Rise of the Eromancer

Chapter 273 Instinct

"...Should we really be opening that door?"

There was a moment of silence after Miquella said that. Malenia stared at her at first, spending seconds squinting her eyes almost as if trying to find a way to refute her sister's words as harshly as possible — but alas, she was making sense.

And so, Malenia just turned her eyes toward the shivellan, as they might back her up in what she was doing. But alas, even they could see that it would not be a wise choice to open the door. And it did not even matter whether the nymphs had changed or not — their ancestors had shed their scales numerous times, and yet the Nymph's Rest have remained closed — there was also the tradition to be kept.

But of course, it was not like they could rebuke their High Priestess' words when she was obviously adamant about it.

And so, Malenia then turned her attention to Rhys, who just shrugged her shoulders and told her to,

"It's your choice, but I will act when I sense there's danger."

"Of course, it is my choice," Malenia raised her head high as she once again placed her palm on the stone door, causing Miquella to just let out a deep sigh and slither back.

Malenia then took in a deep breath before her braids once again started dancing in the air and her eyes lit up — and as it did so, the figure embossed on the door that Rhys thought was only a statue moved; its eyes also opening up in response to Malenia.

A loud grumble then echoed throughout the entire shrine as the stone door started to slide open; the creak it produced was enough to be heard by the entire city, and feel it too as they all just stopped whatever it was they were doing to look at the direction of the Shrine of Medusa.

"Oh, protector of the Shrine of Medusa, and guardian of the sacred leaves — we ask forgiveness for trespassing your domain and waking you up," Malenia then covered her glowing eyes as the door continued to open; vines and roots, crawling across the ground and escaping through the ever-growing gaps, "Nymph of the 4th Night Forest, hear the call of your people and—"

And before Malenia could finish her chant, she found her vision suddenly shifting as Rhys suddenly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back; the two of them, falling to the ground as Rhys was not able to balance himself with just a single leg.

Malenia and the others did not need to wonder why Rhys did that, however, as a large branch; sharp enough to cut air itself, suddenly shot out from the other side of the door and almost skewered Malenia completely.

"Rhys!" Miquella quickly slithered her way to where Rhys was, quickly pulling him away and helping him up.

"Helping Rhys Wilder first before your sister," Malenia scoffed as she quickly also slithered back and collected herself, "I would do the same, because it would seem that Rhys Wilder truly is the Rhys Wilder being mentioned in the book — the hero that would save our people and Medusa."

The shivellans then quickly surrounded Malenia, brandishing their spears and shields to protect her from any more incoming attacks from the other side of the door. But no more attacks followed and the door just fully opened on them.

"You…"

There was, however, a whisper that reverberated through the entire shrine even more so than the old stone door. And soon, everyone saw a very tiny person, the gigantic stone door making her look even smaller than she already was — and the photos and reports were right, they were just the size of Rhys's forearm.

Their presence, however, was even bigger than the stone door she was being kept in. The nymph's skin was dark, a complete contrast to her glowing white hair that was longer than her tiny body. Most importantly, however…

…she looks pissed.

"You dare wake me up from my slumber!?" The nymph screamed, causing the plants and even the water within the shrine to tremble.

"...What is she saying?" Miquella took in a small gulp as she glanced at Rhys.

"...She didn't like that we woke her up."

"Nymph of the 4th Night Forest!" Malenia quickly bowed her head, and so did the shivellans, "Please, we implore your good—"

"Gah!" The nymph did not hear of Malenia's words as she just shrieked, causing the roots of the trees inside the shrine to suddenly grow in size almost instantly; cracking the floors and even the walls — Rhys was wrong, the nymph was not pissed off or angry at all, she… was in pain,

"All of you, just die!"

The nymph then opened her arms, causing the trees to become even more violent; their roots, now reaching to the outside, crawling so fast that they started rampaging across the city in a ripple.

"Nymph of the 4th Night Forest, stop this!"

Suddenly, however, the rampage stopped as soon as it started as the nymph turned her attention to Rhys as he spoke to her; the nymph's expression, extremely confused and baffled as she tilted her head to the side.

She then looked around, almost as if trying to find who was speaking to her before finally settling again on Rhys.

"You speak our tongue?" The nymph then looked Rhys in the eyes, causing him to slightly become uncomfortable as it seemed like she was peering deep into his soul, quite literally as Rhys was feeling something crawling inside his brain,

"You look familiar, but not quite? You… are human — beings discarded by the masters. But you are different; Blessed, or perhaps cursed by their blood — which, I do not know. Tell me, human — why am I in pain? Why wake me up, just to allow me to bathe in this torment?"

"We… woke you up, yes. But your pain has nothing to do with us," Rhys raised his palm, "We don't know what's causing it… but your kind is probably experiencing the same thing."

"My kind, we are all in pain?" The nymph looked at her palms, "How do you know this?"

"I saw it — hundreds of them gathering in one place, and they killed one of my kind that unfortunately got too close."

"You… lie," the nymph seemed to hesitate to say her words as she looked Rhys in the eyes, "It goes against our very being and nature to take life. It is—"

"Tell that to her." And before the nymph could finish her words, Rhys slightly turned around to look at the aftermath of the nymph's shrieking rampage; the roots, almost completely eradicating the entire shrine… but most importantly, one of the shivellans was currently hanging from one of those wild roots, her arms completely limp to the side.

"It is…" The nymph still wanted to continue her words, but she could not help but just shake her heads as her feet started to hover inches above the floor. She then floated straight toward the corpse as tears started to trail from her eyes,

"To think that I would go into a fit of rage, blindingly tearing down the very precious fruits of emotions and memory… what have I done? I—no. No…"

The nymph then started shaking her head as her feet landed back on the floor. And once again, the ground started to tremble.

"...This pain," The nymph then clutched her hair, and the trembling of the ground started to become even more violent, "I can feel it, we are all feeling it at the same time. A rage, a rage that is pointed at everything we used to hold dear…

…as what we hold dear is what is causing our pain. I feel it, rushing, crawling through the very veins of our existence — we are hurt. Someone is hurting us."

"What… is she saying?" The sisters turned to look at Rhys, as even they felt the sudden gush of pain coming from her indecipherable words.

"...She's saying someone is hurting one of them."

"Hurting one of the nymphs?" Malenia's eyes widened, "But who would do such atrocities? The nymphs are sacred beings, to be treated with respect and much esteem. Such an act is deplorable, disgusting, and disgraceful — not to mention it makes no sense. What sort of monster would do such a thing to such a peaceful and beautiful existence?"

"...My kind," Rhys then whispered as he glanced at Malenia, "My kind would do that."

"There are monsters in every people, Rhys," Miquella offered her words.

"Not like mine," Rhys said as he carefully approached closer to the nymph, "Do you know where—"

"If the very thing we are tasked and honored to protect and cherish have turn its back around us," the nymph once again started speaking before Rhys could say what he wanted, "Then perhaps it is no longer something to protect and cherish…

…but to wither and be reborn anew."

And there and then, Rhys felt a certain weight crawling on the back of his neck; his instincts…

…telling him to just run.