The Inner Odyssey-Chapter 169: Blissfully Unaware

As the provisional Paladin squad left the barren plaza, Alden appraised Devin.

The sun hung high in the sky, its merciless, scorching rays beating down on the earth and all those who stepped on it. In response, Alden covered the majority of his body in a thin layer of mana to shield it slightly from the heat.

However, even with the searing sun and his mana serving as protection, a cold chill still seeped into his heart.

Emotions.

What a terrifying thing they were.

At first glance, they seemed insignificant, almost trivial. But, humans were wired to feel, and at times, there appeared no limit to how deeply they could do that.

As such, someone capable of imbuing another individual with the depth of their emotions had the potential to be truly frightening. Thankfully, it seemed like there were a couple of important limitations to Devin’s power.

Firstly, he couldn’t just conjure an emotion out of thin air; it had to be one he had felt or experienced before. Secondly, and perhaps most notably, Devin couldn’t manipulate a person’s emotions. All he could was imbue a sensation - although, the potency of that depended solely on him.

Alden wasn’t sure if the poet would ever reach the level where he could learn to manipulate and do so with just a thought, or if the nature of his Magic Class expressly forbade that. What he did know, though, was that Devin’s potential still remained extremely terrifying, with or without such an ability.

The stronger Devin experienced an emotion, the more his foes suffered.

Alden couldn’t help but think that was an incredibly cruel drawback.

The poet was destined to go through and confront the most intense of emotions, all just to have a slightly higher chance of surviving in this horrible world/

’No wonder the smile never reached his eyes.’

Alden shuddered.

Suddenly, he felt very glad he wasn’t in Devin’s position.

Even if he had to awaken a weaker Magic Class, Alden would prefer that over the hell that was the poet’s power.

Shaking his head, the Keeper’s Apprentice sharpened his focus, leading his squad through the territory of Ice. Residents and passersby threw numerous glances their way, no doubt influenced by their collective aura.

Alden sensed a few gazes lingering especially on him, his eye-patch and white hair distinct even amongst the rest of the squad. He tuned them out, like always, though, turning his attention to those now under his charge.

The provisional Paladin squad was a sizable force. Compared to the usual expedition teams and Guild squads, though, it lacked the presence of numerous Experts. However, that did not mean the provisional Paladin Squad was weak. Fourteen battle-ready warriors were primed and ready to carry out Alden’s commands.

He wouldn’t necessarily categorise them as elites, but each one, including him, were well on their way to becoming seasoned, battle-hardened veterans, if they weren’t already.

It was only a matter of time.

Still, a quiet apprehension seeped into Alden’s bones.

Just the mere thought of making a costly mistake unnerved him, worms of doubt and fear slithering in his gut. Aside from this being his first taste of leadership, for some reason, the Keeper’s Apprentice felt that the size of their party was too small.

It was as if they required even more warriors to tackle what was to come.

...Which was absolutely absurd.

Fourteen warriors should be more than enough.

Right?

’How bad can things really get? It’s just a simple escort mission.’

Suppressing his apprehension - attributing it simply to a side effect of experiencing Devin’s powers -, Alden continued his march, and soon the golden glow of the Barrier came into view, shimmering ethereally on the horizon.

The drum of numerous feet came to a gradual halt, and the pale-white outpost of the Frost Clan loomed, barring their path. Yuki and Isolde stepped up to coordinate with the sentries of their Clan.

Meanwhile, Alden scanned the land beyond the barrier.

It was dry, cracked and sparse, with a distinct lack of vegetation.

The barren plain stretched for some distance, before abruptly transforming past a certain point. Distorted by the magical sheen of the Barrier, it was akin to the writhing of a large, bleak shadow; the darkness seemed to possess fingers, clawing its way towards them.

Alden suppressed a shiver, instinctively stroking Ignia who was equally disturbed by the sight. The more experienced members of their group, particularly the Stonewardens, showed no signs that they were perturbed.

Their expressionlessness aside, Alden got the sense that these stony warriors had ventured into the land surrounding the Pyre Peaks often, and thus, had no reason to be put off. Which made sense, if he considered the presence of numerous mana crystal mines and the silent war taking place between the Dark Dwarves and the Stonewardens.

A couple of minutes later, Yuki and Isolde returned with the all-clear.

Alden inhaled a lungful of dry, scorching air.

Then, he closed his sole eye and exhaled, calming his nerves to the best of his ability.

As numerous warriors shuffled around him, preparing to leave, the Keeper’s Apprentice’s clear voice pierced the din:

"May the stars guide us and lend us their strength!"

The white-haired young man clasped both hands together, outwardly the perfect picture of solemn devotion.

Inwardly, however, Alden was full of disgust.

Unfortunately, it was something he had to do; it was a common pre-departure ritual to call on the aid of the constellations to bless one’s journey. The rest of the squad followed Alden’s lead, the hum of their voices fusing together to create a loud, jarring murmur.

Finished with his act, the Keeper’s Apprentice opened his sole eye and shifted his gaze towards the sky, the crimson within growing deeper. There, hidden from view, he thought he felt the countless constellations hidden beyond the firmament twinkle.

...It was as if they had benevolently accepted his plea.

Alden scoffed.

With that, everything was in place to leave.

The provisional Paladin Squad departed the Sanctuary, their steps light and purposeful. An air of tentative optimism surrounded them.

However, it was only much later....

That Alden would come to learn just how foolish they were, and just how blissfully unaware they’d all been.