The Homeseeker: Elemental Adventurer LitRPG [Isekai] (Series Complete!)

Finnegan fell to the ground and immediately scrambled away from the Mind of Madness on hands and feet. Whimpering as he escaped, he moved to Zalan as fast as possible. For the first time, the Mind of Madness did not remain floating ominously in the air. It wobbled like a top running out of spin. After a second of wavering, it crashed down to the floor and rolled slightly to one side.

Finnegan pulled Zalan up to a seated position, trying to get him back to full consciousness with light slaps on his shoulder. Given the moment to breathe, Zalan's eyes came to full lucidity. His head was throbbing in pain and exhaustion. He was glad it was over, unsure of how much longer he would have been able to fight. He felt like he would barely be able to stand and walk himself out of the mines.

"What in the realm happened?" Finnegan asked. "What did you do to me to make me explode with your light?"

"You did it all yourself. I just helped," Zalan croaked. "You attacked Arachulas with rocks so that I could kill them while you were close to the Mind of Madness. When I finally killed the right ones, you gained enough Experience to gain a Level. Because I saw you gained Experience for throwing a single rock at the Giant Arachula, I thought to use the same idea with the little ones."

Finngegan's eyes went wide. One of his eyes twitched in disbelief, then he tapped his fingers together to summon his stats. Sure enough, he had risen to Level Three. He looked back at the Mind of Madness on the ground.

"That was your plan? To make me gain a Level?" Finnegan said.

"Yeah, that's pretty much how I was able to get the Elemental Dragon weak enough to kill it. I gained a Level while pinned under a claw. The Leveling explosion does a ton of damage to monsters, no matter how powerful they are," Zalan coughed.

"You could not have explained the plan to me before? I would have understood!"

"I really didn't think we had time. A second too long and the Mind of Madness would have hit you."

Hearing its name spoken made Finnegan turn to look at the creature. He shook his head lightly.

"We killed it?" Finnegan said in disbelief. "We killed the Mind of Madness! But why didn't I gain another Level from killing it? Surely it's worth enough Experience!" Finnegan looked to Zalan, but his mind was on other things.

"Can you go check on Rep?" Zalan said, pushing himself to his feet with a groan.

"Right!" Finnegan said, beaming from ear to ear from the defeated beast.

He took two steps, then stopped fast, his body tense. The Mind of Madness shifted on the floor slightly. Finnegan and Zalan looked its way, checking whether it had made the move deliberately. It twitched again, rolling slightly in a circle.

"It is still alive?" Finnegan called in fearful bewilderment.

"Oh, come on," Zalan groaned.

The Mind of Madness only had its upper half fully intact. The bridge of its nose and its unnatural, sunken eyes. It spun in place like a quarter rolling in circles. It stopped when it locked eyes with Zalan. Zalan could feel the rage behind its eyes, the hatred emanating powerfully.

"Fine," Zalan said defiantly. "Let's finish this."

"It can not fly! There is nothing more to finish! We can flee!" Finnegan called out to Zalan.

Zalan dragged his feet toward the monster that stared angrily at him. Zalan knew it wanted to draw him in close before striking, but he didn't care. He was tired of the monster, and tired of the consequences that Rep had to go through in his efforts to help him. Killing the Mind of Madness would be the best thing he could do to help the realm. He stumbled to his knees in utter fatigue, keeping his face looking willfully at the Mind of Madness. Unable to get all the way up to his feet, he pulled himself closer at a crawl.

The Mind of Madness blasted him with its dark power. The power flickered like a dying flashlight. Zalan grit his teeth tightly, imbuing himself with what little power he could muster. A cold wave passed over him but otherwise had no indication of having felt the attack. He picked up his sword left behind on the ground. He imbued it with all the Elemental Light remaining in his system, shining like a sword forged from the sun itself.

The Mind of Madness tried one last attack in desperation, trying to overwhelm its nemesis at the last moment. Zalan screamed in rage and agony as he raised his blade in a shaky hand and sunk it deep into the Mind of Madness' eye. He drove it as far as he could, until he could no longer grip the hilt, then fell back on his rear, breathing in exhaustion. He put everything he had into that last attack. He couldn't stand even if he wanted to.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The Mind of Madness twitched, it's uncanny form never ceasing in watching Zalan. Black power in its eyes flickered, quick stone lights of darkness unable to escape the eyes. With one last gaze upon its enemy, the Mind of Madness grew still, the color draining from its eyes.

"Is it dead?" Finnegan said hopefully.

The young man sounded distant to Zalan. He had hidden himself behind a pile of debris when it looked that Zalan wanted to kill himself in a one on one challenge.

Zalan, Finnegan, and Rep all began to glow a faint white. The clearest indication that the Mind of Madness was dead. They had gained enough Experience from its death to gain another Level. Zalan realized he had just gained a Level after defeating the Giant Arachula. The Mind of Madness may have been worth a full one hundred Experience, regardless of what Level one was at.

The trio exploded as they each gained a Level. Rep gasped loudly, lucidity reentering his brain upon the healing of the new Level taking hold. Zalan could stand on his own. Finnegan was staring at his arms in amazement.

They could feel the dregs of the Mind of Madness's power leaving their mind as well. Nothing bit endlessly at the back of their heads with dark thoughts. All of the images and horrors they had been forced to see faded away like smoke in the wind. As though they had never been touched by its blast before. A new sensation of freedom allowed them to think fully clearly for what felt like the first time since entering the Depths of Despair.

As soon as Zalan felt the rejuvenation from gaining a Level, he imbued himself with enough light to illuminate the cavern and made his way to Rep quickly. He held out his arm and pulled his friend to his feet.

"You killed the Mind of Madness?" Rep said, looking at the dead creature in shock.

"Mostly Finnegan," Zalan said.

"I gained two Levels one after another! Who ever heard of such a feat!" Finnegan exclaimed in excitement.

"Zalan gained two Levels at once while out at sea," Rep said as he stared at the dead monster in a daze.

"You always have a story to outdo me," Finnegan rolled his eyes. "Even now, I do not understand why you feel the need to lie. You are impressive fighters as you are! No need for embellishment," Finnegean insisted.

"I am being sincere," Rep said.

"Just drop it." Zalan shrugged.

"But how exactly did you kill it?" Rep asked Zalan.

"I told you, it was Finnegan," Zalan insisted.

"Not at all! I would have been nothing without Zalan! He withstood a direct attack from the Mind of Madness!" Finnegan pointed at Zalan. "Not just once, but several times he was hit with no effect."

Rep looked at Zalan in confusion, the sensation of the Mind of Madness still sending a shiver down his spine.

"Is that true? You withstood it?" Rep asked.

"Yeah. I did," Zalan said, his voice slightly uncomfortable.

"How?" Rep asked. "Did you use some trick with your Elemental Power? Did you find an Artifact in here to fend it off?"

"No, nothing like that. Well, the Elemental Light definitely helped, but it wasn't the only thing."

"It touched me once and showed me the worst things," Rep said. "Did its horrors not have an effect on you? Perhaps its power reduced over time?"

"It affected me, but maybe it got weaker over time. Maybe…" Zalan trailed, not meeting Rep's eyes.

Rep scrutinized the look on Zalan's face. His face was twitching, his lip trembling slightly. Rep placed a comforting arm on his shoulder.

"Zalan, what did it do to you?" Rep asked.

"I think it feeds on your worst fears," Zalan said. "It smacks you with the things you dread most, over and over. And it did that to me. Endless pain and visions of two people dying in the worst ways. You, Rep, and my mom. She's dead and I'm left alone. Over and over, the reminder of the loss of my mother… I knew I could still save you, but Mom… It really hurt, but I could push through it this time."

"Because you know now that we will not fail. You will be able to return home and visit her," Rep said confidently.

"No, Rep… Because the Mind of Madness wasn't showing me anything that I should have been afraid of happening in the future."

Rep shook his head slightly, not understanding. Zalan took in an excruciating breath.

"Mom's already gone, and I've been living on without her for a pretty long time now. I learned that I just have to accept that," Zalan opened his arms in an uncomfortable shrug. His whole body was shaking. Blinking quickly, his eyes stung red.

"Do not say that, Zalan. You will go back home and she will be fine," Rep said, comforting him.

"No, Rep, I'm not exaggerating or anything. She's already gone. Mom's… dead. She's been dead since before I was pulled into the realm," Zalan said, his voice and balance unsteady. "She passed away in the hospital before I could visit. I mean, I could have… I had the time to visit, but I… I just didn't want to think about… She was… I didn't…"

Zalan failed to put any more words together. His lips refused to form language. Rep caught Zalan as he started to collapse forward. He knelt him down as Zalan breathed with more erratic energy. Rep looked away as Zalan had his moment.

In the dim darkness of the Depths of Despair, Zalan finally came to meet some of the most powerful emotions he had been running from for a long time. Feelings he had avoided came to him all at once, accepting reality for what it was. And it hurt. But in some small way, it felt cathartic to finally be one with reality.

His body shook powerfully and his eyes stung. He could still see her smile so vividly in his mind. It pained him to think about never seeing it again. All he had left of her was his memories. And the legacy he would leave for her. He truly hoped any good he did would be enough to do her justice. Nothing felt enough for his mom. But he knew without a doubt that she would love his efforts, regardless.

And for the first time in a very long time, Zalan began to cry.