Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 265: HQP-19 [1]
After that horrifying nightmare, Kyle didn't dare close his eyes again, fearing that he might experience that scene from the nightmare again.
After a few minutes...
The Junior Instructor with Coffee brown hair stood from his seat at the front. He cleared his throat, coating his voice with the mana he said,
"Students, attention! We are approaching the perimeter of the Hushwood. You will feel a significant change in the atmospheric mana density. I repeat, take out your Atmospheric Mana regulator potions, but remember what I said earlier, use them only if you feel it is absolutely necessary."
A wave of rustling movements filled the bus, waking up some students beside them, and they quickly retrieved the glowing pink vials from their storage items.
Klye rubbed his thumb on the storage ring of his index finger and quickly took out the AMR (Atmospheric mana Regulator) potion.
Then after a minute, it hit them...
The atmospheric mana was several times denser than anything they had experienced till now.
It was as if they were submerged in deep water. The air itself grew thick and heavy, pressing down on them from all sides.
Taking a full breath suddenly required conscious effort, as if the lungs had to work against an invisible weight.
A low-grade pressure built behind Kyle's eyes, and a faint, staticky buzz sound filled the air, the sound of raw and untamed mana.
Across from the aisle, Cassian grunted as his hand went towards his chest.
"Whoa. This is... Intense."
Lyra, beside him, was taking slow, deliberate breaths, her half-elf senses making her more acutely aware of the shift in mana density.
"Just breathe through it. Your body and core will adapt."
Kyle focused inward. He could feel his own silver core spinning faster, working to process the dense mana. The sensation was uncomfortable but not unbearable.
He watched his fellow students. Some, like Cedric Eleanora and Serena, seemed to acclimatize quickly, their expressions shifting from strain to focused concentration.
Others weren't faring as well. A few students at the front were already gasping, their faces growing increasingly pale.
He saw a chubby boy named Jake uncork his glass vial with shaking hands and quickly gulp down the glowing pink liquid. Almost instantly, the straining tension around his chest eased, and his breathing evened out.
Thankfully, it seemed the Instructor's warning had been heeded, and no one was reckless enough to take the potion preemptively.
The bus was filled with the sound of controlled, heavy breathing as dozens of young mages wrestled with the environment, their bodies slowly and stubbornly adjusting to the immense pressure.
After what felt like an eternity to some students, but was only a few minutes that had passed. The worst of the discomfort began to fade for most.
'That was intense.'
Kyle couldn't help but think and looked outside, only to find the still scenery and another mana bus parked beside theirs.
"Looks like we already arrived." Eleanora said, looking at the window.
"Yeah." Kyle nodded.
Then the junior Instructor raised his voice and told them they had arrived before launching a brief reminder of the same rules he had mentioned at the start.
He nodded and got off the bus. Students followed behind him slowly.
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One by one, the crimson-colored mana buses glided to a stop, settling into a neat line.
The sight that greeted the students was a usual welcoming wilderness, but one with subtle and profound wrongness.
The sky above was a deep, unsettling shade of crimson instead of its usual blue colour.
The crimson sky is not due to the sunset but from the result of light refracting through the impossibly dense mana saturating the air.
It painted the entire landscape in the tones of blood and rust.
There was a gentle, persistent fog that clung to the ground and drifted between the ancient trees of the Hushwood's edge. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
The gnarled roots, the hanging moss, the dark space between the trunks, all of it blurred into the monochrome tapestry of grey fog and dark green.
Directly ahead.... nestled near the tree line, was a cluster of domed-shaped structures that looked like a giant mushroom made up of polished white stone and enchanted glass.
They are research outposts and figures of different races, dressed in white robes, could be seen moving between them.
Instructor Isolde stepped out of the mana bus, and the crimson light caught her blonde hair, making it look like a streak of flame.
She stood still, her hands on her hips, her hazel gaze surveying the ancient forest, Hushwood.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she stared into the mist, and faint lines formed above her beautiful brows.
Wusshh—
Instructor Brynn Foxglove had materialized beside her. His Black hair was even disheveled than before, possibly due to the long journey, and the dark circles under his eyes looked like smudges of charcoal.
He seemed one slow blink away from curling up on the ground for a nap.
Isolde shot him a glance of resignation before shaking her head minutely and focusing on the figure approaching them.
The tall figure walked towards them with silent, graceful steps. He was an elf with sharp, elegant features of his kind, with high cheekbones, a high bridge nose, and ears that tapered to delicate points.
He has neck length yellow hair with crystalline blue eyes. He wore a light brown leather armor embossed with subtle swirling patterns.
His blue gaze swept over Isolde, assessing her before shifting to Brynn, and a faint, almost imperceptible frown appeared on his face for a split second before his expression returned to normal when he saw Brynn's appearance.
He stopped a respectable distance away from them and gave a formal nod.
"I'm Instructor Isolde, and this is Instructor Brynn," Isolde said professionally, gesturing towards her drowsy colleague.
"We are from Solvayne Academy, overseeing the first-year field expedition."
The elf nodded.
"I'm Aredhel. An official of the Silverspire watch, assigned to this perimeter."
He did not extend his hand, a deliberate gesture of eleven pride. Especially on the border of their ancestral land, it was a tangible thing.
"Welcome to the HQP-19, Instructors."
Isolde nodded and wasted no time on further pleasantries. She gestured her chin towards the creeping mist.
"Official Aredhel. This mist... can you tell us about it? Is it a typical atmospheric condition for the perimeter?"
The elf's expression didn't change.
"It is a known occurrence, though not a daily one. Our researchers have confirmed its composition. It is hydromantic in nature, born from the convergence of ground moisture and the dense ambient mana. It is harmless. A nuisance for visibility, nothing more. As you can see, it is only a light mist here at the outer border. It poses no threat to your students' safety."
Isolde didn't look entirely convinced and crossed her arms.
"I appreciate the assurance. However, for the safety of our students, we would like to conduct our own preliminary scout of the immediate area within the first border. Would that be permissible?"
Official Aredhel studied her for a long moment before he gave a slight nod.
"That would not be a problem..... I will assign a few of my scouts to accompany you. They know the designated safe paths. However."
He paused.
"....you must understand and adhere to the boundaries. You may survey the first border only. Do not, under any circumstances, venture into the second border marker zone. Past that line, we cannot guarantee your safety, and our treaty with your Academy would be void. The first border is routinely cleared. Fauna here are typically no higher than Silver rank. A Gold-rank creature is a rare incursion, usually fleeing deeper predators. The true dangers are territorial and remain deeper within."
Just then.... A figure with long, midnight-black hair that fell in a perfect cascade, and eyes that shone with a deep crimson light, walked towards them and stood beside Isolde.
She wore the Instructor Academy robe, and an air of quiet authority hung about her.
She was Junior Instructor Anastasia D'Argent and the crown princess of the Argent Empire.
Official Aredhel's composure cracked for a second, and his eyes widened in recognition. The face of the Crown Princess was well known due to her deep involvement in politics before her retreat into the Solvayne Academy.
Anastasia's red gaze swept over Aredhel, and she asked.
"Official Aredhel. Your assurance is noted. Yet, theory and reality on the border of a Red Zone are often distant cousins. You state that higher-rank predators are territorial. How, precisely, can you be certain their territories have not… shifted? That this 'benign' fog is not a symptom of a deeper displacement?"
Isolde watched from the corner of her eye, letting out a quiet sigh.
'Overprotective doesn't even begin to cover it. Showing up at the last minute when you're not even on the oversight roster…' Isolde couldn't help but think.
"Your Highness, while true in principle, the apex predators of the Hushwood are territorial to an extreme degree. Their hunting grounds are vast and rich. There is no need, and thus no recorded instance, of them abandoning their domains for the poorer hunting of the outer borders. The risk, while not zero, is calculated and minimal."
Anastasia turned her red gaze from elf to Isolde and Brynn.
"We will verify the perimeter ourselves."
Isolde met her look and said,
"That is the plan."
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Back at Solvayne Academy.....
A young woman with long black hair and tired red eyes walked down the quiet hallways carrying a tower of paperwork balanced in her arms.
She let out a tiered yawn.
"Ugh… I should have just gone with the first-years." Anastasia muttered to herself.
"They've probably reached the Hushwood by now. Bet it's creepy and exciting. Instead, I'm stuck with Instructor Seraphina's thesis. I wonder what made her suddenly request a week's holiday."
"Achoo!"
She rubbed her nose with the back of her wrist.
"Huh. Is little Ellie missing me already?" She mused.
"Hehe. Probably not."
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