Chapter 42 : Dust and Memory

The towering figure of a massive black humanoid loomed like a mountain in the center of the battlefield on the second tier of YaDu City. Crumbling walls, scorched earth, and scattered rubble filled the scene, with the air thick with blistering heat. Leo, Luna, Dan, Vivella, and Gar moved in coordinated strikes, engaging the black giant in a fierce and deadly battle.

Just as the five launched their offensive, a pale blue magical light suddenly surged around them. It spread like ripples on water, enveloping both the black giant and the five within. The spell formed a circular sealed barrier, completely cutting them off from the outside world.

"What… is this?" Luna frowned, her mechanical eyes scanning the frequency of the magical waves.

"We've been trapped?" Dan gripped his dual blades, his stance low, ready for anything.

Gar's eyes swept coldly across the area as he tapped his staff on the ground. "This is a high-level spatial imprisonment spell. At least seventh-tier magic. It's from the top echelon."

A voice rang from the sky—it belonged to one of YaDu City's upper-tier commanders. "To protect the city and ourselves, this is the only way. Sacrificing you is necessary… for the survival of the many."

The onlookers murmured. Someone whispered, "Maybe it's right. They're adventurers—they should be at the front." But a merchant from the top tier muttered, "This… this is too heartless."

Hearing these voices, Leo roared, "You stand by doing nothing now, but once it breaks through the barrier, none of you will survive! While it's contained, strike now—use your magic to suppress it!"

The crowd fell into silence. No one wanted to be the first to act. But then, an elderly mage stepped forward, gritted his teeth, and began chanting. A silver chain shot out, wrapping around one of the giant's arms.

"Binding Magic—Silver Lock Technique!"

Seeing the first move, more mages responded. Lights of every color burst from their wands, layer upon layer of binding spells locking down the black giant. It roared and struggled but couldn't move an inch.

"Now's our chance!" Leo shouted. Black lightning surged along his broken sword—a dark thunder element drawn from the Void Ring.

Dan stood beside him, twin blades crossing, a sea-blue vortex swirling around him as he began to hum the Song of Tides, boosting both his and his allies' speed.

Vivella drew her longbow taut. A green aura of support magic flew from her fingertips toward Leo and Dan. "Precision + Rapid Strike Amplification!"

Luna raised both arms, weaving mana currents into a matrix of energy nodes. "Mana Stabilization—Release and Infuse!"

Gar calmly chanted in an ancient tongue. "Eyes of the Dead, gaze upon this moment!"

As the five completed their combined charge, Leo was the first to move. His broken sword cleaved through the air, now charged with black lightning.

"Haaa—!"

A bolt of dark thunder burst from his sword, striking the black giant's chest dead center. Dan followed with both blades plunging into cracks along the creature's surface. A thunderous roar erupted as its massive body cracked and began to collapse—fissures spreading from its chest to its limbs.

Dust flew. The enormous black body finally crashed to the ground, shattering into a drifting black mist that slowly dispersed into the air. All that remained was a cold, dark metallic chain, gleaming faintly on the scorched earth.

Silence fell.

After several seconds, sparse applause broke out among the onlookers. But most remained quiet, lowering their heads and walking away.

"Well done," said the high-tier commander as he approached, his face expressionless. "But you've merely fulfilled your duty. We've concluded the cause of this incident—it originated from forbidden arts hidden by people from the lower tiers. The governor will handle it."

"So, it's the lower tiers' fault again?" Gar sneered.

"Don't waste your breath," Vivella tugged his sleeve. "The governor never cared about truth—only about the cost."

Days later, life in YaDu City seemed to return to normal. Markets reopened, taverns buzzed once more with laughter and light. People appeared determined to forget the shadow that had nearly crushed them.

Late at night, Leo quietly got up. Without lighting a lamp, he threw on his cloak and slipped into the alleyways. He had noticed Gar acting strangely these past few days.

Sure enough, Gar left his room. He moved confidently through the dim and deserted streets of the third tier, finally arriving at a hidden corner behind a stone wall. No one else was around.

He whispered a chant and struck the ground with his staff. A necromantic array glowed beneath his feet. Several pale green souls floated toward him from various parts of the city, drawn in and absorbed by his staff.

"Gar," Leo stepped out of the shadows.

Gar froze briefly before calmly stowing his staff. "You've been following me?"

"What are you doing?" Leo asked, frowning.

"If I don't collect these wandering souls, they'll drift endlessly in the wild," Gar said in a low voice. "They died unjustly. They have nowhere to go. Necromancers don't exist only for war—we also maintain balance."

Leo was silent for a long time. Finally, he nodded. "Next time, don't come alone."

Gar smiled faintly. "You haven't changed. Even without your full memories, your nature's still the same."

The two walked back to the inn side by side. In the room, Luna, Dan, and Vivella were already waiting in the sitting room.

"Where have you been?" Luna's voice was as clear and rational as ever.

"He followed me," Gar said, raising his hands with a grin. "Then we went for a walk."

"Don't change the subject," Dan leaned in toward Leo. "You blacked out again earlier. Did you recover any memories this time?"

Leo thought for a moment. Then, after sitting down, he said slowly, "Just fragments…"

It's late at night, and outside the inn's window, everything is silent. A dim oil lamp lights up one corner of the room, where five people sit around a table. On it lay a few pieces of bread, dried meat, and a pot of freshly brewed herbal tea.

Luna adjusted the gears on her arm joint and looked up at Leo. "You said you just recovered part of your memory… What was it like?"

Leo was silent for a moment, his eyes drifting across the faces of the others before finally resting on Dan. He spoke softly, "I remembered the first time we met."

Dan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? Was it back at the Driftwind Sea?"

"No, it was even earlier than that." Leo looked down at his broken sword, a complex expression on his face. "You were alone then, crossing the desert in search of your strength. But you collapsed under the scorching sun. I happened to be passing through that stretch of sand and dug you out from the dunes, gave you a few sips of water."

"You even said—'If we die together in this desert one day, at least we won't be alone.'" Leo let out a soft chuckle.

Dan laughed too, scratching the back of his head. "I was definitely dehydrated and rambling nonsense back then."

"After that, we walked a long way together until we reached a place called Peach Blossom Village." Leo turned to Vivella. "That's where we met you for the first time."

Vivella rested her cheek on one hand, thinking for a moment, then smiled slightly. "I remember you two were both covered in dust—especially Dan. You looked like a sandbag."

Dan sighed. "Come to think of it, you kept staring at Leo and me back then. Who knew you'd decide to come along."

"Mm." Vivella nodded, her tone serious. "The look in your eyes told me you weren't ordinary people. I wanted to follow you and see the wider world. Later, after we fought side by side in the orc territory, I decided not to go back to the village."

"And me," Gar added with a chuckle, raising the staff in his hand. "I remember too. I was so poor I couldn't afford alchemy ingredients. I had to scavenge for scrap metal."

"You ended up stealing a bottle of my alchemical graphite oil," Leo said, picking up the thread. "I caught up to you—not to beat you, but to give you a few coins."

Gar grinned. "After that, I stuck with you all. If you say you're going to kick me out now, I'm not going anywhere."

Luna smiled and shook her head. She hadn't been part of those past memories, but she listened intently.

Leo looked around at everyone, his voice lowering. "We've really come a long way."

Vivella gazed at him, her expression softening. "Your identity... I don't care so much anymore. No matter who you used to be, the one who traveled with us—that's the real you."

The night passed without another word.

At dawn, the five stepped out of the inn and found the street unusually quiet. The road leading from the second layer down to the lower levels was blocked by a fence. Several people in upper-tier robes were escorting a group of lower-tier residents forward.

The lower-tier people had heavy iron chains on their wrists and ankles, dragging loudly across the stone pavement. Their expressions were blank, driven forward toward some unknown tunnel leading to the third layer.

Luna stopped in her tracks. "These people... are being treated as criminals?"

"They didn't do anything," Gar said through clenched teeth. "They were just born 'on the lower level.'"

Nearby, one of the upper-tier enforcers shouted, "The Black Flesh Plague comes from the lower class's cursed magic! We must root out the source and restore peace to YaDu City!"

The surrounding citizens lowered their heads in silence. No one spoke, and no one stepped forward.

Leo quietly watched the escorted group but said nothing. They continued toward the city gate.

Just as they stepped out of YaDu City, a sudden gust of wind roared above them. A company of holy knights descended from the sky. Their silver-white armor gleamed under the sunlight, and their pegasi beat their wings, kicking up a cloud of dust and sand.

The leading knight dismounted with practiced grace. With a determined gaze, he looked straight at them. "You are... the Silver Pentagram Adventurers?"

Leo furrowed his brow slightly, his voice calm. "What do you want with us?"

The knight dropped to one knee, pressing his right fist to his chest. "I come from Blue-Tear Country. Our kingdom is under attack by an evil dragon. The people near the border are suffering heavy casualties. We heard the Silver Pentagram Adventurers have returned, and we were ordered to find you. Please—lend us your strength!"

"A dragon?" Vivella murmured, a flicker of doubt in her eyes. "Dragons rarely attack humans without cause... Even on the border, it's nearly unheard of."

"There may be more to this," Gar said quietly.

Leo looked at the others. "What do you all think?"

Dan crossed his arms. "I don't mind. It's just another adventure."

Luna nodded. "Helping people might also lead us to hidden truths."

Vivella hesitated, then said, "Something feels off... but if using the adventurers' name can give people hope, then it might be worth it."

Gar smiled. "Then I'll stick with you all. Let's see where this path takes us next."

"Alright," Leo said clearly, one word at a time. "We accept."

The holy knight's eyes lit up, and he immediately blew his horn. The pegasi neighed loudly, flapping their wings. One by one, the five mounted the creatures and soared into the sky, following the knights toward distant Blue-Tear Country.

Their figures grew smaller and smaller as they flew, with YaDu City fading beneath the clouds. Leo turned back to glance at the city and murmured softly, "In the end, we still have to keep moving forward."