Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1108 - 221: The Eerie Presence on the Lake Surface

Chapter 1108: Chapter 221: The Eerie Presence on the Lake Surface

The weather in the Forest of Death was ever-changing. Just the previous day, the Lake of Termination had been engulfed by fierce winds and torrential rain. Even at night, lightning continually streaked across the lake and thunder boomed, while the sound of rain poured down like mighty rivers. But, after just a few hours, when the young girls woke up in the morning and stepped out of the cave for air, the sky had cleared completely, as if the oppressive clouds and rainstorms of yesterday were but a dream during a night’s sleep.

Stepping out of the cave, they were greeted by a fiery red sunrise ascending from the horizon of the lake, the Lord of the Sun, Huront, driving his flaming chariot, rising into the sky once again, taking over the duties of his sisters, launching a daily charge against the night and the darkness. The rising sun cast down millions of rays, spreading across the sea-like expanse of the lake, with waves shimmering as they reflected the dawn twilight, and the scattered refraction of rainbow-colored light making the whole lake seem as dazzling as a gemstone.

The girls were reminded of an adventurer who had once made a deadly journey to the Lake of Termination and had commented, "The more dangerous the environment, the more it tends to hide beauty that one cannot resist. Lake of Termination is a prime example; this splendid lake is like the brightest, most dazzling gem hidden deep within the forest. Even if it cost me my life, I would not hesitate to exchange it for the chance to witness the sunrise over the lake."

While the girls were not as willing as those explorers, who took delight in exploring the unknown world and even sacrificed their lives to admire the scenery, to die for a glimpse of the Lake of Termination’s beauty, they had to admit that the scene before them was worthy of the title of the Forest of Death’s brightest gem.

Under the morning sun, the most notable characteristic of the Lake of Termination was its silence, extreme and profound silence; sound, as an element, seemed to have been erased from the world. Everything was steeped in quietness, the still lake water, the tranquil forest, the silent peaks, even the rising sun seemed silent and breathless. The motion of the sunrise and the silent stillness of the surroundings created a stark contrast, and this contrast contributed to the special sensation that made the sunrise at the Lake of Termination seem particularly wondrous.

"Arrgh, arrgh, arrgh, arrgh, arrgh." Just as the girls were becoming enraptured with the scene and unable to extricate themselves, an unexpected howl, like a raspy wolf cry, came from behind. The abrupt howling completely shattered the peaceful atmosphere created by the quiet sunrise, pulling the girls back from their reverie. With twitching in the corners of their eyes and gritted teeth, the girls slowly turned around. Before they could say anything, Pannis, who had been standing behind them, striking a triumphant and bizarre pose, suddenly flew up into the air, screaming as he tumbled out of the cave entrance.

After Pannis was flung away, Dillie, the scorpion-tailed lion, who had been blocked from view, was revealed. Brushing its ear with the same motion that tossed Pannis aside, it roared discontentedly, "Damn you, Kyle, are you an idiot? Don’t you know our ears are much more sensitive than humans’? You actually howl right next to my ear. You’re such a bastard, I could swallow eight of you in one bite, aren’t you scared of that?"

"Damned means of transport, just you wait," Pannis climbed up from the bottom of the mountain trail, with his head topped with weeds, and shouted, "Sooner or later, I’ll have Maya and Tiya pluck all your fur."

"Sigh." Catherine let out a helpless sigh. If it had just been Pannis causing trouble, the knight girl could have used some special means to force him back to normal, but that obviously wouldn’t work with the scorpion-tailed lion, Dillie. So when the two of them teamed up to cause havoc, it gave the knight girl a profound sense of defeat. Ignoring the two fools who were fighting, Catherine, with slumped shoulders, led the way down the mountain. Behind her, the girls looked back at the two demi-gods, who were tearing at each other, their eyes filled with pity as if looking at idiots, and they heaved deep sighs.

"Hey, hey, wait for us," the arguing pair finally came to their senses after the girls had walked far ahead, exchanged a furious glare, and hurriedly chased after them.

Upon close observation, the Lake of Termination seemed no different from an ordinary lake apart from its size. Its water was clear and transparent, and its shores were lined with dense reeds. When the breeze blew, the reeds swayed, and the sweet fragrance of the reed flowers mixed with the cool lake water, carried in all directions by the wind. Everything seemed so beautiful, yet no one could relax because on the vast lake surface floated a great number of Twisted Souls in various shapes. The Twisted Shadows and Chaotic Fragments that had been seen before could all be found within them, along with countless other manifestations.

"Do you see that Twisted Soul closest to the shore?" Pannis pointed to the lake surface, and whispered to the girls, "That one that looks a bit like a tiger, but as if someone physically crumpled up a painting of a tiger and then flattened it out, creating that crinkled-feeling thing. That one happens to be twisted for a shorter duration, retaining some habits from its life, as well as some memories and obsessions, and plenty of its pre-death methods of attack. If the soul is human-shaped, it might even fight like a living person. Although they have some memory and thoughts, they are already chaotic, and their greatest hope is to turn all souls into something like themselves. Hence, their desire to attack is very strong, and because they are not corporeal but spiritual, their attacks can almost only be dodged—defenses and blocks are ineffective. As for wanting to attack them," Pannis continued, "besides Lina’s life magic purification, there is one more effective means of attack."

"Psychic Impact?" Vivian guessed, noticing Pannis’s gaze turning towards her. After a brief moment, she arrived at the answer, "Although Psychic Impact has a certain effect on incorporeal Undead, it’s not very significant, right?"

"However, they are not truly Undead in the strictest sense," Pannis shook his head, "Psychic Impact is particularly effective on these Twisted Souls that are closest to normal creatures. In a certain sense, it’s even more effective than Lina’s purification. So, if we are attacked by such Twisted Souls, don’t hesitate, unleash a wide-range Psychic Blast immediately."

"What happens if we’re injured by their attack?" Lina asked curiously, "Is it the same effect as with Chaotic Fragments?"

"It’s different. They only want to assimilate you into something like themselves, not to take your soul to become normal, so it’s entirely different from Chaotic Fragments. They wouldn’t remove anything from your soul; instead, they would add certain things. Like the Twisted Soul’s twist, madness, and chaos," Pannis said with a sneer, "Believe me, you would not want to experience that feeling. One or two attacks might be bearable, but if it happens repeatedly, even the most resolute person cannot resist the twist. It wouldn’t take long before you’d become like them in both body and soul. So, no matter what, try not to let them touch you, and avoid getting surrounded at all costs; this actually applies throughout the entire Forbidden Land of Living Souls."

"We’ll remember that, but what about the one next to it?" Lina’s attention hadn’t been entirely focused on the least-twisted Insane Twister from the beginning, but she often cast glances towards another presence beside it. It was an equally bizarre entity, its visage resembling an incomplete sketch, entirely made up of lines. However, unlike the Twisted Shadows that lay flat on the ground as a plane, it still maintained a three-dimensional form, with a line-constructed body undulating and floating as if alive. If the Twisted Shadows were only length and width without height, then this lined being was only width and height, yet nonexistent in thickness—meaning, if you looked at it strictly from the side, it appeared as if it didn’t exist at all. This feeling was extremely eerie, as the observer could only see a chaotic web of lines, which made it difficult to associate them with a soul.

"That one there, I simply call it Line," Pannis pulled the girls back a few steps, appearing very cautious about this existence called Line, "It can be considered the most terrifying kind of Twisted Soul; at least, of all the Twisted Souls I know, it poses the highest danger. Fortunately, they are incredibly rare, and the chances of encountering one are so low that otherwise the danger in the Forbidden Land of Living Souls would be several degrees higher."

"That strong?" Catherine exclaimed in surprise, "It looks a bit strange, but it doesn’t seem all that special, does it?"

"Firstly, purification is nearly ineffective against it. Its soul’s existence in this world is just these few incorporeal lines, unless you can release the purification magic precisely on these lines, it won’t work. Yet its floating speed is not slower than those Chaotic Fragments, trying to cast magic accurately on a thin line is exceedingly challenging," Pannis explained, "Next is their mode of attack. Let’s talk about the Twisted Shadows previously. Because of their slow speed, you haven’t seen the Twisted Shadows attack. Once they come into contact with an enemy, they slowly cling to the enemy’s body. Once you’re entirely covered by them, it’s hard to get free because they’re just planar, with no height. You can’t tear them off your limbs, so unless you chop off the affected body parts, you’ll continue to be assimilated by them until you also become a Twisted Soul. These lines work similarly, but they are three-dimensional and line-shaped, and also fast. Upon touching an enemy, they cling like tattoos on the person’s skin, equally unremovable. At this point, even cutting off limbs doesn’t work, because they have a large volume, no, a large area, covering much of the body. If you chopped off all the parts they affected, there wouldn’t be much left of a person. Of course, there’s an advantage with lines - if there’s time, you can cut out the muscle sections where lines are attached, but I don’t think we’d have enough time to carefully slice them off after startling the Twisted Souls."