They both stood there and ignored the spirit, they had no reason to chase as they had a feel they will encounter it again or something similar.
Halcyon watched she looked at Lucian as he bent the spider leg kicked it, causing it to snap and he placed it under his cloak…
She had a felling he would use it if he needed it in the future… after she approached her, he held the Seeker Eye, he tapped it in that moment.
The Seeker began to glow faintly… then a orange slit creature eyes rolled upfront… the eye darted about as it quietly sent energy rippling through the surrounding area… they both nodded to each other.
A While Later…
Lucian and Halcyon continued, as minute's passed, the Seeker Eye kept pulsing and flickering carrying them forward... While, it took a minute they believe the eye was more capable to find the crown relic than them so they gave it time, the eye was something that there as only a couple left in the world mainly among them.
As the Seeker's Eye was created by an ancient order of relic hunters who sought to uncover and catalog the world's hidden artifacts.
And so far it was good they never encountered anymore, fiends stop be stopped from their attacks… as they know the relic's pull can be overwhelming, leading them into dangerous situations and places where relics are guarded by traps and fiends.
When their, where about to question is the Crown Relic really here not further away… they arrived at a area in the open, it had stone structures around them and glowing trees.
Lucian put away the Seeker Eye, he crouched down, he passed his hand along the intricate design ontop all the four rings. "If I'm right this looks like an ancients teleportation ring…"
Halcyon walked over to him. "Ok…the crown relic should be here how do we activate it."
She knew that, Lucian read ancient creatures, the world history… He nodded as he immediately knew one, way to activate. Which is by force, that's isn't good because there could be a retaliation, buy they had no choice there no other way through, he knew from this ring nor he had on him.
Lucian looked up into the sky, it had nothing but a little cloud above them it was even still dark. He pointed up. "Shoot a beam of energy right at the center… the top should appear."
He knew that all teleportantion are bulit to a certain height, it had certain tall fiends and item that needed to pass through. He even ended up learning under someone, who was believed to have cataloged all known ancient teleportation rings before disappearing mysteriously.
Halcyon brows perked up for a sec, then shrugged her shoulder before looking up. She was confused but she didn't doubt his knowledge, Lucian he was the one that specialized in such things.
Her hand outstretched, in that moment in her palm a glowing ball of blue energy appeared swirling in the air, almost pulled in other things around them… She thrusted her, arm forward at the sky for a second, her beam shot up and connected…
"Boom!"
As a couple second passed when they weren't sure nothing was happening.
"It worked."
As Halcyon spoke, a crimson red energy circle flowed down… loudly from the sky slamming straight into the center of the rings repeatedly into all four until it made a flow of constant energy down.
Lucian nodded… as he was about to walk forward with Halcyon, they both suddenly halted in place like there body was locked down…
What Lucian and Halcyon didn't notice was that above, the energy ring inside it? Was a bronze and crimson pair of eyes, gazed through the energy.
"Who are you? Managing to reach this far." Thought behind the eyes.
The eyes glanced around before it settled on Lucian, the eyes turned black for a second, it seemed to see something that brought shock and didn't know what it was before going over to Halcyon, who interested it.
What are you… hiding such power… perfect a swallowed soul, is what I need.
The pair of eyes flashed in the sky, that when Lucian and Halcyon both saw in there mind, it shocked them to see something way scarier than the crimson sanctum castle.
However, inside mind they floated around, and seen a almost prison maw a living, eldritch abyss sculpted from the corpse of a beast, its flesh bound corridors twitching, from it's vile life.
Encased in bone-lined halls and lit by the wailing flames of devoured souls. At its core yawns the Maw Chamber, a massive, fanged crater that breathed like a slumbering god, they they continued to see a man sat upon a throne made up of connected bound by a glowing black chains.
While they were worried for whoever there about to see, that had this kind of power they heard the snap of a finger, a energy pulse released onto the chains… at the end had a couple of humans and fiends dog's … slowly stood up.
"My Blood Puppets… bring them to me."
At that moment, the voice bombed in the air, all the released fiends and human sent forward, running and flying arocss the air each step sent energy shockwaves.
Inside Lucian and Halcyon, mind…chaos reigned.
Why does every path to salvation seem to be guarded by death? Is power always a curse disguised as a gift?
…
Lucian's had saw the sky crackled of a energy lightning. As dozen human that looked more like fiends to him, they felt filled of arrogance, as they charged forward using blades of energy light. Fiends dogs, twisted in rage, followed there gaping maws and claws are sharp like obsidian.
Lucian's gaze narrowed at them.
"Illusions." he whispered.
They came like a storm when they thought he would fight back …however, he stood still…
The first person struck at him instead of being hurt the person was shattered, like glass meeting a sharp blade... The next fiend dog lunged…and disintegrated before touching him.
One by one, they fell… Not to force, but to will. Lucian's eyes were closed, his mind was like a fortress of steel, each illusion he was easily able detect snuffed like a candle before it could flicker.
"You're not real. You cannot attack nor change me mind. You cannot control me."
As Lucian spoke, each step he took forward his gaze still close… the energy pulsed from hus feet at all those who attacked… even the false world crumbled under vison able have a cold and emtionless mind and heart.
…
In Halcyon's mind, it was different…
At a snowfield that stretched endlessly, tinted by moonlight. The human fiend who approached her were not monsters? Instead, their eyes trembled of sorrow. Some were injured... Some held out their hands.
The fiend dogs weren't snarling. One limped, looking at her with a bit lf intelligent in it's eyes. Another growled…but behind the rage, she saw pain, confusion, fear.
"You're being controlled," Halcyon breathed, hands trembling at her sides. "You're not like this…" She didn't strike… She tried to speak.
"Please… there's still good in you. I can feel it."
But the figures didn't stop… Their blows rained down…not to kill, but to erode her mind. One whispered, "We're all broken, Halcyon. Stop pretending."
She fought… not with fists, but with belief.
But doubts crept in.
Am I wrong…? Am I just too naive?
The world around her flickered… her mind shield cracked… as they came faster. Louder. Crueler.
"Stop!" she screamed, trying to hold on. "You're not monsters!"
Her hands fell… One by one, as the voices of the people overwhelmed her it overcame her.
She knelt in the snow of her mind, tears steaming as they hit the cold ground, her heart trembled.
Then everything went black.
In the real world, Lucian's eyes snapped open…his eyes black irises gleaming of burning resolve. He turned toward Halcyon's laying on the ground… his gaze focused on the, ice creeping up her cheeks.
"Halcyon. Wake up. They're not real. You are stronger than this."
He had no response… He stepped forward, gripping her frozen hand, as he layed her in his hand.
"You don't have to fight them. Just believe in yourself. You saw the truth… that's your strength."
And in the quiet darkness of her mind, something stirred… she had remembered what she was trying to change in the world while Lucian may not understand.
However, because she heard his voice she belived in herself that maybe there really weren't real… and all could change.
In that moment, all the humans and fiends around her started to disappear, one after another as a couple minutes, her eyes fluttered open and she saw Lucian looking deeply at her.
"You did it."
"Sorry. No I didn't…"
"Well you don't have to you know… that's what always here for."
In fact, Halcyon doesn't see the nearness killing in either side she saw the good in both just like she always for him despite not being able to show it… her views of Lucian was a necessary counterbalance, yet silently fears that if he ever breaks, no one will be able to stop him.
Also he doesn't have a problem for killing creatures side… the other side he always seemed more softer.
Was it weakness to want to believe in something better… or was that the only thing keeping her from falling apart?