The soft melody playing in the distance. The melody was so captivating in that dry desert. Kent and his companions became alert at the sound of melody.
High above, Phoenix Lady Ruby hovered, her crimson wings illuminating the night. She had been vigilant, her sharp eyes scanning for the direction of that melody. And then suddenly it happened.
The distant melody drifted across the desert, soft and alluring, like the lullaby of a long-forgotten deity. Ruby’s wings faltered. Her head tilted, and a strange glaze clouded her fiery gaze.
Without a word, she turned towards the source of the sound and began rushing forward, her flames dimming as if the music quenched her inner fire. She completely lost herself in that melody.
“Ruby!” Kent’s voice pierced the air. He stood atop a dune, his eyes wide with concern.
But she did not respond.
Kent’s heart pounded as he did not understand what’s happening with Ruby.
From behind him, Aran Lam, Jean, and Junji Zing appeared at the crest of another dune. Their eyes, too, were locked onto the distant melody. One by one, they began moving forward, heedless of Kent’s warnings.
Their souls were entirely captivated by the music and have no sense to response to Kent’s calls. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire
“Wait!” Kent shouted, raising a hand to block their path. “Don’t follow that sound! It’s not safe.”
Jean barely glanced at him.
“Kent… you hear it, right? It’s beautiful,” she whispered, stepping forward as if in a trance.
Even Jabil, Kent’s massive serpent beast, and Kavi, the fire kirin, slithered and bounded forward, their instincts overridden by the hypnotic pull of the melody.
“Damn it,” Kent growled, running ahead to intercept them. “This isn’t normal. Everyone, stop!”
But they did not stop.
The more they advanced, the faster they moved, as if the music itself hastened their steps.
Kent’s eyes narrowed.
He leaped onto Kavi’s back, gripping the kirin’s mane tightly. “Kavi, turn around! We’re going the wrong way.”
The fire kirin snorted but kept galloping forward.
“Listen to me!” Kent yanked at the mane, but Kavi’s head stayed fixed on the distant dark structure that had emerged beyond the dunes. It floated like a mirage—a castle of shadows sailing over the sand.
“A flying treasure…?” Kent muttered, his brows furrowing.
The flowing lone island castle was regal, yet ominous. A fortress stood in twilight, exuding an ethereal glow that pulsed in rhythm with the melody. It was unlike anything he had seen before.
The baby dragon perched on his shoulder let out a distressed squeak. It clung tightly to Kent, shivering.
“You’re not affected?” Kent asked softly, rubbing the dragon’s head. “Good. Stay close.”
Despite his best efforts, Kent watched helplessly as his companions advanced ahead, drawn like moths to a flame.
“If I can’t stop them, I’ll go first. If there’s a trap waiting, I’ll face it head-on.” He cursed under his breath and made a snap decision.
Using the earth dragon boots magic, Kent ran forward. His boots crunched against the dunes as he forced his way forward, heart hammering against his ribs. He pushed harder, desperate to reach the castle before the others.
But the melody is working like a forcefield, slowing him down while letting others reach it freely.
Sweat dripped down his temple as the melody thickened around him, pressing down like a heavy fog. Each step felt slower, as if the air itself conspired to hold him back.
By the time Kent approached close to the flowing island castle, his companions stood frozen at the castle’s entrance on the flowing island. Ruby hovered midair, wings outstretched but unmoving. Aran Lam and Junji Zing stood rigid, their eyes blank, locked in trance. Even Jabil coiled around the castle gate, his scales devoid of their usual shimmer.
Kent staggered forward. “Ruby! Aran! Jean!”
No response.
His heart sank.
He rushed to Aran, gripping his shoulders. “Wake up! Snap out of it, Idiot!”
Aran’s body was stiff and cold to the touch, as if turned to stone.
Kent clenched his fists, breathing heavily. But soon, the shocking scene appeared before his eyes.
His eyes scanned the crowd. Statues. Hundreds—no, thousands—stood before the castle. Humans, beasts, elves, and more, frozen in eerie stillness.
“How long… have they been like this?” Kent whispered.
He moved from one to the next, desperately shaking shoulders, calling names, but none stirred. His frustration grew with each passing moment.
“Damn it! Wake up!” he roared, slamming his fist into the ground.
Silence.
Kent wiped the sweat from his brow, his chest heaving. He took a shaky breath and forced himself to keep moving, his boots scraping against the stone beneath his feet.
As he walked among the crowd, his eyes flicked from face to face. A faint hope lingered in his heart that one of them might blink or stir. But they remained still.
Then, Kent’s stride faltered. His breath hitched.
There, at the far edge of the crowd, stood a burly figure draped in familiar lavish robes. His round belly, which once wobbled with laughter, now stood rigid. His chubby hands gripped the hilt of a rusted sword.
Kent’s hand trembled as he reached out, brushing the man’s shoulder. “Fatty… Ben?”
The words left his mouth in a hushed, disbelieving whisper.
His vision blurred with moisture.
“No… How can you?!.”
He stepped closer, gripping Ben’s arm. “Wake up, Ben. You idiot, wake up.”
Ben’s broad face was frozen in a faint smile, his eyes staring blankly ahead, lost in the endless melody.
Kent’s knees buckled, and he sank to the ground.
“I shouldn’t have called you to the spirit world.You came here… because I told you to,” he muttered. “I dragged you into this damn world… and now you’re…”
His voice cracked, unable to finish the sentence.
The baby dragon nuzzled against him, letting out a soft croon of sympathy.
Kent wiped his eyes with his sleeve and slowly rose to his feet. His gaze hardened, locking onto the castle.
A fire burned in his heart to tear this place down. His hand still tugged to the hard sleeve of Fatty Ben.
–
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