Secrets of the Universe

'Jake….'

'Jake…..come…...'

A soothing voice, as warm as a mother's embrace, ringed in Jake's ear as he crossed the field of flowers.

Since he had entered the forest, he had been hearing this tempting sound.

It was the same for Kaleyx and those behind him.

From the way, Kaleyx's strides became slower, he wondered what she was hearing.

What was able to tempt the presumed celestial being?

'Hmmm…,' Jake's blue eyes caught on to something.

The end of the field was very close, but silhouettes had begun forming in his sight.

'Interesting.....who are these people?' mused Jake.

There weren't living beings.

Based on what his [Akashic Eye] was telling him, they were part of the illusion manifested by the flowers.

This could be backed up by the fact that Jake felt a close connection to those silhouettes.

'Labyrinth Forest, huh...' sighed Jake.

True to its name, the forest served as a kind of sieve for anyone entering the island unofficially.

It was an astonishing product of nature. Every bit of the forest had illusion properties. Like the field of flowers that made Jake and the others hallucinate.

The forest had the ability to snare anyone and keep them forever!

Very few could walk the forest unbothered. It required a strong mind and a firm will.

Looking back, Jake could already see some of the other warriors talking to themselves. The look of pure bliss on their faces was evidence of the fact that they had already been deeply immersed in their hallucination.

Amidst his thoughts, a voice tempted Jake again, 'Jake...come…...don't you wanna see? A perfect scene…..' 

The voice belonged to the two silhouettes that have fully formed already.

However, despite their alluring voices, Jake didn't give. In fact, he wasn't a bit disturbed by them.

As a pursuer of perfection, he could tell when something had glimpses of perfection or not. So, tempting him with scenes of perfection was absolutely useless.

Focusing on his path, Jake walked past the silhouettes and continued his way.

Gradually, Kaleyx caught up to him and matched his pace.

Jake could tell from her undilated eyes that she had shaken off her hallucinations. From now henceforth, she wouldn't be bothered.

Still, what did she hallucinate about?

He looked at her as he tried to decipher it, but all he got was an ambiguous stare from her.

'Hmmm….' Jake hummed.

She didn't want to tell him. 

This was strange to Jake as after days of traveling with her, Jake realized that his supposed ally was a…..talkative.

Most of the time, she couldn't do without telling a story or a tale. 

Jake didn't mind. His curious mind held no bounds.

Also, her stories were always rich with beautiful information. He reckoned that sooner or later, she would tell him about herself and the dimensions she kept referring to.

Using the signs in the forest, Jake and Kaleyx navigated their way past the forest.

After a few hours, they met another field of flowers.

Behind them was the group of warriors they were traveling with. Their numbers were lesser than when they got to the island, implying that a good number of them had already fallen victim to the forest.

Jake could hear the rushing of water in front of them. Though it wasn't in sight, he understood that they would eventually meet a great lake.

Jake and Kaleyx heard murmurs occurring behind them. 

They turned to meet the vigilant eyes of the rest of the group. They seemed to be in an intense conversation. One that involved Jake and Kaleyx!

Sighing, Jake looked at Kaleyx, who did the same to him.

There were no words needed. They already understood what going on.

Taking the initiative, Kaleyx asked the gossiping warriors, "What is it?"

Her cold tone seemed to intimidate most of them as they kept evading eye contact with Kaleyx.

However, that was just some of them.

One of them, a brave one, voiced out his suspicions, "We have been watching you for quite some time. You are dressed like a bounty hunter from Owl Island. But we all know that all the hunters went for the grand bounty and have not come back since then."

Hearing this, Kaleyx blankly stared at them, "So?" 

Her aura exuded from her at the next moment.

Jake was quite used to seeing this, but he never could get enough of it.

The aura bore no trait of anything he knew. It was weightless and could never be explained in one word. To put it simply, the aura gave out the feeling that something was wrong. 

That particular feeling one would have when they look at something unknown. A feeling of staring at the abyss' well.

However, as the group was comprised of experienced warriors, they were able to slip out of the effect of the aura.

The warrior that spoke before gave his conclusion, "You are the only bounty hunter we have seen. This means you came from that wretched town. We know your destination is the Astral Sect. Putting one and one together, we understand that that you are most likely with the bounty."

"So?" Kaleyx asked again.

Her silver eyes marked each one of the warriors.

"Oh, I understand. You want the bounty, am I right?" asked Kaleyx.

"Y--Yes," responded the brave warrior.

Kaleyx focused on her fingers when she questions, "But what if I say the bounty is not with me? That my partner and I escaped the Weeping Town without it, our lives were the main priority?"

"Lies. We have heard of the destructive mindset of the bounty hunters. Those idiots wouldn't leave the town without acquiring the bounty," said the brave warrior.

Along with the rest of the group, he exposed his aura, telling the world of his cultivation base, [Realm-3 Stage-4].

This was the source of his confidence. He had checked and the two hooded bounty hunters didn't have a higher cultivation base.

Still examining the edges of her fingernails, Kalleyx added, "Alright. Alright. I understand. We have what you all want. Isn't it? But you all can't have it, though?"

She managed to sow division within the group, "As I said, understandable. I would have done the same thing."

Looking at Jake, she signaled him to proceed.

Immediately, a crackling sound, accompanied by streaks of lightning, coursed through Jake's skin as he blitzed through the group!