No." Concern etched her features. "It might be part of the illusions. Stay close."

He nodded shakily. Damn illusions. Yet something about that voice felt personal—like it was addressing him through the ward.

They cleared a final bend in the ravine, illusions rippling overhead. Then, chaos erupted. A volley of real magical bolts—blackish-purple—streaked from behind a natural rock arch. Cultists emerged from half-hidden nooks, chanting. This wasn't an illusion.

Knights scrambled to form defensive lines. Galland roared, "Shields up! Engage!"

A clash of spells and steel filled the air. Aria dismounted, spear at the ready. Reziel slid from his horse and ducked behind a boulder, ignoring the flare of pain in his ribs. He peeked out, seeing half a dozen robed figures brandishing staves that crackled with hostile energy.

Here we go again. He gathered a swirl of violet energy in his hand.

Skill: Dark Pulse.

The orb blasted a charging cultist off his feet. Another knight battered a second cultist's ward with a shield, while Aria's spear whirled in a golden arc to parry a staff strike. The illusions made the battlefield swirl, but the knights' clarity wards helped them focus on actual foes.

Still, the cult's spells were potent. Reziel saw a knight reel back as dark lightning scorched her armor. Smoke rose from singed metal. Another twisted away from a net of shadowy tendrils that clung to his shield.

Reziel clenched his teeth. They're fighting for real this time—no half measures. If they succeeded in forcing the knights back here, the expedition might never reach the fortress.

Step by step, Sir Galland and Aria drove the cultists back, while Reziel and the other knights flanked them from the sides. Flashes of magic and the clang of weapons reverberated across the ravine. Each blow or spell lit the swirling illusions overhead like a storm of color.

Eventually, one cultist fell with a cry, while another, bloodied, staggered away behind a tall rock spire. The remaining few retreated deeper into the maze. Before the knights could pursue, the illusions rippled anew, obscuring the path. Rocks shifted visually; paths seemed to vanish.

Galland hissed a curse, halting the chase. "They're deliberately luring us. We could get separated or walk into another ambush."

Aria nodded, chest heaving from exertion. "We should regroup. Let the scouts confirm a route."

Reziel took a steadying breath, adrenaline still pumping. We're close. Through the roiling illusions, he made out a partial stone arch that might mark some kind of structure beyond. Could that be the entrance to the fortress?

As the immediate threat ended, the knights secured the ravine sector. A few wounded required healing; a squire rushed forward with bandages and salves. Aria and Galland gathered around Reziel, eyes flicking over the battered scene.

"There's an opening up ahead," Reziel panted, pointing past a wavering purple sheen. "I saw what might be a large archway or cave entrance. That must lead deeper."

Galland's gaze hardened with resolve. "We'll form a tighter formation, push through these illusions, and find that entrance. If the cult's main fortress is there, we can't let them slip away."

Aria shifted, wincing slightly. Blood trickled from a shallow cut on her arm. "Then we'll need to be swift. Those cultists who fled will warn any others."

Reziel nodded, swallowing the knot of fear in his throat. We're nearly at the gates of their domain. The illusions alone were enough to disorient them, and that was before facing the possibility of even more powerful wards or guardians inside.

While a cleric patched Aria's cut, Reziel stared at the swirling illusions overhead. He couldn't shake the sense that the voice he'd heard—a whisper calling his name—was more than a mere mind trick. Could the System or something else in these catacombs be reaching out to me? The thought crawled under his skin like a living shadow.

System Prompt

Ambient Hostile Mana: High

Warning: Increased Probability of System Interference or "Entity" Contact

His stomach twisted. An 'Entity'? Did the System sense something deeper here—a presence that might be tied to these wards, or the sealed sanctum the cult wants to unearth?

But there was no time to dwell on it. Sir Galland rallied the knights, dividing them into squads for a cautious advance. The illusions still flickered, but Anora's wards of clarity would hold a bit longer.

Aria stepped to Reziel's side, her gray eyes steeled with determination. "Ready?"

He inhaled a shaky breath, forcing a nod. "Let's go."

With that, the column pressed onward, forging through the swirling illusions with careful steps. Overhead, the sky remained a bleak tapestry of gray clouds, as if bracing for the storm about to unfold in these forsaken hills.

Each knight gripped sword or spear with white-knuckled tension, every step echoing the unspoken knowledge: beyond this ravine, the final confrontation with the Circle of Twilight and their ancient fortress loomed—along with the darkest secrets of Reziel's forbidden power.