Chapter 247: Crossing The Chasm


    "Pa?"


    Moulin shot a questionable look to Phuna. The girl only smiled giddily as she nodded. Her arms tightened around Moulin''s arm while she pulled the youth towards the man whose back was facing them. Moulin had trouble walking. Coupled by the pain from his body and the long walking distance as well as the tremble of the ground beneath them, Moulin''s legs gradually became numb. Finally, they stopped a few meters away from the indifferent man who didn''t even spare a nce to them.


    He looked heavily built. An aura of ferocity and coldness emanated from him.


    "Pa! He''s awake!" Phuna called again as she frowned with a pout.


    Atst, the man turned around, revealing his face and expression. His eyes were like a mixture of hot amber and rose red. Narrow and long. The man gazed at them solemnly before he started to walk towards the two people. His long ck hair swayed behind him as he walked.


    "Are you well?" He asked.


    With a slow nod, Moulin replied. "I am well. Thank you for saving me."


    There was a faint smile on the man''s lips as he shook his head. However, the solitude he emits never left. "Nhetecra was the one who came to your aid. And Phuna recognized you as well. We couldn''t leave you."


    Moulin smiled. A crease appeared between his brows, and he asked questionably, "Nhetecra?"


    "The Earth Titan carrying us!" Phuna quipped with a proud smile.


    "A titan?" Moulin raised his brows in surprise. He thought the giant was a malibreed.


    When a slight rumble-like growl came from the titan beneath them, the man nced between the two horns briefly before he returned his gaze to the two. "Phuna, take him inside. He must be famished. I will join you shortly."


    The catgirl blinked. She nodded briefly before she led Moulin back to the house. The youth nced at the man onest time. Somehow, Moulin felt as though the person would disappear along with the wind.


    "Fortunately, we still have some hot soup left from this morning." Phuna ced a pot on an impressively made wooden trivet on the table. Moulin smiled at her positiveness. There was a bit of soup left inside the pot. Phuna only scooped out the rest on a wooden bowl before offering it to Moulin. With a soft ''thank you,'' Moulin began to enjoy his meal.


    Ah, it''s been so long since he tasted something deliciously warm and moist.


    "So..." Phuna grinned as she sat before Moulin. The intriguing twinkle in her eyes sparkled as she watched him. "Where were you heading?"


    Moulin paused. "The west."


    "The west?"


    "Mn. I heard there are multiple shelters there. Perhaps, the people I know may have sought refuge in one of their bases."


    Phuna furrowed her brows. She leaned back on her chair as she shook her head. "If you wish to search some of your maeruthanpanions. I don''t suggest heading to the west. There are certainly shelters there epting different races. However, they are not friendly to maeruthans. I suggest you head to the northwest. It is the safest ce your friends would most likely go."


    "The northwest? The one base where a rift separates it from the world?"


    Phuna chuckled. "Yes, that base. Helios City. Although it is famous for taking in maeruthan refugees, they don''t discriminate against other races. Disciplined and fair, I heard they are. But we''ll have to find out."


    Moulin paused for a moment. He stared at his spoon while in deep thought. Finally, he nodded. "Alright... I''ll head northwest."


    Phuna''s eyes brightened. "Good! We''ll be traveling for a while, so I suggest you make yourselffortable here."


    "We?"


    "Oh, I didn''t mention?" Phuna grinned. "We''re heading to Helios city too." She stood up from her seat as she started to collect the tes on the table. "Me and my pa were expelled from the west base. So we decided to head to Helios. Hopefully, people there would be much calmer and less irritating." She huffed.


    When Moulin finished his te, Phuna offered him a ss of water that he gratefully epted without hesitation. Lowering his cup, he lifted his eyes. "Your father... What''s his name?"


    Phuna stopped, and she frowned. "Oh, that man, always forgetting introductions." She muttered. "His name is Varion, my second father. When I had lived in Meian, he was away in the deserts of Saakar. Lost. When I fled, we reunited in the borders of Meian and Saakar."


    "I see..." Moulin tightened his grip on the cup. "You had such a hard time..."


    "Don''t be sad." She smiled. "Besides, I get to meet you again and even travel with you. It''s a dreame true."


    Moulin stares at her, and a smile broke on his face. "Yes, It''s a blessing that we have reunited as well."


    "Right? Now, hurry and put on some warm clothes. The air is always chilly here. I don''t know how you have endured the freezing wind outside."


    "It''s doesn''t affect me." Moulin smiled.


    Phuna raised her brows. "Well, isn''t that helpful? I have to tell you to rest for a few weeks before you start activating your mana. When you forcibly suppressed it, it locked itself away, and perhaps, it would take several days to activate it again. Don''t worry... " Phuna smiled. "I''ll take care of you."


    Moulin chuckled as he nodded.


    The two continued to bicker. Moulin realized Phuna was as vibrant as she was when she was a child. Her eyes always brightened when they talk, especially when it was about her second father, Varion. While they were trying to dry the fabrics outside on a rope, Moulin learned that Varion was the lover of Phuna''s first father, Evign. The same person who died in the hands of Alha. Moulin couldn''t imagine the grief the man must have experience when he found out about his lover''s sudden death. It must have broken him, scarring him to the depths of his heart.


    Moulin''s fingers stopped, caressing the wet sheets fluttering against the wind.


    How much did it hurt for Hadrian when he learned about his death?


    The three traveled for several days. Through the dreadful forests, the vast dark ins, and the widekes of the ominous valleys. The more sceneries Moulin witnessed, the more his heart sank. The mountains were tremendous and mighty, thekes were vast, and still, the forests were mostly dead and withered. It looked as though a wave of hellfire had razed the earth.


    Moulin had heard of the disasters the Kron had caused from the merfolk chief''s mouth. However, he didn''t think it would be this appalling. Nhetecra would rest once in a while, and during that time, they would go down the arm of the earth titan and hunt for food. The youth discovered that Nhetecra was a gentle creature. Phuna had dragged him once to sit on the Titan''s palm. Moulin wasn''t fearful of the giant beast. Instead, he was more curious. Nhetecra only growled pleasantly as he brought Moulin in front of his face. Moulin chuckled as he touched the tiny part of Nhetecra''s massive nose.


    A few days passed, and they were traveling across arge river under the dark starless skies. They sat around a campfire, Phuna sleeping soundly beside his father, a furred nket wrapped around her as she cuddled closer to Varion. Moulin sat silently as the fire crackled at their center. His eyes observed the tongues of mes and the sparks that flew from the fire. They could hear the whistling wind, the sshing waves, and the rumbling hums Nhetecra would make as he moved through the water.


    Moulin lifted eyes and surprisingly met Varion''s gaze as well.


    "She is a very bright girl..." Moulin said as he nced at the slumbering Phuna.


    "Mn." Varion''s eyes softened. His scarred hand stroked the girl''s hair. "Evign raised her to be so. I''m sure you''ve heard about me and my lover from her."


    Moulin slowly nodded. The orange light dappled his features. A trace of sorrow lingered in his silver eyes as he lowered his gaze. "I... I am at fault. His death was because of me. I couldn''t even protect her properly. You should resent me."


    Varion paused. He stared intently at Moulin before he shook his head with a deep sigh. "I once resented you. However, I learned to let go of revenge and protect that only thing he has left for me." His gaze settled on the little girl sleeping beside him. "Evign would want me too. Perhaps, when my timees. I will see him again with the pride of telling him how our dear daughter had grown to be such a positive woman."


    Moulin nodded and whispered, "Yes... He will certainly like that..."


    It amazed Moulin about the affection the two men had for the girl who wasn''t blood-rted. But who was Moulin to judge? His family loved him so much despite thinking why their precious one had changed so much as though another person was living inside his body.


    After three days, they emerged from a dreary forest and arrived before the most bottomless chasm Moulin had ever seen.


    "This is..." Moulin muttered as he stared down the depths with curious eyes. The darkness felt as though it would swallow him all. The pitch-ck depths suddenly reminded him of when he fell to his death. A shudder climbed up his spine.


    "This is the rift," Varion said as he stood beside Moulin standing on the Nhetecra''s nape. Phuna was tasked to spy for malibreeds trailing behind Nhetecra.


    The chasm was vast. It looked as though the gods sliced the earth in half. It was so long; they couldn''t see the ends of the rift. The ce was foggy, suspiciously surrounded with the same haze back when Moulin first arrived in that dreadful forest.


    They were about five hundred feet away from the other side of the rift. And from afar, they could see Three prominent towers and a great wall surrounding it beneath.


    "Helios..." Moulin exhaled.


    They were almost there...


    Moulin clenched his fists as he stared at the opposite edge of the abyss.


    "How will we cross it?"


    Suddenly, Phuna appeared beside Moulin. When Varion turned to her with a frown, she quickly raised her hands defensively.


    "No malibreeds have surrounded us for hours. It was getting boring." She pursed her lips.


    With a sigh, Varion only shook his head and turned away. Phuna smiled victoriously. And witnessing the sight, Moulin couldn''t help but smile at their interactions.


    "Nhetecra will be able to form a bridge for our crossing," Varion said as he held his spear. Under the eyes of the two, he lowered his gaze and muttered a brief chant. The runes on his spear glowed a burning gold. And when Varion slightly tapped the end of his spear on the surface beneath them, a wave of light spreads out. Nhetecra released a roaring hum before he beat the ground with his fists once.


    When the ground shook beneath them, Moulin held Phuna closely to him as Varion concentrated. Silver eyes nced at Varion curiously. Wondering what kind of power this man possessed.


    The ground rumbled loudly. And before Moulin could realize what was happening around him, giant roots burst out from the wall beneath where Nhetecra stood. Numerous gigantic roots coiled around each other, and they shot rapidly towards the opposite wall. Afterwards, with a deafening sound, they began to umte, forming into one giant bridge. The branches tightened around each other, creaking as they moved and curled.


    Sweat dripped down Varion''s forehead. His grip on his spear trembled, but his expression remained unchanged. Eyes narrowed as he concentrated.


    Nhetecra released a wild roar before thest of the roots finally secured the bridge, finishing their construction in less than two minutes. With a thundering rumble, Nhetecra lets out a long huff from his nose.


    Varion sighed. His body lowered and be kneeled as his vacant palm touched the ground beneath him. "Well done..."


    Phuna beamed as she excitedly held Moulin''s arm. The youth smiled at her, sharing her joy.


    Afterwards, Nhetecra began to move forward. The three braced themselves as they watched the woven bridge carefully. Under Nhetecra''s weight, the crude creaked loudly. The noise made Moulin look at Varion anxiously. However, thetter only gave him a faint smile. Moulin paused and calmed himself.


    Yes, he should have faith in Varion''s skill.


    Rumble after rumble, they waited anxiously as they crossed the bridge.


    Unknown to them, a red bird peeked out from one of the hidden trees of the forest. Its blood-red eyes zeroed on the giant crossing the bridge carefully.


    When Nhetecra had finally crossed the middle part of the bridge, Moulin and Phuna sighed in relief. Fortunately, the worst was over.


    However...


    BOOOOOOMMMM!!!


    An ear-splitting explosion urred behind them.


    Meanwhile, on the open ground of a vacant courtyard within the Three Towers of Helios, a particr snow-white fox''s ears perked up.