Carlos looked to his side. The massive chimera's corpse was lying before him. He scratched his head slightly, thinking:
Hmmmm… Hey, Tala, what about the chimera's corpse? Could it serve as a source of energy to maintain the gate? It was powerful. I think if we classified it by the Hunter Guild's standards, it would be ranked as Class A.
Tala gazed at the dead beast.
"Well, I believe it will do."
Carlos: "Alright, I'll bring it now."
Carlos walked toward the corpse and began dragging it toward Tala.
At that moment, Tala's whole demeanor changed completely. Her eyes turned emerald blue, glowing with dazzling light, and a white aura surrounded her. Carlos was aware of this—this was Tala's transformation ability. It wasn't a combat skill, but more like a book containing the answers to every question. Tala's perception could surpass reality itself, reaching far beyond, allowing her to know things she had never seen nor even heard of. It was as if she could unveil every secret of this world.
Yet, among the team, Tala was the only one whose sacrifice or origin for becoming a mutant was unknown. Even Tala herself was unable to know that. Carlos assumed it was temporary, since she was still only in the second stage of mutation. He had no doubt she would eventually learn the truth in the future.
Just imagine if Tala ever reached the fourth or fifth stage of mutation… The thought alone made Carlos uneasy. Her ability to know everything would become absolute, limitless. Truly terrifying. Thankfully, she was on their side, not an enemy.
As Carlos was lost in thought, Tala finally spoke:
"Carlos, how long are you going to stand there? Now, draw a circle to convert the energy around this corpse."
Carlos: "Alright, alright, I'll do it."
The circles Carlos drew looked like magical ones, but they weren't. Mutants could never use mana. Instead, they used Aether—the highest form of energy, the origin of the cosmos. Yet no human or other creature had ever managed to use it, as it was far too destructive. That's why mana and aura were the most common sources of energy among all races.
But despite Aether's danger, a handful of individuals had managed to wield it—a mere few in the history of the world. No more than five people had ever mastered it. Mutants, however, were exceptions. They were born of a genetic mutation. The change didn't affect only their bodies, but their very souls and essence.
When such a mutation occurred, it distorted the laws of this world. Mutants weren't supposed to exist in the first place. But the first Dark Sorcerer in history changed all of that. After reaching the highest levels of power and ascension, he became the first human to use Aether to craft sorcery—not mana.
Mana was a malleable source of energy, easy to manipulate, which made it ideal for sorcerers to create spells. Unlike mana, knights relied on their inner strength, what they called "aura," an energy that couldn't be manipulated in the same way.
But Aether was different. Aether was the energy of the cosmos, akin to nature itself—something that could not be controlled or wielded, as it would annihilate its user. However, the great Dark Sorcerer was strong enough to dominate Aether, bending the laws of the world itself. And thus, he created the mutants.
His goal had been to ensure humanity's survival during the wars, but the results exceeded every expectation. The power of mutants was overwhelming. Eventually, the sorcerer fell victim to his own corruption. Evil and greed consumed him, leading him to plunge humanity into a devastating civil war.
At that point, had it not been for the mutants, the continent would surely have fallen under his rule. The ancient and powerful mutants fought a brutal war alongside the Seventeenth Prince against him. In the end, the sorcerer was defeated. Yet before his death, he cast a curse upon the entire continent, stripping those destined for growth and prosperity of their future.
Those cursed were the mutants themselves. They lost everything humans could desire—becoming sorcerers or knights was impossible for them. And yet, in cruel irony, mutants alone could wield Aether, the supreme cosmic energy. That made them the guardians of the continent, the very safeguard of humanity.
After Carlos completed the circles around the chimera's corpse, Tala approached and placed her hand upon one. Her eyes shone brilliantly, the aura surrounding her grew sharper, and then the circle of energy began to glow a vivid crimson.
The scene inside the circle shifted: the chimera's corpse started to decompose, transforming into that radiant red energy. It was Aether.
Through her ability, the "Eyes of Wisdom," Tala's sapphire eyes could see into the hidden fabric of existence. Thus, she could guide and manipulate the flow of Aether more skillfully than anyone else in the team.
Now that the energy needed to forge the gate was ready, Tala absorbed the Aether extracted from the chimera and compressed it until it became a sphere within her hands. She then pushed it forward slightly. When the sphere stabilized and floated before her, the air within the dimension suddenly began to rush toward it, like a black hole devouring everything in its path.
Carlos swiftly unsheathed his twin daggers, plunging them deep into the ground. With one hand he gripped Tala, with the other he held tightly onto a dagger lodged firmly into the earth. The violent suction ceased at once.
When Carlos lifted his gaze, he saw the gate completed. Tala had returned to her normal self, exhausted from overusing her powers. Carlos gripped her hand firmly, grabbed their pack with the other, and leapt straight into the gate.
The sight before them was breathtaking—they had finally escaped the labyrinth. Fresh air filled their lungs, relief and serenity painting their faces. But soon Carlos realized something:
"Tala… where are we? We've never been to this area before."
Tala looked around, examining the place. Carlos was right.
Tala: "Yes… it seems the gate's coordinates weren't precise."
She pulled out the map, trying to determine where they had ended up. But suddenly her expression stiffened.
"Carlos, it's possible we stayed much longer in that pocket dimension than we thought."
Carlos: "What do you mean?"
Tala: "I mean… not all dimensions share the same flow of time. Perhaps the time we spent in the labyrinth equaled far more here in the real world."
Carlos: "Wait… are you saying we traveled into the future?"
Tala waved her hand dismissively. "No, no, not exactly. But the time that passed here could be greater than what we experienced inside the labyrinth."
Hearing this, Carlos froze in shock. This is insane… What could have happened to Rian and Teil?
Tala spoke again: "Don't overthink it. It could also be the opposite—the time we spent in the labyrinth might have been less than here. Maybe the hours we lived there were only minutes or seconds here… or perhaps the reverse, years or centuries."
Carlos covered his face with his hand. Just thinking about it is terrifying.
Still, the place itself would not change. Even if more time had passed, the map and these mountains would remain.
"We must first determine our exact location."
Carlos sighed. "Alright, let's find any clue that can tell us where we are."
End of Chapter.