As Dustin and the others navigated through the perilous herb garden, every step felt like walking through a minefield. The spiritual herbs that glowed so enticingly now seemed no different from snarling demons in everyone’s eyes.
Following close behind Dustin, everyone was on edge as they avoided areas with abnormal energy fluctuations. As they reached the far end of the garden, the mist thickened, and the sound of running water grew clearer.
They finally broke through the last layer of mist blocking their vision, and the sight left them speechless.
A vast expanse of calm water spread out before them, its mirrorlike surface glowing a dreamlike shade of blue. A dense spiritual energy hung above its surface, so thick it almost looked tangible.
Each breath they took filled them with renewed strength and calm. Even the internal energy they had depleted earlier in the mist zone and poisonous gas was slowly recovering.
At the center of the lake, a small island could vaguely be seen. Through the mist, they could make out the silhouettes of pavilions and towers.
“It’s the Vitalis Pool! This must be it,” Judith exclaimed excitedly, her eyes glimmering with hope. Even Cyprian, a man of few words, showed a faint flicker of light in his dull and lifeless eyes.
But near the shore of Vitalis Pool, the scenery no longer matched the paradise around it. The once clear blue water had turned a strange, diluted dark crimson. A faint, violent energy seeped from the surface, clashing with the pool’s natural calm and twisting the harmony of the place.
The soil along the shore had also turned crimson, identical to the earth in the herb garden. Twisted, grotesque plants grew near the lake, radiating the same energy waves as the mutated spiritual herbs the group had seen earlier.
“Dragon blood has stained the water…
Even the Vitalis Pool wasn’t spared,” Grace said, looking at the apparently divided yet intertwined blue and crimson waters with a complicated emotion.
The source of their salvation was right before them. But it, too, had been tainted by the Maleficar Dragon’s corrupted essence.
As they studied the area and searched for a way to reach the island at the center of the pool, a calm, elderly voice suddenly rang out.
“Honored ones, it is no small feat to have overcome so many trials and reached the shores of the Vitalis Pool.”
Everyone was startled and turned toward the source of the voice. They saw an elderly man, who had suddenly appeared at some point, sitting cross-legged on a smoothed boulder by the shore.
It was the same elderly man they had met earlier in the courtyard. He wore the same pale, faded robe. His hair and beard were both white, and his face was gaunt and refined.
There was a depth in his eyes that gave nothing away. He regarded them calmly, as if he had been waiting there for ages. His appearance was seamless, barely noticed by anyone. The guards immediately tensed up.
Rhydian instinctively stepped in front of Grace, gripping his blade handle like he was facing a formidable enemy. Every instinct screamed that the elderly man was far more dangerous than any of the savage beasts they had faced.
Dustin’s eyes narrowed slightly. He stepped forward, placing himself between the group and the elderly man.
He spoke calmly, neither submissive nor arrogant. “Sir, since you have been waiting for us, may we ask what guidance you can offer us?”
The elderly man smiled faintly and flicked his staff. His gáze swept over them all before finally settling on Dustin.
He sighed and replied, “I dare not offer you guidance. I am Cyran Xalvador, and I have spent many years on this island. Today, I’ve finally met the hero who defeated Thymaleon, broke Mirage’s illusion, and uncovered the herb garden’s secret. It’s fate that has brought you here.”
His voice was calm and devoid of hostility. Instead, they carried the weariness and detachment of someone who has experienced many hardships. Grace was moved by his words and stepped forward with a graceful nod.
“It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Xalvador. I am Grace Linsor. Since you already know who we are, I am sure you understand why we have come. I have risked my life to seek the elixir of immortality to save my dying father. I humbly ask for your mercy and guidance.”
Cyran looked at her, and a trace of sympathy flashed in his eyes. He sighed softly. “I admire your devotion to your father. However, the ‘elixir of immortality’ you seek is not what you imagine it to be.”
He pointed first to the small island at the center of the Vitalis Pool, shrouded in mystical mist, and then to the crimson waters along the shore.
“This island is called Elysium Isle,” he said slowly. “It is not a paradise or sanctuary for immortals, as the legends say.
“At the very heart of the island lay a colossal binding seal, crafted eons ago to hold the Void-Tyrant Dragon in check. It is the same dragon you saw in the murals, the beast that sought to devour all life and spiritual energy in this world.”
“Void-Tyrant Dragon…” Dustin murmured, feeling the concepts of primordial chaos and absolute destruction woven into its very syllables.
“That’s right. It’s the Void-Tyrant Dragon, “Cyran said solemnly.
He went on, “Its power originates from chaos and can corrode all things and distort living beings. The undying fierce beats you encountered before, the demon spirits in the mist, the mind-bending mirages, and even those bloodthirsty mutated spiritual plants in the herb garden.
“All of them exist because the binding seal has aged over time, allowing its corrupted essence to leak out in wisps and contaminating the island’s mountains, rivers, vegetation, and trees.”
His gaze returned to Grace, carrying a trace of compassion. “And the so-called elixir of immortality you seek… Its primary ingredient is the Dragonblood Fruit that can only coalesce by absorbing the foundational, malignant energy of the Void -Tyrant Dragon itself.”
Grace had already suspected it from the inscriptions in the herb garden. But hearing the confirmation from Cyran, who seemed to be a guardian of Elysium Isle, made her head spin. A profound sense of helplessness washed over her.
“Are you saying the elixir of immortality is an object of pure evil?” she asked, suppressing the turmoil in her emotions.
“Precisely,” he confirmed with an affirmative nod.
He continued solemnly, “The Dragonblood Fruit contains the Void-Tyrant Dragon’s most concentrated essence of malice and life force. It may seem capable of regenerating flesh and resurrecting the dead, but in truth, it consumes the user’s own soul and lifespan.
“Moreover, there is the possibility of being corrupted by the malevolent energy and transforming into a dragon puppet that only knows slaughter. This elixir is not a medicine to save lives but a death talisman and a soul-destroying poison.”
