Two days passed since they entered the Island of Peony and it was not looking good for them at all.
The dense red mist hung like a shroud, the air saturated with the metallic tang of spores. For two days, Narisva, Xander, and Farrynelle had been trapped in the suffocating embrace of the Island of Peony.
Narisva marched ahead, her starry scythe cutting through the writhing vines and blooming flowers with ease.
Narisva's gravity manipulation absorbed a lot of her spatial energy and so, they had to walk on foot and it wasn't easy, since every step initiated a horde of massive vines to come towards them.
"This is insane. I didn't want to use my Divine Weapon here but damn it..."
Behind her, Farrynelle stumbled, coughing into her hand as crimson petals fluttered from her lips. Xander wasn't doing much better, his usually sharp movements sluggish as he dragged his sword behind him, using it more for balance than combat.
"Keep moving," Narisva hissed at them, not sparing them a glance as she slashed another vine that dared to reach for them.
Xander groaned, his voice thick with exhaustion. Now he understood why Narisva was the strongest. She was dealing with the vines all alone even though it was was troublesome, even for an Ascender.
"Easy for you to say. You're not—"
He broke off into a hacking cough, doubling over as more blood-tipped petals spilled onto the ground.
Farrynelle knelt beside him, her breathing shallow. Her skin was pale, marred by the faint outlines of crimson blooms spreading across her arms and neck.
"We need to stop," she whispered, clutching at the vines encircling her leg. "Just... for a moment."
Narisva turned, her starry eyes narrowing as she took in their states. Xander looked like he was barely holding on, sweat dripping down his face as the peonies etched themselves into his flesh. Farrynelle was worse. Her usually fierce gaze was dull, her movements weak as if every ounce of strength had been sapped from her.
But Narisva? She was... fine. At least, she looked fine.
Her body ached and there was a faint pressure at the back of her skull, like a headache she couldn't shake. But compared to the other two, she was practically unscathed. The realization hit her as she watched them struggle.
The mist still made her head spin and every now and then, her vision blurred, shapes shifting in the corner of her eyes.
"Stopping's not an option," she said firmly. "If we stop now, you're both dead by morning. I'm not carrying your corpses off this island."
Her sharp tone seemed to snap them out of their dazes, but only barely. Narisva adjusted her grip on her glaive, their edges glowing faintly as she channeled her spatial energy into them. The vines around them began to stir again, sensing their weakness.
"They're coming back," she muttered, stepping forward to shield the others. "Stay behind me. I'll handle it."
The first vine lashed out, its thorns gleaming like glass. Narisva moved in a blur, her double bladed scythe slicing through it before it could get close. Another followed, then another, the ground erupting with a tangled mass of crimson vegetation.
"You call this a challenge? I've fought tougher weeds in my backyard!"
Xander tried to lift his sword but his arms trembled under the effort. Farrynelle raised her chakrams weakly, managing to jab at a vine that got too close. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep them moving forward.
Even as Narisva cleared a path, the red mist remained an ever-present obstacle. It clung to them, swirling around like a living thing, thickening with every step they took. The spores were the worst; tiny, invisible threats that worked their way into their lungs and their minds.
Narisva could hear Farrynelle muttering under her breath, her voice trembling.
"They're here... they're everywhere..."
"Who's everywhere?" Narisva snapped, not taking her eyes off the path ahead.
Farrynelle didn't answer, her eyes darting around as if seeing something only she could.
Xander wasn't much better.
"This isn't... real," he mumbled, gripping his sword like a lifeline. "This is just... a bad dream..."
Narisva clenched her jaw, shaking off her own creeping unease. The mist was playing tricks on all of them, even her. Shapes flickered in the corners of her vision, voices that whispered her name. She knew they weren't real but that didn't make them any less unsettling.
"Focus," she growled, more to herself than the others. "Just focus. The mist can't hurt you. It's just... messing with your head."
Hours passed in a haze of red, their progress agonizingly slow. The vines grew more aggressive, the flowers more vibrant and threatening, but Narisva didn't waver. She couldn't afford to. Any second of hesitation meant death.
Finally, they reached a small clearing, the mist thinning just enough to give them a moment of clarity. Narisva turned to check on the others, her expression hardening as she took in their states.
Xander was on his knees, barely holding himself up. The peonies blooming on his body had spread to his chest, their petals glistening ominously. Farrynelle wasn't much better, her breathing shallow as she leaned against a tree.
"We're not gonna make it at this rate," Xander muttered.
"Shut up," Narisva snapped, though there was no real heat in her words. "We're getting out of here. I don't care if I have to drag both of you."
Farrynelle managed a weak laugh,
"You're... too stubborn for your own good."
Narisva smirked, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"Damn right I am."
After a brief rest and having food to eat, (unluckily for them, they didn't store a lot of food like Vastarael did so they relief on rations from the human army which died under the peonies) they pushed on, Narisva leading the way as the red mist closed in around them again. The hallucinations grew worse, the shapes and whispers becoming more persistent. At one point, Narisva froze, her heart racing as a figure emerged from the mist.
It was... Someone she knew. Or at least, it looked like her.
"Narisva..." the figure said, its voice eerily familiar. "Why didn't you stop me? I shouldn't have died..."
She shook her head, gripping her scythe tightly.
"You're not real," she muttered. "You're just a trick."
The figure smiled, stepping closer.
"Are you sure?"
Before she could respond, a vine lashed out at her from the side. She reacted instinctively, slicing it in half, but the moment of hesitation cost her. Another vine wrapped around her ankle, pulling her off balance.
"Narisva!" Xander's voice cut through the haze and she snapped back to reality, slashing the vine and regaining her footing.
"Thanks," she muttered, brushing herself off.
Even though Xander was weak, he had an incredibly strong sense of instinct and mental state. He could detect dangers even before she could react to them. Even though all fighters could do it, Xander was extremely good at it.
Narisva guessed that it was his Boon because his instincts were always right. It was like a premonition that always came true.
If it wasn't for him, they would have been killed by the vines days ago. Apparently, there were stronger flora around and Xander's supernatural instincts guided them through the mist. As much as they didn't want to believe, this was the safest route and it felt like a nightmare.
They didn't want to think about the worst route he talked about.
Xander smirked weakly as he continued walking.
"What are teammates for?"
Hours later, they finally reached the center of the island. Despite the island being the smallest in the isles, it was still massive.
Xander knelt at the clearing free from the flowers, leaning on his glaive, his sharp gaze flickering between the horizon and the mist.
"We need figure out where the hell to go from here," he said, panting slightly.
Farrynelle coughed, her hand brushing against the crimson peonies blooming on her neck.
"I don't care where we go," she rasped. "As long as it's out of here.
Narisva's eyes narrowed. Something felt... off. The air was too still, too heavy. She tightened her grip on her weapon, her instincts prickling like needles against her skin.
Then, Xander froze.
"What is it?" Narisva asked, but Xander didn't answer. His head snapped up, his piercing eyes locking onto something ahead.
Narisva followed his gaze and her breath hitched.
A tree stood before them, its gnarled roots twisting deep into the blood-red earth. But this wasn't any ordinary tree. Its entire structure was a vibrant crimson, from its bark to its sprawling canopy of leaves. Peonies bloomed in unnatural abundance.
Now they understood why there were no flowers on this clearing.
It pulsed. The entire tree seemed to breathe, exhaling a faint red mist that swirled hypnotically around it.
Xander's voice cracked as he screamed;
"Run!"
It was too late.
Before they could take a single step, the ground beneath them exploded. Thick, blood-red vines shot out like catapults, their jagged thorns glinting in the dim light.
"Damn it!"
Narisva growled, leaping into action. Her scythe materialized in her hands and with a swift arc, she severed the first wave of vines, their severed ends writhing like snakes.
More followed, faster and stronger than before.
Narisva spun her scythe with practiced ease as she tore through the onslaught. But for every vine she cut, three more took its place, surging toward them with unrelenting ferocity that she could barely follow.
"Narisva, behind you!" Xander shouted.
She turned just in time to see a massive vine hurtling toward her. She swung her scythe, the blade biting deep, but the force of the impact sent her staggering back.
She hissed, slamming her hand into the ground as she unleashed her Gravity Manipulation.
The air around her distorted as a heavy gravitational force crushed the incoming vines, pinning them to the ground. For a moment, it seemed to work.
But then, the tree pulsed again.
The vines ripped free from the gravitational field as if shrugging off her power entirely. Narisva's eyes widened.
"My powers... they're not working?" She muttered, a rare note of panic creeping into her voice.
The tree's assault intensified. Vines thicker than tree trunks crashed down like whips, smashing into the ground with enough force to create craters. Xander and Farrynelle were struggling to keep up.
Xander swung his sword in wide arcs, managing to fend off the closest attacks, but his movements were slowing, his strength waning as the peonies on his body sapped his energy. Farrynelle tried to support him, her chakrams and speed flashing as she jabbed at the attacking vines, but her aim was shaky, her strikes lacking power.
Their powers were inactive.
"Narisva!"
"I'm trying!" Narisva shouted back, her scythe a blur as she fought to hold back the relentless tide of vines. Her breaths came in sharp gasps, her arms burning from exertion.
The vines were relentless, their numbers overwhelming. Fighting non stop for two days for no rest was taking a heavy toll on her.
One wrapped around Xander's ankle, yanking him off his feet. He slammed into the ground with a grunt, his sword clattering out of reach.
"Damn it!"
Farrynelle lunged to help him but a vine caught her by the waist, lifting her into the air. She screamed, thrashing against its hold, but it only tightened, the thorns digging into her flesh.
"Let me go!"
Narisva's scythe lashed out, slicing through the vines holding Xander and Farrynelle. But before she could move to help them, another wave of vines surged toward her.
She tried to dodge but they were too fast. One wrapped around her arm, yanking her backward. Another coiled around her legs, pulling her to the ground.
"No!"
She struggled against the crushing grip of the vines. Her scythe fell from her grasp, vanishing in a burst of light.
The vines tightened, dragging her, Xander, and Farrynelle toward the tree.
"Let go!" Narisva roared, her voice raw with fury. She called on her spatial manipulation, trying to tear open a rift to escape, but nothing happened. The island's oppressive aura rendered her powers useless.
She even couldn't use her short distance teleportation too.
The tree's stem opened. A gaping maw of red light emerged, the pulsing of its bark intensifying as it drew them closer.
Xander's eyes were wide with terror.
"This thing... it's going to eat us!"
Narisva thrashed against the vines, her eyes blazing with defiance.
"Not if I can help it!" She spat, summoning every ounce of strength she had left.
But it wasn't enough.
The vines dragged them into the stem, the crimson light swallowing them whole. The last thing Narisva saw before the darkness claimed her was the tree's pulsating form, its sinister beauty mocking her helplessness.
It was laughing.