Chapter 612: The Well
The man left the wagon without being able to react.
Kael threw him toward the slope but did not stop to confirm the fall. The red seal over the tarp had already progressed too far. Thin lines spread across the sides of the central wagon, connecting every vessel inside to a single activation point near the rear axle.
He struck the roof with his palm.
Scarlet mana passed through the wood.
Not as an explosion.
Kael controlled the force so it entered through the enchantment lines without directly striking the cargo. The entire structure trembled, and the red seal lost intensity for an instant, but it did not disappear.
"Of course it would not be that easy."
The figure on top of the front wagon turned and threw something toward him.
Kael saw a small black disc spinning through the air. He did not know what it was, but instinct told him not to block it. He used Celestial Step and left the roof before the object arrived.
The disc crossed the place where he had been and opened.
A circular shadow exploded across the tarp, tearing away part of the fabric and revealing the inside of the wagon.
Kael reappeared on the ground, running beside the wheels.
He could see the vessels.
They were oval crystals the size of a human head, arranged in rows inside metal supports. Each carried a pale mist within it. Some forms were vague, little more than compressed light. Others had faces.
Men.
Women.
One of them looked like a child.
Kael felt his entire body turn cold.
It was not merely mana.
They were not simple discarded memories.
There were consciousnesses inside.
Some weak. Others awake enough to look through the crystal.
A woman trapped in the nearest vessel moved her lips. Kael heard nothing, but he understood.
Help.
The figure on the front wagon threw another disc.
Kael raised his hand and released a blade of scarlet mana. The projectile was cut before it reached him, exploding into shadow above the road. The impact scattered black stains through the air, and each stain became a small creature similar to the bird used earlier.
Dozens of them opened their eyes.
"Umbra!"
"I saw them."
The shadows beneath the wagons expanded, and Umbra emerged between the wheels. She raised both hands. The darkness around her rose like a wall and swallowed the small creatures before they could spread through the valley.
The enemy on the final wagon used the distraction.
He disappeared into the shadow and emerged behind Kael, already attacking with a short spear. Kael noticed the change in the air, but there was no space to use Celestial Step. The wagon wheel was on one side and the slope on the other.
He turned.
The spearhead passed along his ribs and tore his shirt. Kael seized the shaft with his left hand, pulled the enemy closer, and drove his forehead into the man’s mask.
The mask cracked.
The man staggered.
Kael struck him in the abdomen with a short punch but controlled the force. He needed them alive. The impact folded the enemy forward, and Kael caught the back of his neck before he fell.
"How do I stop the wagons?"
The man breathed with difficulty.
Kael tightened his grip slightly.
"You heard me."
The enemy smiled behind the broken mask.
"You do not."
Red lines appeared along his neck.
Kael recognized the memory destruction seal and placed his marked hand against the man’s chest before it could complete.
The reaction was stronger this time.
For an instant, the entire network opened before Kael.
He saw the six escorts.
The vessels.
The seals.
And one simple order repeating inside all of them.
Transport everything to the Well.
If the cargo is captured, consume it.
Kael pushed his mana against the seal. The enemy tried to pull away, but it was already too late. The mark on Kael’s arm had connected to the structure for only long enough to interrupt the activation.
Umbra appeared behind the man and tore the dark thread from his shadow.
His body went limp.
Kael threw him to the side of the road.
"Second one."
Umbra looked at the fallen enemy.
"This one is alive too."
"That is the idea."
"You are becoming strange."
"I am trying to be efficient."
A deep sound came from the central wagon.
The crystals inside began to vibrate.
Interrupting the outer seal had not stopped the activation. It had only delayed it. The red lines had changed direction and were now drawing energy from the trapped consciousnesses.
Kael felt the voices through the mark.
They were not complete words. They were fear, confusion, and pain mixed together.
The man Kael had thrown from the central wagon reappeared on top of it through the shadow, his injured arm hanging at his side. Kael had nearly broken his wrist, but he could still use magic.
"Move away from the cargo," he ordered.
Kael looked at the vessels.
"No."
"You do not understand what you are carrying."
"There are people inside."
"Remnants."
The answer made Kael’s scarlet mana spread across the ground.
The enemy noticed the change.
"Incomplete memories. Damaged spirits. Nothing that can return to a body."
"Then why are you transporting them?"
The man did not answer.
Kael understood.
"Because they are still useful for something."
The front wagon began to accelerate. The final one did the same. The convoy was separating, trying to divide his attention. The remaining controllers probably intended to take at least part of the cargo to its destination.
Kael took the communication crystal.
"Amelia."
The answer came immediately.
"Situation?"
"Six wagons confirmed. Hundreds of vessels. There are consciousnesses inside. The cargo is being activated for consumption."
"Can you stop it?"
"I can delay it. I do not know how to shut it down."
Elion entered the communication without warning.
"Describe the seal."
Kael looked at the red lines.
"One core near the rear axle. The lines climb through the wood and divide among the vessels. There are six smaller points on the wheels."
"The points on the wheels are not for propulsion. They are anchors."
"How does that help?"
"Break the anchors, but not the core. If you break the core while the vessels are connected, it may drain all of them at once."
Kael looked at the moving wheels.
"Finally, a useful instruction."
"I am always useful."
He disconnected before Elion could continue.
"Umbra, take the last wagon. Break the seals on the wheels. Do not touch the axle."
"And you?"
"Central and front."
"There are three left."
Kael looked at the wagons moving away.
"Not for long."
He used Celestial Step.
He disappeared from the road and emerged beside the rear wheel of the central wagon. This time, he did not stop completely. He maintained the movement, matching the vehicle’s speed, and struck the first red point with two fingers covered in mana.
The seal broke.
The wheel lost its connection to the shadow but continued turning from the accumulated momentum.
Kael moved to the second.
Then the third.
The problem came at the fourth.
The figure on top of the central wagon jumped and landed in front of him, using a long blade of solidified blood. The strike came low, aimed at his legs. Kael used a short Celestial Step to the side, but the enemy predicted the movement and changed the direction of the blade.
Liza had been right.
His body still revealed part of his intention.
Kael had to interrupt the advance midway. His foot touched the ground incorrectly, pressure traveled up his ankle, and the blade cut his thigh.
The wound was not deep.
But it was enough to irritate him.
The enemy attacked again, this time aiming for the neck.
Kael did not use the technique.
He waited.
The blade came close, and only then did he tilt his head, allowing the edge to pass a few centimeters from his face. He seized the man’s injured wrist and squeezed exactly where he had hurt it earlier.
The enemy lost strength in his hand.
Kael took the sword from him.
He did not keep it.
He broke the blade over his knee and struck the man’s face with the broken handle.
The masked man fell against the side of the wagon.
"Speed amplifies experience," Kael murmured. "I understand."
He placed one hand on the enemy’s chest and released a short discharge of mana. The man tore through the tarp and fell between the vessel supports, unconscious, without striking any of them.
Kael returned to the wheels.
Fourth anchor.
Fifth.
Sixth.
When the last one broke, the shadow beneath the central wagon disappeared. The vehicle lost its magical propulsion. The wheels continued turning for several meters before beginning to slow down.
But the road was sloped.
The wagon would not stop on its own.
Kael ran to the front, grabbed the wooden structure, and planted his feet against the ground. The full weight came against him. Wood, metal, vessels, magic, and accumulated speed.
The stone beneath his boots cracked.
His body was pushed several meters.
Kael gritted his teeth.
The mark on his arm burned. His ankle protested. His muscles were still tense from the repeated uses of Celestial Step.
Even so, he held on.
The wagon dragged him another two meters.
Then it stopped.
Kael remained with both hands against the wood, breathing deeply.
Inside the vessels, the faces were still moving.
Alive.
Or close enough.
"One."
The front wagon was already nearing the exit of the valley.
Kael released the structure and looked toward Umbra. She stood on top of the final wagon, tearing away the fourth anchor while two shadows tried to seize her legs.
The wagon following behind the central one began to turn aside.
The third escort appeared on top of it and launched red threads toward the stopped wagon. The lines attached themselves to the core on the central axle.
He intended to pull the activation into another wagon.
Kael felt the network open again.
The man’s voice came from a distance.
"You cannot save everyone."
Kael looked at him.
"I do not need to."
The enemy appeared confused.
Kael raised his marked hand.
"I only need to reach you."
Celestial Step responded.
This time, the enemy saw the initial movement. He prepared the shadow at the point where he believed Kael would appear.
But Kael did not move toward him in a straight line.
He used a short step to the side, touched the slope with one foot, and changed direction with the second impulse. The first movement created a false intention. The second broke the reading.
Kael appeared above the wagon.
He came down with his knee against the man’s shoulder.
Both of them broke through the roof.
The impact destroyed the wood, but Kael turned his body so the enemy received all the force. The vessel supports trembled but remained intact.
The man tried to sink into the wagon’s shadow.
Kael seized his throat.
"No."
The shadow began covering his hand.
Kael tightened his grip.
"You are going to tell me where the Well is."
The enemy stopped.
It was a minimal reaction.
But it existed.
"So that is its name," Kael continued. "Transport everything to the Well."
The man’s eyes moved behind the mask.
Kael smiled without humor.
"Thank you."
The memory seal began to activate.
This time, Umbra was too far away.
Kael did not hesitate.
He placed his marked hand directly against the enemy’s forehead.
The connection opened.
The memories came in disorder.
A wide tunnel.
A fallen tower between mountains.
Hundreds of vessels fitted into walls.
A circular opening in the ground surrounded by runes.
Something enormous breathing below.
Kael saw a figure in a white cloak standing beside the Well.
Not the face.
Only a pale hand holding a cup marked with the symbol of the First Blood.
"Bring everything you can," the voice said. "The incomplete memories will be enough to awaken it."
The connection tried to close.
Kael forced it farther.
Pain crossed his head. Blood ran from his nose. The mark on his arm climbed toward his shoulder, burning beneath Sylphie’s green protection.
His connection with her reacted.
Kael felt Sylphie’s presence pulling from far away.
Not yet.
He held the connection for one more second.
He saw the map.
Not all of it.
But he recognized the shape of the mountains and an ancient tower marked on Irelia’s map.
Then he released it.
The enemy’s seal went dark, and the man lost consciousness.
Kael remained kneeling for an instant, breathing with difficulty.
Sylphie’s voice came through the bond, not through the crystal.
"Kael."
"I am fine."
The green energy tightened around his arm.
"You are lying."
"A little."
"I am going to pull you back."
"Wait."
Kael took the crystal with his free hand.
"Amelia."
"Kael, the mark is advancing. Sylphie felt it."
"I found the destination."
The silence on the other side changed.
It was no longer concern.
It was complete attention.
"Speak."
"A fallen tower in the mountains, near a circular opening. They call it the Well. They are using the consciousnesses to awaken something."
Irelia spoke in the background.
"There are three ancient towers in that region."
"One stands between two mountains with divided peaks. There is a dry river to the east and a mining road entering from the south."
There was the sound of papers being moved.