The Grey Ghost: Book Two of the Archaic Ring Series

by Reed R. Stevens

  “You! What’s that you’re holding?”

  “I—keep it between us and we’ll split whatever’s inside.”

  Even if they were injured, the pair would sense them within a second or two. Without thinking, Nolan used his remaining strength to summon one of the many casks of gunpowder he’d made with Jason at the alchemy shop. With a grunt, he activated the snapfire bean at the centre of the container and counted to two before he hurled it right where the disciples were about to step.

  “Wha—”

  A thundering crack muffled the disciple’s dying breath as more smoke than Nolan had hoped for began climbing its way upward, both life signals abruptly disappearing. Barrels aside, the casks contained more than enough firepower to completely total a small car. Splinters of wood and burning leaves floated to the ground amidst the smoke, some scattered debris even landing around Nolan and a serious-looking Nyla.

  Hmm?

  He knelt down to pick up a smoking object that’d been blown over by the explosion. A spatial bag? Not giving it much thought, he picked it up and stowed it away before he and Nyla resumed their panicked flight.

  Nolan felt cold, sluggish and unfeeling, as if someone had fished his battered body out of an icy lake. The cold was probably due to blood loss, which scared the hell out of him. Every step he took left a sprinkle of scarlet in his wake, not to mention that Nyla’s clothes were stained with enough of his blood that it looked as if she were also injured.

  His thoughts drifted about like flotsam on a receding tide, his mind blanking out for dozens of seconds at a time as he dedicated all of his focus toward putting one heavy foot in front of the other.

  “Change directions,” he coughed. “In case others follow…”

  He’d barely finished speaking when he sensed nine life signals rapidly closing in on the spot where he’d just thrown the deadly cask. With such numbers, they could only be the city lord’s men.

  Will they leave us alone? He and Nyla continued to stumble through bushes and brambles, their pace excruciatingly slow.

  His heart jolted as he sensed the soldiers change their course, with a rush of snapping branches and jangling armour. The newcomers were heading toward them.

  As they desperately fled, the raw flesh of Nolan’s injured arm grazed the rough bark of a stout tree, which caused a hoarse cry to escape from his lips. To his horror, his vision began to fade at an alarming rate.

  Stay awake! You can’t…not here…

  With his mind in disarray, a cool energy spilled forth from the ring within his chest that seemed to blot out the pain of his injuries. He belatedly realized that the sudden eruption of energy wasn’t actually assuaging his agonies, but that he’d reached his limit and was in the midst of blacking out. He could no longer feel his body.

  “Nyla…get out of here…” He tried to break her hold on him. The last things he saw were her bloodshot eyes, still beautiful as they dripped with sorrow, her jaw clenched as she pulled him along with as much care as urgency allowed. His final thought was one of guilt, for he knew that she wasn’t going to leave him behind.

  His vision went black—and then it turned white.

  Chapter Seventeen: Unexpected Return

  Nolan drifted in and out of consciousness for an indeterminable amount of time. His mind was blank, his vision a bleak dreamscape of penetrating darkness. The only perceptions that tugged at his dormant psyche were the occasional wisps of an unknown, fleeting voice, though he had difficulty perceiving these sounds. He heard no words and deciphered no sentiments, for the distant echoes always hovered just beyond reach whenever his thoughts started to align into a ghost of coherency.

  When his eyes finally opened, all he saw was a vast expanse of grey. What was this? Had he died?

  This greyness…

  “—olan…”

  His head pounded as if a tiny person were trying to smash their way out of his skull, while his body was cold and unfeeling. He tried to get a look at his surroundings, but his head and neck were unresponsive.

  “Nolan!”

  Nyla’s tear-stricken face appeared in his line of sight, which lit up the grey world like a warm ray of sunshine on a cool autumn day.

  “Ny…la…” His throat was dry, his voice gnarled.

  “Don’t speak,” she ordered. “Save your strength.” She seemed at her wit’s end, her dark eyes showing signs of frustration as she helplessly gazed around at a backdrop that Nolan couldn’t see. “Nolan…I don’t know where we are. I don’t know what to do!”

  That’s right. The bandit camp…we were in a forest. His clouded eyes stared straight ahead, focusing on the grey sky that hung above them like the lifeless ceiling of a giant room. We’re in the glade…we have to be.

  “Fountain…” he coughed, the sudden movement lighting a fire within his left arm. “Nyla…the fountain. Middle of the field…bring me…to the fountain.”

  “What?” she looked over her shoulder and then back at him. “I don’t see any—”

  “Courtyard…” he croaked. “Cabin…take me…” His vision darkened.

  The palpitating fear within his heart dissipated slightly when his eyes peeled open once more. Nyla was dragging him across a familiar swath of simple cobblestones, his left arm screaming with every step.

  Soon enough, she gently laid him down alongside the marvelous fountain that he’d yearned for over the past several weeks, even in his dreams. Most of it was obscured from his upward line of sight, though he could still see the fantastical rainbows that decorated the shimmering waters like low-riding clouds hugging a mountain’s peak.

  “Put me…in the water…”

  Nyla didn’t question him, simply rushed to lower him inside.

  A pervasive wave of tingling relief washed over his body the second that he slipped beneath the fountain’s mystical waters. Teary-eyed and confused, Nyla kept his head above the surface, cradling his face in her arms as the miraculous waters lulled him into a comforting state of serenity.

  Nolan’s mind cleared with every passing minute, and it didn’t take long for him to regain control of his limbs. Just under an hour after being placed into the fountain, he managed to get up and step out onto the cobblestones without any assistance. He moved his left arm around for a minute, flexing his muscles and clenching his hand as he marvelled at the smooth skin. He’d made a complete recovery. The missing sleeve of his tattered shirt and the flushed skin of his left arm were all that remained of his previous injuries, along with the lingering itch of his regenerated cells.

  “Nolan, you…” Nyla stared at him with a dumfounded expression, though her shock quickly melded into a look of unrivaled gratitude. Without another word, she threw her arms around him and held him close, whimpering into his chest like a frightened child as her shoulders sagged with relief.

  He hugged her back. “I’m fine.”

  In fact, he was more than fine. Despite his injuries, his dantian had actually been filled to capacity thanks to the fountain water. The Origin Energy of the glade was as dense as ever, so he felt better by the minute now that he’d stepped out of the fountain.

  Despite the events of the day, Nolan felt a strong urge to train now that he was surrounded by a ridiculous amount of stimulating energies.

  In order to cultivate, one’s dantian had to be filled with energy. Each level of cultivation was further divided into three minor classifications; the initial, middle, and peak phases. These distinctions were made based on the density of one’s inner essence, so they generally didn’t apply to those beneath the Profound Entry stage. Nolan, however, was different, and currently wasn’t far off from reaching the middle phase of Body Nourishment’s fourth level. No, before that, he’d have to consolidate the dormant memories he received from the stone monument back when he first happened into this place, a decision that he’d put off in order to deal with the constant distractions of the outside world.

  “Quin’s dead. Nolan, they killed him. They made me watch!”
/>   Nyla’s body quivered as she cried, and the light tremors brought him back to reality. Their embrace had gradually tightened as her whimpers turned into sobs. He’d never seen her cry like this before. She was a strong and forthright girl, perhaps one of the only good-natured people he’d met since he ‘migrated’ to Venara. Seeing her like this knocked him down enough pegs to make him feel lower than ever before. What’s wrong with me, thinking about cultivating right now? I didn’t even ask about her brother. When did I become such an ass? She had just lived through a waking nightmare where her last relative was murdered in front of her. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how she might feel at the moment.

  “Nyla, look at me.” He tilted her chin upward with a finger. “I’m sorry for what happened. Quin didn’t deserve that and neither did you.” She tried to lower her head but he kept it in place with his hand. “Quin always put you first. He did everything within his power to protect you. I’m sure he can rest easy knowing that you’re alive and safe, and that the leader of those disciples is dead.”

  He’d hoped to calm her down with a few gentle reassurances, but his words had the opposite effect. She fell to her knees and folded in on herself, shedding quiet tears beside the sparkling fountain. Had he said something wrong?

  A couple minutes passed as she continued to cry. Nolan had no idea how to console her, so he knelt down and held her against his chest. Her breathing eventually stabilized, her tears fading along with the frequent sniffles and groans of grief that had rattled her body for nearly half an hour. He didn’t let go even after she’d regained her composure, and neither did she.

  He kept visualizing Quin’s sturdy visage, until a strangling knot formed in his gut as his spirits plummeted to a devastating low. Her brother might have been rough around the edges and quick to anger, but the fact remained that he’d loved and protected his sister with all he had, and he’d even saved Nolan’s life back when the Interspatial Migration had just occurred. They hadn’t exactly been friends, but the man had looked out for him and the others, and always took care of them in his own way.

  I need to distract her.

  Before he could think of something to say, she tilted her head to look up at him. “You’ve been here before, haven’t you? That’s how you knew about the fountain.”

  “Once,” he said. “I spent a lot of time here, though.”

  “What is this place? It’s…strange.”

  “I’m not sure. I only wound up here on accident the first time.”

  “But not this time?”

  “This time too, but it’s complicated.” He drew a long breath. “Remember when that Bron guy tried to murder me and Jason?”

  She broke their longstanding embrace and scooted back a bit so that she could face him directly. “Is this related to the black slab of stone that you found back in that forest?”

  “About that…”

  Nolan told her the truth about what had really happened after Bron’s attempt on his life. The sudden appearance of the demonic fox, its subsequent clash with the giant mantis, and the archaic ring he’d found floating in the dead canine’s blood after the short but ferocious struggle—he didn’t leave out a single detail in his narration.

  “So the black stone was something that you found in this place?” Nyla was strangely calm as she listened to him recount his experiences, especially considering that she’d just cried for who knew how long. “To think that you spent months in this field in the few days that you were gone.” She placed a hand on his chest. “That ring you found must be a world-class treasure. I don’t want to think about what would happen if word got out that something so amazing existed.”

  “That’s why you’re the only person I’ve told.” He climbed to his feet and offered her a hand. “Come on, I’ll show you around. The demonic beasts I told you about are still here. Wait until you see them, you’ll cry for me and Jason.”

  He helped her up and then led her out of the isolated courtyard and back into the desolate field. At first he’d been shocked that Nyla had wound up here as well, but the perfectly preserved corpses of the demonic beasts afforded him a subtle realization. As far as its transportation ability went, the ring seemed capable of drawing in organic matter from his immediate surroundings even if he wasn’t in direct contact with the objects in question. If that’s true, though, then why didn’t any plants get caught up in the transportation?

  “Heavens! You must have been scared.”

  Nolan stared down at the two carcasses. “Yeah, I damn near wet myself.”

  Neither spoke for a moment, which allowed the penetrating silence to grow more prominent. A short while later and they were walking along the treeline of the colourless forests that surrounded the glade, Nyla marvelling at the strange sight with a slight wariness.

  “Why is the forest so dreary and lifeless? I see plants and leaves and things, but nothing’s moving.”

  “I’m not sure,” Nolan said. “But last time I was here I managed to learn a few things about this place. I spent most of my time cultivating, but I took a lot of walks and had a lot of time to think about things. That’s when I noticed that the trees were slowly starting to look healthy, normal. Not just that, the stronger I became the farther into the forest that I could go.”

  “What do you mean ‘farther’?”

  Seeing Nyla’s curious frown, Nolan ran off into forest. Before he could take a single step into the lifeless area that lay a couple metres beyond the treeline, he was met with the familiar repelling force that’d sent him flying backwards many times during his previous visit. Like every other time he’d tried, an invisible, vicious backlash sent him tumbling past Nyla as he kicked up a small trail of dirt.

  “Are you okay?” She hurried over to him and helped him up. “What was that?”

  “I’m a lot better than I was an hour ago, I’ll tell you that for free.” He dusted off his clothes. “If you try to enter the grey areas, you get thrown out. I figured it’d be easier just to show you.”

  “But you just walked into the grey area.”

  What?

  Thanks to all the training he’d done, he was able to walk about two metres into the forest. Everything within this extended boundary had gained colour, but in Nyla’s eyes, these areas still appeared grey. Could it be that the distance one could go into the forest was determined by their cultivation base? Hold up, that means there’s a chance that this whole forest is full of colour, but I just can’t see it. Why, then, was there no wind? Even the trees in the areas that had regained life—he definitely sensed life force within them—didn’t move, not a single leaf, by even a millimetre.

  Now that he’d returned, he fully believed the words of the old man that had passed the Ancestral Body Technique on to him. He hadn’t directly said so, but he’d made it clear that the glade and the surrounding forests weren’t located on Venara. The first thing he’d said came to mind.

  Who knew that the first person to discover my inheritance would be from neither Nia nor Venara?

  With the implication that he came from Earth, along with the fact that Venara was mentioned in the same context, could only mean that Nia was a third, entirely separate world.

  “Nolan?”

  “Sorry, I was thinking about something.” He turned around and backtracked to the demonic beasts.

  Nyla quickly followed, her lips pursed in apparent thought.

  “You only managed to take a few steps into the grey area before it repulsed you, something I doubt I could do. I’m just wondering why we can both walk freely throughout this field.” She gave him a serious look, her dark eyes capturing his attention in their usual way. “Do you think there’s something important about this place?”

  “I had the same thought when I first showed up here. I figure all this has to do with the core cultivation method that I found in that courtyard, or at least a lot of it. The one who’d left the technique behind called that big stone an Inheritance Monument.”

  It was impres
sive that she could think with such a level head despite having been forced to watch the death of her last remaining relative just a short while ago. The shock of abruptly appearing in an entirely different place, especially in such a bizarre environment, must have temporarily distracted her from the trauma.

  “Perhaps it’s that fountain?”

  “I’m not sure. Either way, no matter how weird this place is, it’s safe.”

  Once they returned to the bodies of the demonic beasts, Nolan sliced off a hefty chunk of meat from the fox’s carcass. Back in the courtyard, he knelt down next to a large pile of branches and sticks that lay stacked just outside of the windowless, dusky cabin. He’d attempted to start a fire with friction at least a dozen times during his previous stay, though he hadn’t succeeded a single time. Looking down at the little fire pit that he’d long since forgotten about, he produced a snapfire bean, activated it, and tossed it into the pile of twigs and branches.

  “Honestly, I had to live off this meat for months. Finally, I’ll get to see how it tastes once it’s cooked.”

  “Nolan...” Nyla glanced around. “Is this really okay? Do we have time to be preparing a meal right now?”

  He nearly smirked, though ended up wearing a bittersweet frown. “Honestly, we have all the time in the world.”

  Chapter Eighteen: The Opening Months

  Two weeks had passed since Nolan had returned to the isolated glade. As was the case with his previous visit, he spent most of his time cultivating in the courtyard at the field’s centre. He grew stronger with each passing day, as his dantian became denser and more accommodating of his ever-increasing inner essence reserves.

  He’d killed a lot of people with explosives during the confrontation with those bandits and Bloodhand Sect disciples, an eventual realization that left him disturbed and withdrawn. He’d experienced a ridiculous amount of crazy situations since he arrived on Venara, things that were never supposed to happen. Although he had managed to overcome each hurdle by the skin of his teeth, each struggle had stripped away a piece of him and always left him questioning his character.