Discordant Note: Crescendo | TBATE

Chapter 299: Lost Chances

Thank you to my beta reader and editor, GlassThreads!

Arthur Leywin

Tess' illusory mist swirled in motes of blue water mana, weaving in deep green nature mana and a quiet pulse of bright green particles of wind.

I passed a hand through the mist, sensing the barrier between me and what was within. It clouded my senses, even as a white core mage.

Except it wasn't just Elshire mist. This was formed under the same base, yes, but it was something more—more dangerous, ethereal, otherworldly. Those eddies of water vapor drifted like morning fog, a grim contrast to the angry storm brewing overhead. Every now and then, lightning would flash, tendrils of electricity hurtling across the sky like chariots of light.

But no matter how much light brightened the sky, it couldn't pierce the veil before me or offer any glimpse deeper in.

"Tessia knew what she was doing," Sylvie affirmed from my side. Her dark dress pooled around her like living shadow, her horns absorbing the light. "You need to trust her, Arthur."

My bond's golden eyes peered into the mist. Though she spoke the words to me, I could feel over our bond how they were meant to reassure herself as well.

"It's not Tessia I'm doubting, Sylv," I admitted, wondering if the soft grass beneath me would simply swallow my body whole. "It's myself."

Sylv had spent the short flight here in silence, contemplating the memories of the conversation I'd shared with her. She still couldn't see Regis like I could, even in my memories, but she believed he was there.

Of course, she'd believe that, I thought darkly. The only other option is that I'm mad. Would Sylvie rather face my madness?

I shoved those thoughts from my mind, the fog of my thoughts churning like the illusory spell cast in front of me.

"Trail me from a ways away," I said numbly, staring into the gloom. "If Nico is in there, it's better if he thinks I'm alone."

Sylvie's worried eyes snapped to me. She licked her lips, her fist clenching and unclenching. She could see my logic. She even found herself somewhat agreeing with it. "If I sense you're in any sort of danger, I'm going to help you," she said resolutely. "I'm not leaving you to your demons alone. We face them together."

I smiled, feeling reassured by my bond's dedication. Then I took a deep breath, calming my pounding heart, and stepped into the fog.

The change was immediate. My senses compressed, my vision of all four elements squeezing inward as the cloaking effects of the mist eroded my senses like million-year wind across a mountain slope. I felt like a child in the dark, only able to perceive a few meters around me from how condensed and honed Tess' spell was.

It was disorienting, almost difficult to tell where was up and where was down. East, west, north, and south became indiscriminate points in space around me. The sensation of the earth beneath my feet drifted away, and for a moment, I wondered if I was flying.

Tess' skill is absurd, I thought with admiration. She'd told me a little about the training she'd done with Aya in Elshire as she sought to master the divergent powers of her Elderwood Guardian Will. But for it to cloud my senses this much, even when I'm not pushing myself to—

"Art, honey?" a familiar voice called out from the fog. Shapes and indistinct shadows swirled tauntingly around me. "Art, where are you?"

My mother's voice. Alice's voice, fraught with worry and fear. It sounded frantic.