Chapter 86 - A Fading Barrier

Chapter 86: 86 - A Fading Barrier

The next day, Adrien was already back in Elyndor.

Vael had told him to stop by before he eventually left for Sylvamir, although Adrien wasn’t here to begin that journey yet. There were still things to handle in Clairmont territory first, and Laurent had already made it clear there was no need to rush.

Adrien stepped onto the platform that carried visitors toward Vael’s residence and let it rise through the enormous tree. This time, he was alone. When the platform reached the upper level, the entrance was already open, so Adrien walked inside and closed the door behind him.

Vael was sitting in the main room with one hand raised in front of him. Something rested above his palm, although Adrien couldn’t immediately tell what it was.

It was small, little more than a shifting mass of pale air, but Absolute Mana Sense reacted the moment he focused on it. The amount of power compressed inside that tiny form was far greater than its appearance suggested. There was also something strange about its presence. Not exactly hostile, but ancient and severe enough that Adrien instinctively paid more attention to it.

"What is that?" Adrien asked, walking closer.

Vael glanced at the thing floating over his hand. "A spirit. More specifically, the Wind God Spirit. Magnificent, isn’t it?"

Adrien looked between him and the spirit. "A spirit? What’s your Path, Vael? I don’t think I ever asked."

"I’m a Spiritcaller, boy. I use spirits." Vael raised his palm slightly. "This one is a contract I made many years ago with the Wind God Spirit. Spiritcallers have similarities to Mages, but we’re not the same. It’s easier if you see it yourself."

The small presence lifted from his palm, and mana surged through the room.

Adrien’s eyes narrowed as the spirit expanded rapidly, its form taking shape beneath the high ceiling. A broad humanoid torso emerged from layers of translucent air, covered by pale armor-like currents that shifted constantly across its body. Its head carried a narrow crown of rotating wind, while two long arms formed from compressed streams of mana.

Below the waist, there were no legs. Instead, its body ended in a powerful spiral of wind that rotated like a contained tornado. Despite its unusual form, there was something imposing about it rather than grotesque.

The instant it fully manifested, the entire room erupted into motion.

Curtains snapped toward the walls. Papers flew from a nearby table, chairs scraped across the floor and several lighter pieces of furniture began sliding away from the spirit. Adrien felt the pressure hit him a second later and immediately manifested Umbral Root.

The dark casting focus appeared in his hand, and he planted its end firmly against the floor to brace himself. Vael watched the chaos for another moment before finally looking up at the spirit.

"Alright. That’s enough. Stop before you dismantle my house."

The wind vanished almost immediately. Furniture settled, loose papers drifted down across the room and the massive spirit contracted until it disappeared entirely.

Adrien straightened and dismissed Umbral Root. "You wanted to see me? Just me? Amelia and Lucien aren’t here today?"

"Yes. Come with me." Vael stood from his chair. "We’re going to the dragon room."

Adrien followed without another question. Vael opened the concealed entrance Adrien had used before, and the two descended through the hidden passage beneath the residence.

The air grew cooler as they went farther down until they eventually reached the enormous chamber containing the dragon’s corpse. Even after seeing it before, the scale of the body was difficult to ignore.

Adrien looked toward Vael. "Why did you bring me down here again?"

"I wanted to show you something." Vael paused beside the dragon. "Actually, showing you isn’t the right word. I want you to feel it."

Adrien understood immediately. He activated Absolute Mana Sense and focused on the corpse, allowing his perception to spread through the chamber.

At first, nothing seemed different. The dragon still released an enormous amount of residual mana into the surroundings, enough that most people probably wouldn’t notice anything wrong. Adrien concentrated harder, examining the flow more carefully.

Then he found it.

The difference was slight, but it was there. The aura wasn’t as dense as it had been the last time he stood here. Energy was still spreading from the corpse, but the amount had diminished.

"The energy it’s producing has gone down?"

"In simple terms, yes." Vael folded his arms. "There’s something else you probably don’t know. You have this dragon’s heart, but the corpse still serves another purpose."

Adrien waited for him to continue.

"The barrier surrounding Elyndor is powered by the aura released from this body," Vael explained. "It has been doing that for a long time. The problem is that the remaining energy is finally beginning to run out."

Adrien looked back toward the dragon. That explained why Vael had bothered bringing him down personally.

"Hm. If the barrier weakens, this place could be in trouble, I assume?"

"Yes. The monsters living around this part of the forest aren’t weak." Vael’s expression became more serious. "The barrier interferes with their judgment and keeps most of them away from Elyndor. Without it, some will eventually wander close enough to become a problem."

"You have soldiers and other defenses."

"I do, and I’d prefer not to waste them fighting monsters every few days when they could be used elsewhere. Elyndor has remained secure because the barrier prevents most threats from reaching us in the first place."

Adrien gave another look toward the corpse before turning back to him. "Is there a solution?"

"There is." Vael nodded. "I need a specific material called Heartroot Crystal. With enough of it, I can replace what the dragon’s aura is currently doing and stabilize the barrier again."

Adrien hadn’t heard the name before, but if Vael needed it badly enough to bring him here, obtaining it probably wasn’t as simple as buying some from a merchant. Vael seemed to read that conclusion from his face.

"It’s not something I can send an ordinary group to collect. Amelia and Lucien will be going, and I was considering sending you with them." His eyes settled on Adrien. "You’re strong, but most of your serious fights have depended heavily on what you can do alone. Learning how to work properly with a small group wouldn’t hurt you."

Adrien didn’t disagree with that. He had fought beside other people before, but most of the time he’d still relied primarily on his own spells, judgment and ability to react to whatever happened around him.

Vael crossed his arms again. "So, do you want to go with them?"