The Married Life Of Immortals

As they ventured deeper into the forest surrounding the village, the terrain became more challenging. The group navigated through dense foliage, rocky paths, and uneven ground. The air was thick with the scent of earth and leaves, and the sounds of wildlife echoed around them.

"Where exactly are we going?" Bane finally asked, breaking the silence that had settled over them. This was the first time that he had really left the village, save for visiting the hill he had appeared on over a month ago.

"There are anomalies that are acting like gateways all over the island. I say acting because none of them are open, but we have a few people such as myself in the village that can identify the magic used even if the portal is inactive," Lysia replied without looking back. "We are going to figure out how to open them, see what is on the other side, and then most likely close them."

"Close them?" Bane asked as he hopped over a large root. "Why do that?"

Lysia stopped and turned back to look at Bane with a serious expression. "Even though everyone is training for a war that we know is coming, none of us want to be any part of it. Over the last month, the entire island has been explored, and the water boundaries have as well."

"What do you mean by water boundaries?" Bane asked as he walked over to her.

"Something is sealing this island off from the rest of the world, like a bubble. Once you travel 500 meters from the shore, you reach an invisible barrier. Up until that point, it looks like you could keep sailing, but the moment you get close to it, infinite darkness. There is nothing past the barrier, meaning there is no way to get to this island," Lysia explained, and Bane slowly nodded.

"I see. So you want to see if we can just keep this island, and everyone else safe during the war that is to come?" Bane asked, and Lysia nodded.

"Everyone worked hard, and most lost everything even though we technically won. None of them should have to go through that again," Lysia said in a cold voice and then started walking without another word.

Bane felt a chill run down his spine at Lysia's words. He had heard stories of the war and the immense sacrifices made by those who fought, but seeing the resolute determination in her eyes made it all the more real. He glanced back at Mizuage, who seemed deep in thought, his pride momentarily overshadowed by the weight of their mission.

As they continued their trek, the forest began to thin out, revealing a rugged landscape dotted with ancient ruins and mystical symbols etched into the stones. The air grew denser with magical energy, and Bane could feel the tingling sensation of mana all around him.

"We're close," Lysia announced, her voice cutting through the heavy silence. She led the group to a clearing where an enormous stone archway stood, covered in intricate runes that pulsed faintly with a soft, blue light. "This is one of the anomalies we've detected. It's dormant now, but its presence is a cause for concern."

Bane stepped closer to the archway, feeling the mana resonating within the stone. "What do we do now?"

Lysia approached the archway, her hands glowing with a green aura as she traced the runes with her fingers. "We need to activate it and see what's on the other side. To do that, we need to direct energy to it. In this case, it is spiritual energy, but there is some sort of device here like a puzzle. We need to figure out how to direct the spiritual energy that must be coming from the spirit vein below into the gate."

Bane surveyed the ancient stone archway, his eyes tracing the intricate runes. Lysia's explanation about the spiritual energy made sense, but figuring out the puzzle seemed daunting. He glanced around, hoping to spot a clue or a pattern in the surrounding area.

As Bane looked around, Eve's voice appeared in his head. 'Stand back and walk around the site. Look at everything, and I will make a three-dimensional copy in your mind of it all. From there, I should be able to figure out the pattern, and how to solve it.'

'Huh? You're good with puzzles?' Bane replied, and Eve mentally nodded.

'I can cross reference the images that I have from my memories and set algorithms that I can evolve to solve almost any puzzle problem you have. Once you get a better understanding of the ingredients you use, I can even create new recipes in your head without you making them first. Processing information is my ability you could say, and the more we learn the better results I can give you.'

Seeing Bane looking off into nowhere, Lysia walked over and poked his face, bringing him out of his thoughts. "What are you doing?"

"Talking to the voice in my head about how to figure this out. Just give me a minute to get a good look at the place," Bane explained, ignoring the continued pokes to the face until he walked away to do as he said.

Lysia dropped her arm, puffing her cheeks out for a brief moment. She knew how the runes worked, and how to line them up, so she had wanted Bane to ask her to show him. However, it seemed that the voice in his head was finally starting to be of some use to Bane, so Lysia couldn't be mad about that.

Bane circled the clearing, studying every detail of the archway and the surrounding ruins. He took his time, ensuring that Eve would have all the information she needed to construct a mental map. As he moved, his eyes caught small symbols etched into the ground and stone, forming a pattern that extended outward from the archway.

'Got it,' Eve's voice resonated in his mind after a few minutes. 'The symbols on the ground and the runes on the archway are interconnected. It's a complex puzzle, but I believe we can solve it by aligning the symbols to direct the spiritual energy flow correctly.'

Bane nodded to himself and turned to Lysia. "Alright, I think I have an idea of how to solve this. The symbols on the ground and the runes on the archway need to be aligned to channel the spiritual energy."

Lysia raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Alright then, show us what you've got."

With Eve's guidance, Bane moved to the nearest symbol on the ground. He placed his hand on it, feeling a faint pulse of energy. Carefully, he began to rotate the symbol, aligning it with the corresponding rune on the archway. As he did, a faint glow connected the two.

"That's one," Bane muttered, moving to the next symbol.

Mizuage watched with narrowed eyes, skepticism evident in his expression. "Do you think you will be so lucky on your first try, boy?"

Both Bane and Lysia shot deadly looks at Mizuage, so the tall elf put up his hands in defense but then turned away to simmer in rage. Wei Nam Lee watched this, and could only shake his head with a sigh. Mizuage was not turning out the way he had imagined. The Emperor Alchemist Mizuage, in his eyes, was a proud and respected figure. But seeing him so easily bested in this new world, Wei Nam Lee's admiration was mixed with pity. He hoped that this journey would rekindle Mizuage’s old fire.