Transmigrated with my corruption system

Chapter 176: Chapter 176: The Seer Trapped Within

Overwhelmed by crushing fatigue, Ulric could feel his vision slowly sinking into darkness. Instead of losing consciousness, however, he felt as if he were falling into a never-ending abyss.

At first, he wasn’t concerned, but as time slowly passed, a bit of worry welled up within him. It soon morphed into full-blown panic as he grew exceedingly alert, or at least tried to.

Had he fallen into an illusion or some sort of mind attack?

It was the only feasible conclusion he could come to. But before the thought could fully form, he discarded it instantly.

No, that couldn’t be.

He had upgraded his robe multiple times specifically so it could ward off such attacks.

The only being capable of infiltrating his mental defenses would have to be exceedingly strong, perhaps even a B-rank who had honed their craft relentlessly in the art of illusions.

But that didn’t make sense.

Why would they target him, especially right now? Was this a hidden accomplice of Artorias’?

If so, how had they eluded his senses? And why remain hidden in the shadows for so long?

He had thought the higher one ascended the ranks of power, the more prideful they became, eager not to miss any chance to display their crushing strength.

But it seemed he had been wrong, and he was just about to pay the price for it.

At least, it seemed so.

Just as he was growing more worried, his figure suddenly froze as he looked into the distance.

There was light amidst the shroud of endless darkness.

Drawn to it, he walked forward. His eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any other beings, but he found none.

That didn’t matter now.

As he approached the light, he finally saw what it was.

The sight left him surprised for a few moments.

A room full of light, glimmering and flashing with multiple shimmering screens, each one connected to a golden thread.

What was even crazier was what was displayed on them.

He recognized them instantly.

He could see past events, things he had already done, replaying repeatedly. Each moment seemingly isolated within its own pocket of time, space, and reality.

More than that, he could see himself and the events that had led him here.

He could see the present.

Tying the pieces together in the back of his mind, Ulric’s eyes lit up in realization as he mumbled beneath his breath.

"The past and present... is there also a future?"

He mused, momentarily forgetting the bizarre events that had led him here and why he was even present in the first place.

A curious glint flashed across his eyes.

And sure enough, up ahead, he could see another slew of screens that ought to display his future.

But when he glanced at them, his brows furrowed slightly.

They were all blurred.

Almost giving him the illusion that a wall had been planted there, preventing him from glimpsing into the future.

If such a thing even existed.

Staring blankly for a few moments, Ulric grew even more confused before averting his gaze and scanning the room repeatedly, trying to find an exit of some sort.

The whole place felt mystical.

But at this point, he didn’t care.

It only showed him things he had already done.

If he could see the future, that would be a little fun. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

As he scoured the room multiple times, the worry welling up inside him resurfaced.

He wouldn’t be trapped here forever, right?

The more he thought about it, the more concerned he became.

Every second he spent here felt as if he were losing something about himself.

He had a feeling that if he stayed long enough, he could even lose his mind.

Driven by the thought, Ulric repeatedly scanned the room before his eyes froze on a particular spot.

The whole room felt mystical, and despite never having been here before, he could tell something was wrong.

Coupled with his senses, even though they appeared dulled, he could feel that something about that spot was slightly out of place.

Walking forward, he reached out his hand toward what appeared to be empty space.

But before his hand could make contact, he watched the air ripple slightly as a figure formed before him.

A middle-aged woman with long silvery hair trailing all the way to her feet, brushing against the ground beneath her.

The sight left even him dazed for a little while.

The closer he looked, the more entranced he became.

Her hair shimmered with an ethereal light, almost giving him the illusion it was liquid moonlight.

Her features were even more heavenly, as though carved from the finest jade.

Staring at the dazed youth, a faint smile spread across Elira’s face.

What she lacked in power, she more than made up for in her other features.

She had long grown accustomed to such reactions from those who saw her for the first time.

Perhaps it was one of the reasons she had secluded herself from worldly affairs, choosing to watch from afar.

But the youth’s gaze left her a little amused as she shook her head inwardly.

Having observed him for so long, it almost felt surreal seeing him this close.

But that didn’t matter.

Her head lowered slightly, concealing the shame burning in her eyes.

Having observed him for so long, she had tried to peer into his fate countless times, only to fail each time, as if some greater force was shrouding it.

Others would have long since given up.

But to her, it only made him more intriguing.

A forbidden fate hidden from the prying eyes of others.

What was it?

She had seen glimpses before, though at a great cost.

She had pondered over them endlessly, but those visions were only fragments of the greater picture she sought.

That was why, when she witnessed the epic conclusion of his last battle, she couldn’t let the opportunity slip away.

When one was weak or injured, their defenses were naturally lowered.

Using that chance, she had attempted to peer into his fate one final time.

She just hadn’t expected him to possess such a powerful mental barricade that it would temporarily trap her.

Just as she was sinking deeper into her thoughts, they were suddenly cut short as the youth’s hand shot out and clutched her neck tightly.

His voice echoed into her ears.

"Who are you, and what is this place?"

Ulric growled, staring at the mysterious figure.

The furrows in his brows deepened.

For a moment, he had even thought his hand would simply pass through her frame. The entire scene felt unreal.

But only for a moment.

The surprised glint in his eyes resurfaced almost instantly as he watched the woman’s eyes turn bone white and her head jerk upward, as if his touch had triggered something.

***

As all this unfolded, a few days passed in the outer world as several figures monitored a certain dark-robed youth lying on a massive bed.

"When do you think he’ll wake up?" Tara muttered, brushing a strand of fiery red hair behind her ear.

Worry was fully apparent in her obsidian eyes, now laced with an orange hue brought about by her rapidly growing fire talent.

A few moments passed this way as a great silence descended across the room.

At first, they had been worried by the hole blasted through the youth’s chest.

But they soon discovered their concern had been misplaced.

The wound recovered at an absurdly rapid pace.

Even now, all that remained was a flesh wound.

Before, they would have been astounded by such a thing.

Now, all they felt was worry.

Despite all this time, he still showed no signs of waking up.

And so, a few more days passed.

One person would remain behind to guard him while the rest submerged themselves in endless training.

At least, that was what they believed the dark-robed youth would have wanted.

Besides, they couldn’t live with the guilt.

If they had been strong enough to fight alongside him, perhaps none of this would have happened.

They couldn’t allow it to happen again.

The routine gradually settled into a rigid, unchanging schedule.

Until one day, the youth’s eyes fluttered slightly before snapping open with a start.

As his vision cleared, he instantly scanned his surroundings with sharp vigilance.

His gaze soon fell upon the figure seated before him.

Lyra.

Their gazes locked for a few moments as she froze in visible surprise.

Her hands hovered awkwardly above his groin as though she had been reaching for something moments earlier.

"You’re awake..." she blurted out, her face flushing a deep crimson.

Even more so when she noticed the faint smile slowly forming across his face.

But she didn’t get the chance to say another word. His figure suddenly vanished.

In the distance, Ulric could feel something.

Someone was calling to him.

Their presence shone like a beacon amidst the darkness.

He didn’t have to think for long to know exactly who it was.