Knights and Magic Wand

Under the gloomy and twisted dark canopy, a terrifyingly grey forest stretched as far as the eye could see, and deep within the dimly lit wooded land, the dark thicket rustled with the wind, sounding eerily like ghostly whispers.

Piled upon each other, the trees resembled a labyrinth with no signs of life within the profound thicket, void of any animal or insect sounds. The only presence was an eerie, decaying scent lingering around Leon and his two companions.

The trio murmured something under their breath, Azeryan and Lokhak were reciting prayers from the Holy Sun Church.

As for Leon, who led the group, what came out of his mouth was far more bizarre—if one listened carefully, they would discover he was softly humming... "The Internationale."

It was a workaround, as Leon, as a transmigrator, didn't believe in the Holy Sun and the Holy Prophet of Seryan, so the prayers from the church memorized by the original owner of the body couldn't help him concentrate and stop his thoughts from wandering.

Thus, racking his brain, the only thing he came up with that could consolidate his will and, thus, decrease the likelihood of attracting a "Demon's" attention, was relying on those belief-filled things from his previous life.

A round of "The Internationale," followed by the national anthem, and when tired, reciting the twenty-four characters of the True Word over and over... Whether it made sense or not, according to the mysterious voice, as long as it could keep his emotions and will steady and focused, it would work.

So each of them recited their own and simply moved forward, turning when encountering terrain obstacles, turning back when entering a dead-end, with no real sense of direction or destination. In this strange realm, north, south, east, and west were all meaningless, even their sense of time became blurry and unclear.

This seemed not just a delusion caused by losing one's way. Inside the "Spirit-like Field," all perceptions appeared even more vague and chaotic than in reality.

...

...At the riverbank some ten minutes earlier—

"I've helped you so many times, how about we make a promise this time?" proposed the mysterious young girl's voice.

"What promise?" Leon countered.

"I'll figure out a way to get you out of here, but in return, you have to promise to help me with something once we're successful."

Without hesitation, Leon nodded in agreement: "I already owe you my life twice over, and from the standpoint of repaying a favor, it's only right. I promise you, as long as it's nothing immoral, I'll try my best to help."

"Alright, it's a deal."

"Now, can you explain in detail what this 'Spirit-like Field' is, and how exactly we're supposed to get out of this damn place?" Leon asked urgently.

"The 'Spirit-like Field', one of the sad fates for a Spirit Realm Mage," said the young girl's voice.

"When a Spirit Realm Mage's control of Chaotic Energy exceeds the threshold that their will and body can endure, the backlash of Chaos Magic will eventually transform them into a gateway between the real world and the Spirit Realm.

The erosion flooding out from behind the gate will step by step contaminate the surrounding reality until the entire real world is dragged into the Spirit Realm..."

"I don't quite understand," Leon said, feeling somewhat impressive but confused by the description, as he was a mundane Earthling.

"The reason for the formation of this domain can't be explained in a few words. After all, you definitely weren't a Mage before you reanimated in this boy's body, so discussing such knowledge about the Spirit Realm with you is pointless," sighed the young girl's voice.

Hearing the other party's astonishing revelation, Leon's heart jolted.

He didn't expect that she had already discovered he wasn't the original owner of this body.

"You know I'm not the original Leon?"

"Isn't that obvious?" the young girl's voice seemed self-evident.

Leon felt a visceral unease at being seen through. Could it be that she could not only communicate with him spiritually but also read his memories?

"Don't be nervous. I just inherited the memories of that deceased boy, just like you," the young girl's voice seemed to detect Leon's reaction and went on to explain. "I've been watching your actions the entire way and naturally could deduce from your behavior that there are differences between you and that dead hunter boy...

Hmm, I know what you're worried about, but rest assured, in my current state, I have no spare energy to read your soul."

That was a relief.

Hearing her say this, whether true or false, Leon chose for the moment to believe her.

Although as a mere Earthly office drone with nothing particularly secretive about him other than the unique origin of an Otherworld transmigrator, it was still better not to disclose one's privacy if possible.

Who hasn't harbored some inconvenient thoughts or a dark history that they'd rather keep hidden since childhood? Some things aren't just socially awkward—they're beyond embarrassing.

"Back to this place, the Cursed Land of legend is said to be boundless—is that true or false?" Leon brought his attention back to the predicament at hand.

"Although the content of the legend is full of fallacies, regretfully, this realm is indeed far more dangerous than the folk tales suggest.

You'd better pray that the Spirit Realm Mage responsible for giving birth to this Spirit-like Field wasn't too powerful before his demise, otherwise, it would be troublesome."

The girl's voice carried a hint of helplessness, "This domain, eroded by Chaotic Energy, has clearly existed for a very long time, the surrounding environment has become half-spiritualized: directions and positions are all in disarray. No matter which way you go, you'll end up going around in circles within this time-space. Naturally, ordinary people can't find their way out...

Well... strictly speaking, not even flying is possible. Approaching the projection of the Chaos Sea overhead is no different from actively seeking death."

"Then, is this damned place like what the stories say, teeming with man-eating evil Demons?"

"That's not quite it, how should I put it—all creatures sensitive to Magic Power naturally stay away from the Spirit-like Field. Even the unlucky ones who blunder into this place don't survive long. In the end, they perish just like ordinary humans and become Walking Corpses, unable to return their souls to the Dead Sea. So, if you do encounter something, they're just victims in the same plight as you are."

"You mentioned 'perish'? Perished by what?" Leon seized on the crucial point.

"Of course it's the Undead who can't rest their souls in the Dead Sea, which means those who accidentally entered before you and met their end here, be it people or wild beasts. But being harmed by wandering souls isn't the worst fate you could suffer here."

Although Leon had no clear idea what being unable to return one's soul to the "Dead Sea" entailed, it sounded like eternal damnation—what could be worse than that?

The girl's voice became serious, "Aside from the wandering souls, there exists another danger within the Spirit-like Field: those Demons born in the Spirit Realm who spy on souls."

Demons, or more accurately, the girl referred to them as "Spirit Realm Demons."

She didn't waste time explaining these dangerous and evil beings to Leon, only wanting him to quickly grasp the imminent crisis at hand.

Spirit Realm Demons can't appear in the actual plane of reality, but the Spirit-like Field is a time-space already eroded by fissures of the Spirit Realm. The Chaotic Energy here has long since turned it into a special region between the Spirit Realm and reality. Here, Demons can partially pass through the fissures, projecting themselves into the Spirit-like Field.

Of course, the real draw bringing them here is the abundant emotions, desires, and intense spiritual fluctuations of the intelligent beings who wander into this realm.

Leon listened quietly. Having already seen Magic and Wild Goblins—things that surpassed his knowledge—he wasn't surprised at the notion of supernatural Demons existing in this Otherworld.

The problem now was, in this damned place where there seemed to be no escape to heavens or earth, whether it was the so-called Spirit Realm Demons or the Undead trapped souls, neither sounded like something they could handle.

"To avoid attracting the attention of Demons, you must control your emotions and will, especially forget any unnecessary desires and greed. In such a place, the more complex and changeable the spiritual fluctuations, the more visible you are to the Spirit Realm Demons.

You must avoid falling into intense emotions like fear, panic, and anger. The more resolute your will, the calmer your spirit, the harder it is for Demons to detect you in the Spirit Realm," the girl's voice advised.

"If you have a deity you believe in, you can also try praying to them. This can be very effective for believers," she further suggested.

Leon looked over at Azeryan and Lokhak upon hearing this.

As traditional Seryan, they naturally had a steadfast belief in Saint Sol and Saint Illaril of the Holy Sun Church.

He himself was in trouble. As an atheistic Earthly muggle, he had never believed in any god.

Moreover, in terms of emotional and desire complexity, being from the colorful modern world of Earth, he probably shone like a disco ball in the eyes of the Spirit Realm Demons compared to the other two simpler and more innocent native lads, right?

"So, you're saying that if we keep our minds clear of all distractions, we could safely get out of this place?" Leon ventured to ask.

"Of course not, that's just how you move around in the Spirit-like Field inconspicuously. To get out, you need to gather materials for me here. I will teach you to make an Earth Vein Spirit Lamp and then turn it into a temporary guide instrument. That's the only way to save yourselves and return to reality now; no other plan will work."

"You can find the materials you need in this kind of place?" Leon asked incredulously.

"Let's see... Patiss Crystals... well, those probably aren't here, but Shining Flint Stone, river sandstone, Eucalyptus Wood... sigh, just walk around. The process of making an Earth Vein Spirit Lamp isn't complicated, and the materials are all common things found in the forest. As we walk, I will let you know if we come across them... hm, the only troublesome part is the final spark source."

"What is that?"

"The last material I need... is a soul. A Wandering Soul trapped here that yearns to return home…"