Chapter 298: Plane of the Nine Heavens [2]

Chapter 297

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Episode 79 – Plane of the Nine Heavens [2]

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Adel and Veronica’s figures appeared in the center of a ruined room covered in moss and orange-yellow vines.

Some of the leaves had the same colors as well.

Meanwhile, an orange beam of light, reminiscent of a sunset, filtered into the ruined room.

Adel quickly activated his senses and, shortly afterward, checked the surrounding area.

They were inside another temple, not much different from the first one. After walking for a while, they finally made their way outside.

As soon as they stepped outside, they found themselves in a valley covered in yellow and orange flowers. Several hills rose in the distance, and small structures could be seen atop them, like remnants of a civilization that had existed in the past.

Trees with yellow and orange hues stretched across the valley, accompanied by vegetation whose colors contrasted with the shades that dominated the entire area.

A twilight sun hung at its highest point in the sky, and two moons could be seen near it.

One was yellow and represented spring, while the other was orange and represented autumn.

They were two of the twelve moons that represented the Twelve Lunar Goddesses.

Farther ahead, several floating islands hovered in the sky. Some were small, while others were enormous. Waterfalls cascaded from their edges, forming rainbows before pouring into enormous lakes below.

Compared to the outside world, which was immersed in a white winter, the Ninth Heaven seemed to be eternally trapped between spring and autumn.

Veronica’s violet eyes glimmered faintly as she took in the scenery.

“This place never changes, no matter how many years pass.”

She murmured as she began walking slowly.

Adel, on the other hand, couldn’t truly enjoy the scenery the way Veronica did.

He remained silent as he used his senses to search for any threats or a possible base where a group of villains might be hiding.

Villains were like rats. They would enter anywhere and establish their bases there.

Throughout the Nine Heavens of the Plane of the Nine Heavens, there were at least hundreds, if not thousands, of hidden villain bases scattered across different locations.

And above all, in the Ninth Heaven.

The Ninth Heaven was inhabited by a race known as the Akarón.

At first glance, they had a human appearance, but biologically, they were not human.

They were classified as Humanoid Monsters of exceptional intelligence.

You could say they were similar to Dwarves in the context of a generic fantasy setting.

However, the Akarón did not specialize in forging weapons.

Their specialty was Relics.

The reason so many villains hid in the Ninth Heaven was precisely related to the creations of the Akarón.

Every Relic created by an Akarón was vastly superior to anything humans or the races of the other Continents could manufacture.

For that reason, villains, driven by their greed, established hidden bases near the Cities or Kingdoms of the Akarón.

Veronica looked at Adel and, realizing that he was still on high alert, let out a soft laugh before saying:

“Older Brother, don’t worry if you’re afraid we’ll be attacked by villains or even by the Akarón themselves. Our destination is a place where neither villains nor Akarón can enter.”

Adel turned his head and “looked” at Veronica.

“What do you mean?”

Veronica shrugged and calmly replied:

“It’s just as I said. Only the two of us can enter, since the place we’re going is surrounded by a barrier… A special one that no one can enter, except the two of us, of course.”

Adel nodded slightly.

Upon hearing that, he stopped using his senses and relaxed once again.

Since Veronica knew the way, he simply let her take the lead while he walked silently behind her.

After all, although this was the first time in this life that he had entered the Plane of the Nine Heavens, he knew that dangers could come from villains and monsters, as well as from the inhabitants of the Ninth Heaven themselves: the Akarón.

If what Veronica had said was true, then once they reached their destination, he wouldn’t have to worry about anything else and could focus entirely on his objective.

With that settled, the two continued walking in a specific direction.

The sun in the sky barely moved, since a day in the Ninth Heaven lasted seventy-two hours.

The hours passed in silence as the duo traveled through forests, valleys, and small mountains.

Finally, after several hours, a small cabin appeared in the distance.

At first glance, it looked completely ordinary, but Adel’s senses immediately revealed that the cabin was only visible to Veronica and himself.

Veronica walked to the entrance and, upon reaching it, opened the door without hesitation.

“What are we supposed to do here?”

Adel “looked” around.

The inside of the cabin was quite ordinary.

However, although it didn’t appear particularly large from the outside, the interior was at least ten times more spacious than it seemed.

There were eight rooms with eight beds in total, a kitchen, and a living room with more than enough space for eight people.

“You could say it’s like a vacation home.”

“That wasn’t what I meant. Anyway, who lives here, or who used to live here?”

“No one for now. But, as you can see, the cabin is livable for eight people. Anyway, follow me.”

Without saying another word, Adel followed Veronica until they reached a basement.

As they descended, Adel noticed the presence of a Spatial Circle.

However, it didn’t seem like an ordinary Spatial Circle.

It was far more complex, as if it had been created by a Grand Mage.

Veronica stopped in the center and gestured for Adel to join her.

Adel stood beside her, and shortly afterward, Veronica used her Mana to activate the Spatial Circle.

The next second, they both disappeared.

***

On an island invisible to all the other islands of the Ninth Heaven.

Veronica and Adel appeared in front of a ruined structure covered in overgrowth and vegetation, as if it had existed for an unimaginably long time.

Veronica’s expression subtly changed before returning to its usual appearance.

Without saying a word, Veronica began walking, and shortly afterward, the two of them entered through the main entrance of the structure.

The building was shaped like a palace at least hundred meters tall. It had probably been far taller during its days of glory than its ruins suggested.

As Veronica walked ahead, Adel followed behind her, using his senses to “see” everything around them.

The interior was enormous, although most of the areas were buried beneath rubble. The corridor they were walking through, however, remained clear thanks to the power of Gravity.

The pillars and remnants of the walls slowly rose from the ground, floating several meters in the air as they were moved out of the way.

Then, Alice’s voice echoed in Adel’s mind.

‘Well, are you going to explain what the objective is?’

“…”

Adel stopped for a microsecond before continuing to walk.

To be honest, he hadn’t told her a single word about his true identity until now.

Of course, explaining his true identity wasn’t exactly simple. However…

‘Master, have you ever thought about reincarnation?’

Hearing Adel’s words, Alice immediately understood the true meaning behind her disciple’s question.

Her mind went silent for a few moments before she replied.

‘You’re a reincarnator… Does such a miracle really exist?’

Adel smiled faintly, though there was a hint of bitterness in his expression.

“It is just as you think. I am someone who has been reincarnated, hailing from an era long before this world became what it is today.”

Alice remained silent as she processed Adel’s words.

‘I come from an era when humans were simply ordinary humans. Mana didn’t exist, nor did monsters or any of the things that exist today.’

‘Back then, this world was known as the planet Earth. Its size was barely a third of the size of the Holy Continent…’

Adel slowly began explaining something he had never told anyone since awakening in his new body and assuming the identity of Adel.

He started by talking about his initial thoughts, when he believed that awakening inside Adel’s body had been a transmigration. However, as time passed, he discovered that it was actually reincarnation.

And it hadn’t happened only once.

He had probably lived thousands of lives, although he retained none of the memories from them.

Adel spoke about every System mission and everything he knew about it. He also explained how, at first, he had believed the world he was in was simply a game.

But then he discovered the truth.

It was actually the planet Earth, millions of years in the future, after an event known as the Apocalypse.

‘And now I’m heading to the place where I can probably recover the memories of every one of my lives… and perhaps even the memories of my first life.’

Adel had asked himself the same question more than once.

What had his first life been?

He wondered who he had been, what his personality had been like, how he had lived that first life, and how he had ended up trapped in an apparently endless cycle of reincarnation.

And alongside those questions, there was an endless number of mysteries surrounding his first life.

Alice listened in silence.

To be honest, she was speechless. The revelation had left her completely stunned.

However, she also realized something else.

Adel’s true mental age probably far exceeded that of any other living being in the world.

‘Honestly, it would be difficult for anyone to imagine that the person who had been by your side for an entire year was a reincarnator.’

Alice spoke while scratching her head, still trying to process Adel’s words.

‘Well, you’re the only person I’ve told about my situation.’

Alice nodded slightly.

‘I hope you’ll still be yourself even after recovering the memories of all your lives. The memories and experiences of thousands, or perhaps millions, of lives are far too great a burden for a single mind.’

A smile unconsciously formed at the corner of Adel’s lips.

He said nothing more.

They continued walking for several minutes until they finally reached their destination.

Veronica pointed toward the far end of an enormous room.

There stood a fifteen-meter-tall, five-meter-wide mirror, carefully placed and completely pristine. It didn’t have a single speck of dirt or a single crack.

“Bring Emiry’s Ring to the mirror, and then… Just walk through it.”

Adel nodded.

Then, he took a Ring out of his Inventory. Immediately afterward, he walked over to the mirror and pressed the ring against its surface.

At that moment…

〖The Mirror of the Past has been detected〗

〖Emiry’s Ring has been activated〗

The surface of the Mirror of the Past began to change.

Adel instinctively reached out a hand and, to his surprise, it passed through the mirror as if its surface had turned into water.

“Aah…!”

A long, heavy sigh escaped his lips as he turned his head and “looked” toward Veronica and the Spirit floating beside her.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Without waiting for a response, Adel took a step toward the mirror.

His body slowly faded away as he passed through the rippling surface of the Mirror of the Past, which resembled the surface of water.(Image)