Monster Integration

Two and a half hours passed, and we are making a steady way toward the magenta place. 

We only need an hour to an hour and a half before we reach there.

I am very excited, not about the magenta place. They have already hinted it is not something I could use but about the exits. I need them in my hand. So, I could leave when I want.

“What is this magenta place? We are going?” I asked Ragas.

It is not the first time I have asked this question, but last time we are far away from it and now we are only an hour away.

He didn’t answer immediately, and I had not thought he would answer before he opened his mouth.

“It is something good, especially for people like me and Leela,” he replied. 

“Does it increase your comprehension power or advance the constitution imprinted by the Grand Art?” I asked, nearly stopping the three of them in their tracks.

“Both,” replied Ragas, after a few seconds of silence.

A few minutes passed and when we stopped suddenly. It is the third time we did, it since leaving the healing place. It might be natives or Grimms, we are stopping whenever we come across any group.

Till now, not a single group had been able to discover us. It is all thanks to Ragas empire of mist, who is hiding us, from even those stronger than us.

A minute later, we resumed our journey.

A little over an hour passed, and we reached it. I couldn’t see the magenta wall, but I could see how their faces had lit up; they could sense it with their soul sense.

“We have reached it,” said Leela as we stood in front of the magenta wall. 

The same one we had seen and, like last time, I started to get that feeling again.

“Since we have reached our destination; I would like to have my payment,” I said to Ragas. He looked at me, and thew a black crystal. Immediately, my soul sense seeped inside it.

For a second, a frown appeared on my face, but a moment later, it disappeared as I begin to understand things.

“You have said there are over a hundred exits?” I spoke. “There are fifty there and you are going to use only one,” he said back.

I didn’t say anything to that.

“Still, if you stick around till, we finish with the place, I will give you the rest,” he said, and I, really loved to say no, but I really want to see what is inside this place, what is giving me this strange feeling.

“I don’t mind, as long as you take me inside,” I replied. Hearing that, a mirthful smile appeared on the face of the horned man.

“You wouldn’t be able to get the benefits of it human; it is blood locked. Only those with the power of art or descendants of those who entered this place before could get the benefits,” 

“I only want to look,” I said. “It is fine,” said Ragas and walked toward the wall before taking out his badge and placing it on it.

Hun!

I saw the badge and a deep shock appeared in my heart.

On that silver badge, there are two emblems. On the top is a bigger one, which is an emblem of the realm of mist. I have seen it many times in books, but the one below is something I am personally familiar with.

“What are those emblems on your badge?” I asked as the entrance begin to open in the wall.

“The first is the emblem of the place I am from, which I am sure you could guess,” he said, rolling his eyes. “The second one belongs to my faction,” he added, with quite a pride in his voice.I think you should take a look at

“I have never seen it before,” I said and the horned man laugh. “It’s because it is young as a baby,” 

Instead of getting angry, Ragas smiled with pride.

“Yes, our faction is young, but it is as powerful as your old and big faction,” said Ragas, making a horned man glare at him.

“Enough chit-chat, let’s enter,” said Leela, as the gate opened, and walked toward the entrance. I followed after them, with a storm of thoughts raging in my mind.

Soon, we entered inside, and I could see a large magenta disk inside. Inside me, a broken plant seemed to be stored.

To my surprise, there are already some people sitting on the disk, covered in the disk’s energy. All natives, of course, and they didn’t even look as we entered, or they might have seen us.

The disk is covered in light pink energy; one will have to get past it, to get to the disk.

Ragas and the two looked around before walking toward the blue-crystal block and stopped in front of it.

Leela didn’t waste any time and placed her hand on it and I could feel her pouring the power of her inside it. 

As she did, it turned green.

Hun!

The next moment, she did something surprising. She created a small wound and drop the blood on it. 

A moment later, a phantom of a young-looking horned man appeared, bearing a lot of resemblance between the two. For a moment, before disappearing.

“Why blood? From what I could see, you could enter with the power of your art,” I said, and the horned man glared at me.

“Not everybody has arts. It is for people like me. Adding the blood creates a blood link. As long as those with grand arts add their blood, their descendants, who didn’t comprehend the art, would also be able to enter inside.”

“Though the benefits for people like me are far less than those with art; it is still extremely beneficial,” said Jeh and dropped his blood.

The same thing happened; the block turned red, and a phantom of a youngish horn appeared for a moment before disappearing.

Ragas appeared in front of it and placed its hand on it. It turned green before dropping a drop of blood on it. The moment it did, the block turned red, and the phantom appeared.

If seeing the familiar emblem had shaken my heart earlier. Seeing the phantom, an earthquake had descended.

I have seen that man many times; not man itself, but photos. There was an enormous portrait of him in the pyramid and the cities named after him; he is one of the most powerful men who came out of our world. 

Part of the same generation as Ramona Hawthorn.

He is Cassian Lockwood, the most illustrated leader of Mistson. Though, I think, my mother had beaten him to it.

“See you soon Mike,” said Ragas, and walked toward the energy wall with horned siblings.

I nodded absentmindedly and appeared in front of the block, before pricking my finger and dropping the blood on it.

It turned red, and the phantom of Cassian Lockwood appeared above it for a second.

The blood of Cassian Lockwood also flows through my veins. My mother is a descendant of him.

“Fuck me!” said Jeh and when I looked, I saw all three of them looking at me with shock. Especially Ragas, who is frozen in his place.