Celestienne had been walking for six days, following the direction Syris gave her towards the mountain that held the answers.
"Ugh, why did I forget to ask how long it would take to get to that mountain?" Celestienne sighed, regretting her oversight.
"Well, even if it takes ten days or a week, I won't give up until I find the secret." Her eyes sparkled with burning determination.
She quickened her pace, ignoring the fatigue that was starting to creep in. The beautiful scenery along the way to Mount Calacirya slightly cheered her heart.
"Wow, the view on this mountain is truly breathtaking!" Her eyes twinkled, admiring the beauty of nature.
"Should I take a break for a bit?" She hesitated, between continuing the journey or indulging her tired body.
However, she shook her head quickly, dismissing the temptation to rest. She had promised herself not to stop before reaching the mountain.
"Syris mentioned the name of the mountain... what was it again?"
She tried to remember the name of the mountain Syris mentioned, but her mind felt blank. The harder she tried, the more her head ached. Finally, she decided to rest for a moment, hoping her mind would become clearer.
"I can't force myself anymore. Thinking too much is making me exhausted."
As she closed her eyes, a large bear suddenly attacked from behind. Celestienne opened her eyes, surprised by the monster's presence.
"Ugh... why does there have to be a monster bothering me?" She grumbled irritably.
The bear slashed at a tree with its sharp claws, but Celestienne had already disappeared from there. The bear searched for her whereabouts in confusion.
"Hey, I'm behind you!" Celestienne's voice sounded cold.
The bear turned around, but it was too late to dodge. Celestienne slashed it with her sword, a quick and deadly movement.
SWOOSH!
Celestienne stood in a cool pose, right foot forward, left foot back, right hand holding the sword with a cold gaze.
"How dare you try to attack me with those claws, you stupid bear." She shook her head, looking down on her opponent.
She sheathed her sword and turned towards her equipment bag. As her hand touched the bag, she remembered the name of the mountain Syris mentioned.
"Calacirya! That's right, Syris mentioned Mount Calacirya." Her eyes sparkled, filled with happiness for successfully remembering the name of the mountain.
She ran as fast as lightning, filled with the spirit to reach her destination soon.
"I have to get to Calacirya quickly!"
So fast that a monster passing near her was instantly split in two.
"Oops... sorry, monster. I'm just passing through. Heheheh." She chuckled softly, flashing a sly smile.
She refocused on Calacirya, which now looked closer and closer. Without her realizing it, a group of people calling themselves "Union" were following her from afar.
"Wait for me, clue!"
Dust billowed behind Celestienne as she ran towards Calacirya, leaving a trail of smoke rising into the sky.
At the entrance of Mount Calacirya, Celestienne was panting, but also happy that she had managed to reach her destination in five days.
"Finally made it. But before that, I have to clean up this trash that keeps following me." Her eyes suddenly turned cold.
She realized that she had been followed all the way to Mount Calacirya. She sighed, preparing herself to face her pursuers.
"Alright, let's have a little fun." A sly smile graced her face.
The Union members were confused by Celestienne's behavior. They lost track of her in an instant.
"Hey, don't lose her!" A Union member whispered.
As they searched for Celestienne, they suddenly heard a voice from above. They looked up and saw Celestienne smiling slyly from the top of a tree.
"Yo, long time no see! How are you guys?" Celestienne greeted them with a warm tone, but her smile held a threat.
"Since when have you been up there, Celestienne?" A Union member asked in disbelief.
Celestienne just smirked. "Since earlier. You guys have been stalking me all the way to Mount Calacirya." She replied casually.
"Since earlier? So, what we've been seeing all this time was just your shadow technique?" The Union members' expressions showed incredible shock.
Celestienne continued to smile, while the Union members panicked and knelt before her.
"Forgive us, Princess Celestienne! We're just following orders from our leader. Forgive us!" They begged sincerely.
Celestienne thought for a moment, weighing whether to forgive them or not. After a while, she flashed a sly smile.
"Alright, I'll give you a chance. But, tell me where your main base is located." She said as she jumped down from the tree.
The Union members' eyes sparkled, hoping to get a chance to escape. However, they knew that leaking information about the main base would be fatal for them.
"I know. You can't leak the main base, because you'll explode, right?" Celestienne whispered in the ear of one of the Union members, while smiling mockingly.
The Union member swallowed hard, feeling goosebumps all over his body from fear.
"Damn, why am I getting goosebumps? Celestienne is really a terrifying monster." He thought in a panic.
All the Union members remained kneeling, not daring to lift their heads. Some of them started to shed tears.
"How is it? Are you going to tell me where your main base is located?"
"Alright, we'll tell you. But promise, after we tell you, you'll let us go. Agreed?"
"Yes, I agree." Celestienne replied with an evil smile.
She told the Union members to lift their heads, while smiling friendly.
"Alright, tell me now. If not, you know the consequences, right?" Her eyes turned red, emitting an aura of terrifying anger.
"Y-yes, we won't lie." A Union member replied with a trembling tone.
The Union members began to talk about their main base in detail, without hiding anything.
"Why isn't my heart exploding?" A Union member wondered inwardly.
"Are you looking for this?" Celestienne showed a terrifying caterpillar in her hand.
"What? Why is that caterpillar in Celestienne's hand?" The Union members looked confused.
"Quick, tell me more."
The Union members continued to talk about their main base, feeling relieved that no consequences had befallen them.
Celestienne listened carefully, even though in her heart she felt disgusted. She was forced to do this in order to attack Caelvorn Umbra's main base directly.
"Just wait, Caelvorn Umbra. I'll make sure you disappear from this world." She thought with full of revenge.
After the Union members finished telling all the information about the main base, Celestienne stood up with an evil smile on her face.
"Why are you smiling like that?" The Union members asked in confusion.
"Thank you for telling me where your main base is located. You must think that I'm naive and innocent, right? Unfortunately, I'm not an innocent human, but a monster hiding behind a human mask." Her eyes emitted a terrifying aura, making the Union members shudder in fear.
The Union members screamed in despair, regretting their decision to trust Celestienne.
"We shouldn't have trusted a monster so easily. Damn!" A Union member grumbled irritably.
As the Union members sighed in resignation, Celestienne turned and walked towards the entrance of Mount Calacirya, with a happy smile on her face.
"So, this is the place Syris described. The clue must be here."
She immediately began to look for the clue in question. However, she found nothing at the end of the wall, only an ordinary stone.
"What is this? Is Syris lying to me?"
Annoyed, Celestienne banged her head against the wall. That's when she saw a picture carving on the floor where she was standing.
"What is this picture? Why is it under my feet?" She wondered with curiosity.
Celestienne touched the head of the carving. Suddenly, the floor collapsed, creating a large hole. Celestienne fell into the hole while screaming:
"AHHHHHH!!"
Her scream echoed inside the cave, bouncing back at her. As her ears rang from her own scream, she saw a light down there.
She saw walls made of very strong black metal.
Celestienne realized that the carving was not just art, but a clue to the secret of this world.
"Could it be, this is all the clue?" Her eyes sparkled with joy.
Celestienne stepped towards the carving, wanting to examine it more closely.
However, as she touched the carving, Celestienne disappeared from the mysterious cave, as if swallowed by the earth.
---
Inside the Stone Carving.
Inside the picture carving, Celestienne couldn't see anything because there was no light.
"Where is this? Why am I in the living room?" She wondered in confusion.
As she walked carefully towards the TV room, she saw a woman reading a novel, her face covered by the book.
Just as Celestienne was about to approach, the Sword Spirit surprised her by touching her shoulder.
"Woah, you scared me!" Celestienne was angry.
Celestienne's scream woke the woman up. Celestienne panicked, but tried to calm herself.
"Alright, I mustn't panic." She slapped both of her cheeks to wake herself up.
As the woman lowered her book, her face began to be seen. Celestienne's heart pounded.
As the woman's entire face was revealed, Celestienne was shocked. The woman was her own sister.
"Yo, my little sister! How are you? Are you doing well?"
Celestienne couldn't believe what she was seeing. She stood still like a statue.
"My little sister? Why are you silent? Come on, let's chat."
Celestienne was still frozen, but she heard her sister's voice asking her to chat. She nodded slightly.
Her sister pulled Celestienne's hand hard, taking her somewhere else.
Celestienne came to her senses. She found herself in the living room.
"Alright, I'll get straight to the point, because we don't have much time. You must be happy that you managed to enter another world, but wake up from this illusion, my little sister."
Her sister's words made Celestienne scared. The aura she emitted was too terrifying.
As she was about to answer, she was back in the cave. The picture carving under her feet had disappeared. She felt very annoyed.
"Why didn't I get a chance to answer my sister's question?"
Celestienne cried loudly, her tears flooding her clothes until they were soaking wet. She felt lost and confused, not knowing what to do.
The Sword Spirit, who was seeing Celestienne cry with such strong emotions for the first time, felt pity. He almost shed a tear.
After finishing crying, Celestienne came out of the cave with red and swollen eyes.
As Celestienne arrived outside the mountain, she stared at the sun that was starting to set, replaced by the beautiful moon.
"I will save this world. After that, I will find out about this mystery. I swear." Her eyes radiated determination and burning ambition.
---
Outside the Universe.
Outside the universe, a young man was observing Celestienne crying carefully. He grinned sinisterly.
"The story is almost starting. Celestienne Aurelith, or rather, Ahn Jungwo."
The young man continued to watch Celestienne crying until he felt disgusted.
"Alright, I'd better just wait for Jungwo here. Hahahahah."
He laughed out loud. The room he was in was pitch black, without sunlight or lights. His room was messy and unkempt.
---
Epilogue.
The city looked different. Celestienne–Ahn Jungwo saw the earth she left behind now turned into a concrete and steel hell.
As the demon king stared at her in a dream, she immediately woke up. Her breath was short, sweat dripped on her body, her heart pounded.
"Why did that dream feel so real?" she whispered,
fear gripped her heart. Why did the world I left behind before I reincarnated turn into hell?
---
Chapter 16 Part 2 Completed.