321 Silence

The empire had demanded Ravenwood to build three Astral Lighthouses as the sole condition for their survival after Terra’s conquest. Negotiation was not an option.

“Don’t mistake this as a threat, but a declaration. We’ll construct a lighthouse on your ashes if you refuse,” Great Sage Yeats, the first speaker of the Astral Council, had warned the Forest Elf ruler.

To construct these lighthouses, the empire had destroyed trees, built barriers that hindered growth, used traditional wooden materials for frames, and burned down the forest. The laborers were Forest Elf prisoners of war.

The Forest Elves saw these lighthouses as a symbol of humiliation and conquest. Even today, over 800 years later, few Forest Elves choose to become magic chanters, despite the Astral Lighthouse’s magic power initiation ritual being open to them.

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“You’re an anomaly in my world. You have the ability to communicate with the power of the World Tree, yet you chose to study human magic,” Ebony said to Floral after leaping off the Terror Bird.

The Floral Kane on this side was also such a person. This really made one sigh with emotion.

But instead of responding, Floral gazed up at the towering black lighthouse at the summit.

The Healer Astral Lighthouse resembled a winged scepter entwined by a serpent, with a slim and graceful shape.

Normally, the top of the lighthouse would shine with green and silver light. This allowed magic casters to sense a node that connected with the Astral World’s Healer constellation from an immense distance through the ether domain.

Those born under the Healer constellation could use it to communicate and resonate with the Astral World to guide Creatons from the Astral World to Currere.

However, Floral couldn’t detect any light from the top of the lighthouse or her ether domain.

“Something’s seriously wrong,” Floral concluded after several unsuccessful attempts.

“But this doesn’t concern us, right?”

Floral turned her head at the sound of Ebony’s voice. Her calm demeanor made him uneasy. The tall Beast Spirit Hunter immediately continued, “Even if the lighthouse goes out, we just need to follow Golden Green Avenue east. This place is only a few kilometers away from the Emerald Province’s border stone. It’s like you said… World’s End.”

Floral let out a small sigh and shook her head.

“You’re not wrong, but don’t you think it seems too coincidental?”

As she spoke, she kept her gaze fixed on the lighthouse.

Since the establishment of the Astral Laws centuries ago, the sudden extinguishing of lighthouses could be counted on one hand. Apart from those that were extinguished by the Astral Council due to local uprisings, which severed magical enlightenment and advancement of the local regime, only rare large-scale disasters could cause such a phenomenon.

They had just traveled along Golden Green Avenue to the Ravenwood border for an investigation when the Astral Lighthouse at the last node suddenly went out without warning. Furthermore, there was no sign of tragedy near the Healer Astral Lighthouse. It didn’t seem as though a calamity was about to strike.

Wait… Silence?

“It’s too quiet around here.”

As Ebony spoke, he arched his back slightly, causing the beast tattoo on his body to writhe. A translucent horned skull appeared over his head, resembling that of a deer or lion. The beast’s ears twitched as if attempting to detect any surrounding sounds.

“There’s no noise at all. No chirping insects, no bird calls, no sound of wild beasts treading on branches… There’s absolutely no sound coming from the direction of the lighthouse. It’s dead silent. No, even quieter than dead silence,”

Ebony spoke in a hushed tone.

“I recall that the tower guardian of the Healer constellation is on the verge of attaining the Legendary stage. Furthermore, he has a powerful elite response team under his command. Regardless of what happened, it’s impossible for there to be complete silence.” Floral also lowered her voice.

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There wasn’t even the rustling of leaves in the wind, let alone any living creature sounds.

“What do we do now? You’re not suggesting we investigate that lighthouse, are you?” Ebony asked, his concern evident.

As a hunter, Ebony knew better than to investigate the Astral Lighthouse amidst such bizarre happenings.

For the first time, Floral was taken aback by Ebony’s question. If she had to describe it, it was akin to “Are you out of your mind?”

“Why would you even consider it? An unknown entity that can silently extinguish the Astral Lighthouse and silence the elite mage troops guarding it… We should take a detour, shouldn’t we?”

Ebony, who was inexplicably seen as uncivilized by Floral, stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds before attempting to retort. Who was the one who just said, “I feel uneasy; let’s check what happened near that lighthouse.”

However, as he closed his lips and his vocal cords trembled, no sound came out.

It wasn’t just him; almost instantly, all sound vanished, including his breathing, heartbeat, and even the friction of his clothing.

He felt as though his surroundings had fallen into complete silence. Even the slightest sound disappeared without a trace.

It was a stillness that was even more peaceful than silence.

Dead silence…

Ebony recalled that when he was young, he would close his eyes and cover his ears while waiting for his playmates to hide. Despite his ears being completely blocked, he could still hear a buzzing in his ears.

Yet at this moment, even the ringing in his ears that stemmed from illusions had vanished.

“”

Ebony’s mouth opened and closed as he struggled to say something to Floral, who was walking ahead of him. Yet, after attempting for a while, no sound came out. _{Please visit 𝗳re𝐞𝓌e𝚋n૦ѵ𝗲l. co𝐦}

He couldn’t make a single noise.

Ebony took a few awkward steps forward and patted Floral’s shoulder. It was as if he had stepped into a void without making a sound.

Then, he looked at his hand on her shoulder and felt an odd sensation.

In reality, the sensation wasn’t strange at all. It was simply that he couldn’t hear anything, so he subconsciously believed that he should have patted something thin and soft instead of the dry, hard feeling akin to a mummy’s.

Regardless, even though he patted her shoulder, Floral didn’t turn around. She continued to gaze up at the extinguished Astral Lighthouse without shifting her gaze, which caused Ebony to look up as well.

Then, under their watchful gazes, the magnificent and graceful lighthouse crumbled serenely, similar to a Lego tower whose main foundation had been removed.

Beneath the sickly moon, which resembled a stillborn, a woman shrouded in thick, black smoke floated alone in the air and gazed at them silently.

We’re going to die…

The beast spirits etched onto Ebony’s body immediately came to this grim conclusion the moment they sensed the unknown entity.

The woman’s face lacked a mouth, yet the moment Ebony saw her, he sensed his soul wanting to unleash a terrible scream.

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