Turning Chapter 836

Chapter 836

‘Damn it,’ he cursed under his breath.

Nahan's illusions were peculiar in their nature, capable of stirring the deepest fears in the minds of their victims. Unlike most, these illusions were not crafted by Nahan himself, but rather were the creations of the targets' own minds, which made them all the more insidious and effective.

Yuder had once before encountered a similar illusion in the East. Just like now, Kishiar from his past life had appeared within that illusion.

Although the actions and words within the illusion might have varied, its core purpose remained unchanged: to ensnare and subdue its target by coercing a response. Had Yuder been disconcerted or caught up in Kishiar's words within the illusion, his mind would have been swiftly overwhelmed.

‘To encounter an illusion right upon entering, it's utterly absurd…’

Yet, despite knowing it was an illusion, its ability to profoundly disturb the mind was its cursed strength. The more one's spirit wavered, the more the mind eroded, making escape increasingly difficult.

‘Mine must have been somewhat eroded already.’

When he first saw Kishiar lying there, he had been utterly thoughtless. His rational mind had ceased without a sign, unable to even conjure the usual skepticism. He was so startled that he hadn't immediately noticed the difference in clothes.

Even now, confident that it was an illusion, the dreadful sensation of that moment lingered, draining his energy and causing a headache. Despite knowing he should ignore it, it was hard to avert his eyes from the fluttering white hand before him.

‘Nahan, even in a near-death state, how could he conjure such a powerful illusion?’

In some ways, this illusion felt stronger than the one he had seen in the East. He wondered if Kishiar, Gakane, and Kurga were safe in such a situation.

‘If they too are caught in this illusion…’

‘No,’ Yuder clenched his teeth and fists. He couldn't afford to entertain thoughts that only fueled his anxiety in this already desperate situation. The more he reacted and wavered, the stronger and more potent the illusion became. He desperately cleared his mind and focused on other thoughts.

‘The fastest way out would be to attack the caster, but he's nowhere to be seen. The only other option is…’

Yuder gazed at his own hand.

When he previously faced Nahan's illusion, he had escaped by tearing his arm. Since the location was outside, it was possible to break the scope of Nahan’s ability and strike back as revenge for seeing his blood.

But now, after the incidents in the West, he could no longer resort to inflicting wounds upon himself as a means of escape.

Destroying it was such a simple act, yet Yuder, with reluctance, lowered his hand.

‘There must be another way.’

A method of breaking through the space with sheer force.

However, he hesitated to unleash a pillar of fire in this space, wary that it might be wrapped in Gakane's powers. Perhaps this was a trap, using Yuder's strength against him, a ploy of the enemy to escape the current predicament.

‘The most moderate approach would be... to do as Nathan Zuckerman did.’

Nathan Zuckerman had shattered Nahan's illusion in the West with unwavering determination. Despite being human with inherent fears, he had decisively proved that these fears were irrelevant to his present self, enabling a swift escape.

But even knowing that, it was a difficult method to replicate. Nathan Zuckerman and Yuder were fundamentally different from the start. If Yuder could have confronted Nahan in the same way, he wouldn't have resorted to tearing his arm in the East, enduring the tremendous expenditure of power to create a pillar of flame.

Those methods, though effective in delivering a significant blow to Nahan, in fact represented a way of avoiding the situation itself – the denial and destruction of the illusion of Kishiar.

‘...’

Reflecting on it, he realized he had always been exceptionally weak when it came to matters involving Kishiar.

It was a time when he had kept his heart closed to himself, unwilling to acknowledge even a hint of emotion. Yet, the presence of Kishiar La Orr lingered in the deepest recesses of his heart, binding him inexorably, rendering him incapable of moving forward.

‘Damn it.’

The fact that he couldn't choose the fastest method of escape, tearing his own hand, was because of this.

Without Kishiar, what could possibly shake him?

Such a ludicrous, fake scenario of him lying there, defeated.

Those silent hands, what were they...

Yuder, pressing down on his throbbing head, bowed.

It was then that he noticed the golden string on his ceremonial robe.

A simple, decorative string, yet the sight of it suddenly brought to mind a voice he had recently heard.

"When a single string exists, the beginning and end seem like opposites. But when these two meet..."

The decorative string, intertwined between the buttons, formed a circle.

"The moment the beginning and end meet, we can no longer distinguish between them. They turn and cycle together, eternally."

Coincidentally, or perhaps it was Kishiar's intention, the color of the string matched exactly what Kishiar had shown him before.

That day, watching the flickering flames of the magic stone stove, the sensation of lying overlapped on the sofa, vividly resurfaced.

The warmth at his back, the gentle hands that wrapped around his waist, softly caressing.

The low, tender voice echoing in his ears.

The warmth and an indescribable, poignant sensation that touched the deepest part of him.

Yuder slowly grasped the string with his fingers.

As he held the circle formed by the knot in his hand, his dizzy head began to clear, and the entangled mess seemed to fly away.

The shock of seeing Kishiar's illusion lying defeated.

The provocative remarks from the voice within the illusion.

And the anxiety and anger towards himself for almost being shaken by it, despite knowing better.

All that disappeared, leaving only one thing behind.

Even if the beginning and the end are indistinguishable, connected things always remain in place.

So, even in this unseen, unheard darkness, knowing just that,

"..."

Yuder closed his eyes deeply and then opened them.

The illusion of the hand in the white glove, which seemed about to reach him any moment, vanished like a lie, and there stood a person before him.

The golden threads of light, thought to have disappeared the moment he entered the shadow curtain, wrapped around him, softly dancing and fluttering.

In that fantastical scene visible to no one but Yuder, Kishiar, clad in a black ceremonial robe, reached out and embraced him. Yuder, without a word, slowly raised his hand and embraced him in return.

After taking a few breaths in this embrace, words finally began to flow.

"I have dealt with the sage. I came here because I suddenly felt a pressure that seemed to shake the heavens and the earth from this side, and when I didn't see you or the others, I forced my way in."

"I see, that must have been worrying, with only the shadow wall erected."

Kishiar's voice was, as always, smooth and composed. It was the same voice as in the illusion, but the words he spoke were entirely different. That's when the reality of the situation sank in.

"I was worried when I first entered and saw the space created by the illusion power... but I'm relieved to see that you're alright, Commander."

"There were some complications, but it was manageable. I was concerned when I sensed someone intruding before I could finish everything, but fortunately, it seems you've managed to escape."

The man lightly squeezed Yuder's shoulder and then released him from the embrace. Only then did Yuder realize that he hadn't just been holding him, but had been checking his condition.

"It's good to see you're not injured."

Although Kishiar must have guessed that Yuder had seen Nahan's illusion, he didn't ask about its content. It was as if he knew that Yuder being unharmed meant that, unlike before, he had escaped the illusion on his own without injuring himself.

"What exactly happened?"

"It's a bit of a long story, but let's go join the others first, and I'll explain on the way."