Sovereign of the Karmic System-Chapter 691: Fated Encounter

Leaving no time for arguments, Daniel followed the two kids in their journey towards the stone pyramid – A pilgrimage the two so far had, mainly due to the party’s intervention, failed to complete. Before Daniel could move too far away from the rest of the group, however, he felt a cold hand land gently on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hold on for a moment." Said Aeron’s disembodied voice.

Daniel turned around, annoyed by the mental cultivator’s sudden interruption. "What for? Do you have a better plan?" He asked sarcastically. "Because I suspect that ’asking for directions’ might not work in our current predicament.."

Aeron’s head shook from side to side. His actions had been misunderstood, but he did not waste time explaining. Instead, he injected a portion of his mental power into Daniel’s body, then redirected it towards the aspect’s mind, where it solidified into the shape of heavy chains that bound Daniel’s consciousness to his spirit.

The presence of these chains immediately alarmed Daniel, but then, as he spent a few moments observing how the foreign power interacted with his psyche, he gradually relaxed.

Initially, he had assumed that the mental cultivator must have made his move. That he had tried to restore the connection between the emotional part of his spirit and the memories of his loved ones in an attempt to restore his humanity, but that was not the case. While these chains connected the mind to the spirit, their function was much more primitive and imprecise, for they didn’t bind two specific aspects of one’s spirit and mind like emotions and memories, but instead anchored the mind as a whole to the spirit as a whole.

This was a form of protection that Aeron, after observing the dangers the group faced in this strange world, had come up with to prevent both spirit and consciousness from reaching for their respective resting planes in case the otherworldly power that had struck Daniel and Ian down already, struck again.

"We can go now." Aeron casually said while lifting his arm and walking ahead.

As the rest of the group passed by him, Daniel noticed similar means of protection placed on the others’ minds and spirits. Some weaker than others, but all stronger than his own. A difference he correctly associated to the original lack of connection between his spirit and mind, which also explained why the chains that Aeron had placed in Roley’s and Ian’s minds, who were poor in mind power, were stronger than those he had left with Der and the female paladin, whose three essences were merged into immortal essence, and Aeron’s own, whose peculiar cultivation required him to merge spirit and mind to form a physical avatar to inhabit.

It was Aeron’s theory, and now Daniel’s own, that having immortal essence would be an advantage against the obliterating bolt they had witnessed. As that would ensure the spirit and mind, bound to the body by the three-way knot of powers known as immortal essence, would be anchored long enough to allow the body to heal before departing, ensuring their survival.

An accurate read on their part, albeit one neither of them would be willing to put to the test.

With no more interruptions, the group followed the two kids up the path for a handful of minutes, encountering no forks, encampments or other people on a similar pilgrimage. No more encounters other than chirping crickets hidden all around, and birds flocking above their heads. A female monkey carrying its baby against her chest observed the two children from a close-by branch, pinching on its offspring’s fur as the latter chewed on what looked like nail-sized blackberries.

The world that surrounded them was incredibly lifelike. Perfect, in fact, as there was no trace of any form of innate power, natural mana or technological marvel carrying its workings. For all the party knew, they had been teleported within an alien planet. One where their presence wasn’t perceived in any meaningful way, and where no interference was tolerated.

After roughly ten minutes of walking, the group finally reached the foot of the pyramid. A stone construct made of mossy blocks about eight feet tall and twenty feet wide. Something no common mortal, especially a primitive civilization like that the two children seemed to belong to, could have possibly been able to build.

At the top of the pyramid was a small platform with a brown-stained altar, while at the lowest and widest layer, right at the end of the path the two children had walked, was a second smaller, yet cleaner one.

Daniel and the others observed in silence.

Upon reaching the bottom altar, the two kids seemed to abandon their youthful exuberance, and suddenly turned somber. They stepped closer to it, stopping mere feet away, then the boy reached for the backpacks he was carrying. With deft hands he removed several food items and carefully placed them onto the altar, while his sister dutifully shuffled them around, possibly looking to achieve an optimal arrangement.

The whole process took roughly five minutes, at the end of which the boy took the small mat he had hanging from the bottom of the larger bag he carried, and unfolded it on the floor. With the offerings ready, the two kids knelt onto the mat, resting their palms onto their thighs, then bowed deeply in slow, unison repetitions.

After the tenth repetition, the two children finally stood up. A satisfied smile marked the boy’s face, while his sister appeared to be just happy that the whole process was done and over with.

Her gaze was shifting between her twin brother, who was now packing his and his sister’s belongings, and the path they had just come from – Almost as if aware of the party’s presence. "Is she looking at us?" Roley asked, slightly startled. Yet no one answered, as it only took a few moments for them to realize that the little girl wasn’t looking directly at them, but was showing her eagerness to go back instead.

As the boy finished packing, leaving the food items neatly placed on the altar behind, the two headed back down the path, walking past Daniel’s group as if they had never been there to begin with.

"Huh.." Ian hummed, then asked, "What now? Do we watch over the fruit or follow them?"

As if to answer his descendant’s question, Daniel followed the two kids down the path.

While slightly irritated by the lack of consideration, Ian’s attention was soon caught by Roley’s voice. "There are many traces of animal activities around the altar, but the temple isn’t well kept. It’s likely that the two children were performing a religious offering to an abandoned place of worship, and that the food will soon be eaten by a beast when no one is present. There is nothing left to see here.."

As he finished explaining, Roley followed after Daniel and the others, who were now several steps ahead. "Fine, follow the brats it is then.." Ian muttered while hurrying after Roley, catching up to the rest just in time to witness the unexpected development.

In front of them, the pair of twins had been suddenly stopped by a ragtag group of wanderers armored with sticks, clubs, and armors of tattered cloth.

There were six in total, two barring the way ahead, and two on each side of the path, blocking any possible retreat towards the treeline. No bandit was present behind the two children, leaving a potential path of retreat for them, but seeing as the path that led to the temple was uphill, and the six individuals were well over adult age, outrunning them did not appear possible.

"Sh’ih, Lolo, Yomi, ruto galara pur.. eheh" Said one of the two men blocking the path, lips curved in a dirty grin.

"He is ordering his men to capture the two kids." Said Aeron. The natives’ language was foreign to him, but for a mental cultivator of his caliber, picking up on tones, behavior and intentions to infer meanings was as easy as distinguishing colors.

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Shocked by the sudden appearance of this group of bandits, the two children froze in place, with the boy courageously placing himself between them and his little sister. His attentive eyes scanned the group calmly, noticing a giddy behavior and greedy, lustful eyes darting in his sister’s direction, making their intentions for the couple clear as day. He flinched, as the group started dropping their makeshift weapons at their feet, and began to inch closer.

A low growl rolled under Der’s breath as his hand slowly pulled his sword out of the scabbard, but he was soon stopped by Aeron’s pale green arm. "Whatever it is that is going to happen, we cannot stop it." he said in a suiting tone. There was power in his voice – One not meant to control his companion’s mind, but to display his calming intentions.

Irritated by his impotence, Der let go of his sword’s hilt. His hands balled into tight fists as the group stepped forward, leaving their weapons behind and encroaching on the two kids with curious hands.

"Ahh!" The boy yelled while swinging his leather backpack at the man inching towards his sister, but the attack was quickly avoided. Yet, the boy was prepared. With a tiny chubby hand he fished for something in his pocket, which he then threw with all his might towards the second man standing in front of them. A small black bead flew in the air, then struck the man squarely in the mouth with a deaf thump sound.

The man’s head snapped backwards as his palm immediately moved to cover his mouth. He bent forward, whimpers escaping his throat as beads formed at the corners of his eyes. No blood flowed out from between his fingers, yet he stomped at the ground madly, sending dust and pebbles everywhere. The bead had broken a front tooth.

The once lustful gazes of the members of the group turned somber, as they turned to look at their leader. In his dumbfounded expression they saw the beginning of one of his notorious angry outbursts, but none of that happened. Instead, after inspecting the chipped front tooth with the tip of his tongue, the man let out a crooked smile, and reached downwards with his arm.

When the man’s fingers got a hold to the club he had previously dropped onto the ground, his smile turned more sinister.

Oddly calm for his extremely young age, the boy recognized the changes in the man’s behavior and proceeded to push his twin sister back a few steps. He appeared to know that pushing through the blockade wasn’t an option, but maybe he could buy his sister enough time to get to the temple, and hide long enough for people to notice their disappearance.

But, alas, the chance never presented itself.

The other five bandits followed their leader’s example, and picked up their weapons to close off the siblings’ path of retreat.

Grim and malicious, the bandit leader’s smile turned darker with each step. Then his club slashed diagonally in a downward motion, practicing an attack Daniel and the others were sure would be able to at least break a bone or two, stopping only when he and the boy were standing face to face.

The boy looked up defiantly as he quietly covered his chubby left arm with the leather backpack. He shuffled his feet backwards, trying to maintain distance while also hoping to stumble into a loose rock he could use as a weapon after blocking the first strike.. but before he knew, his eyes shot up in the sky, and he fell heavily on his back.

With his negligible weight, a swipe of the leg was all it took one of the men to send him rolling on the ground.

"Hahaha! Tikata puh!" The leader gloated in rabid satisfaction before losing any semblance of humanity. His club rose above his head as the veins of his arm bulged, and with the full extent of his power he swung it down vertically towards the top of the boy’s head.

Before the blow could land, a spear flew at impossible speed, heading for the man’s heart. *BOOM* A flash of light blinded the members of Daniel’s group virtually the same moment the bolt of obliterating light that accompanied it struck one of its members.

In just a moment, the top of the path, the nearby pyramid, and the now familiar treeline turned into a blur as the event reset once again.

"What the.." Ian blurted out as a burnt smell assaulted his nostrils. When his gaze turned to find its origins, his eyes widened in shock.

Where the female paladin once stood quietly, now stood little more than a charred skeleton.