Chapter 167: Remnant

Hugh and the others could finally see the outline of the Cheroque kingdom. They traveled constantly and only stopped to sleep and rest.

Once Miser could see the kingdom, he immediately had mixed feelings. This kingdom was his wife and his daughter's homeland, but it was also their downfall.

They continued to ride down the sunset and reached the outskirts of the kingdom. It was at this point that they slowed down and searched carefully around the surroundings.

"Are you sure they were around here?" Hugh asked Darren.

Darren was the only person here who knew the location of the Shark Loan company. Not only that but the building was also supposed to be hidden from many eyes.

Hugh had his eagle eyes activated as he searched the wide scenery. Of course, he could not see any buildings out of the top of his head.

"What's that?" Jane said as she pointed at something in the distance. It was a big rock that was seemingly placed in the middle of the plains.

Darren was also intrigued by the strange couldn't, so he led the horses down that path. They slowed down and made sure not to announce their presence to the enemy.

As they approached the boulder, they dismounted off the carriage. They slowly went across the boulder and observed it in 360 degrees.

At first, they could not see anything wrong with the boulder. It was seemingly normal, without any markings or secrets in the stone.

However, as Hugh approached it, he could feel his senses tingling. There was numb electricity that was going through his body like wildfire.

Hugh was not the only one who felt that way. Jane, Serena, and Aric also felt something strange from the boulder. However, the intensity between them was different.

Hugh looked at the group and also realized that they were feeling something from the boulder.

"Feel it?" Hugh asked.

Serena nodded and approached the boulder. She was curious as to why the boulder was making her feel things. Even if it was dangerous, she would need to satisfy her curiosity.

"It might be dangerous, be careful," Hugh said as he approached the boulder.

Serena felt that strange feeling get stronger and stronger as she approached the boulder. It was not painful, but only slightly uncomfortable.

With her curiosity at its peak, she raised her hand and touched the boulder.

Hugh could not stop Serena's actions as he was too focused on deciphering the feeling in his body.

Then, everyone could see as Serena disappeared at the very instant that she touched the boulder.

Hugh was surprised to see Serena gone. His instincts immediately turned up as he almost activated his transformation.

"Serena!" Jane called out. However, Serena was nowhere to be found.

Jane's first instinct was to step away from the boulder. With Serena being its first victim, she would be stupid to approach it herself. Right now, the most logical thing to do was to run away.

Jane and Hugh stood still as the boulder took their friend. This was their instincts, their first thought.

However, for Aric, as soon as Serena disappeared, he ran after her and tackled the boulder. He ignored the shouts calling to him to be careful.

"Wait!"

"Be careful!"

As soon as Aric touched the stone, he also disappeared from everyone's sight. It was as if the stone just sucked Aric himself.

There was not even any trace of Serena and Aric anywhere. With two of them down, Hugh had to decide whether to join them or not.

Hugh looked around and realized that Miser and Darren were looking around as if they had lost something.

"Miser, Darren, do you also feel that?" Hugh asked as he approached both of them.

However, Darren and Miser did not respond. They did not even look like they heard them. It was as if Hugh was not there, and they could not see him.

Hugh immediately found it to be weird, so he waved his hand around their faces.

Like what he thought, Miser and Darren did not seem to like they could see him.

"Where did they go?" Miser asked as he looked around the scenery.

"That's weird. They were just here a moment ago," Darren said as he grabbed the hilt of his sword.

He immediately felt that something was amiss, so Darren thought that there were enemies around.

Hugh wanted to physically touch them to try and see if they would notice. However, as he approached them, he felt a strange obstruction.

It was as if there was an invisible wall between them. Hugh could not cross this threshold no matter what he did.

Hugh activated his armor and pounded on the door. However, no matter how strong he hit the barrier, Darren and Miser could not hear or see him.

"What's happening?" Jane asked as she was also threatened by the situation.

"I don't know, but it feels like it was the boulder's fault," Hugh answered as he stared at the boulder in front of him.

Being trapped here, Serena and Hugh had no choice but to approach the boulder. They approached it with apprehension and anxiousness.

"Are you sure about this?" Jane asked as she was still afraid of the boulder. It was way too mystical to be safe.

Hugh did not answer. He did not know if it was safe or not, but Aric and Serena were already out there. Since they were part of a group, it would be better to stay together.

Hugh braced himself and touched the boulder with one hand. Hugh immediately disappeared. Jane soon followed after him.

———————

Serena reappeared in the air and she tumbled downwards. She did not know where she was, but the last thing she remembered was touching the boulder.

Once she got a hold of her balance, Serena realized where she was.

When she looked around, all she could see was a dimly lit and abandoned palace. There were pillars and walls broken down and lying on the floor.

It was clear that this palace was left in the dust after thousands of years. Serena was filled with curiosity as she started to observe the fallen palace.

"Ow!" a voice shouted out.

Serena heard this voice, and she immediately remembered who it was. She looked back and saw Aric falling in the air like she did when she first arrived here.

Aric immediately regained his balance in mid-air and performed a landing. He was more physically fit than her, so it was natural that he was more skillful.

Aric saw his surroundings and he was also met with curiosity. He did not know where it was, but he was intrigued by the structure of the fallen palace.

"Where are we?" Aric asked.

Serena shrugged her shoulders. She was also a stranger in this place, so she could not answer his question. They were both curious people, so she started to explore the palace.

They were currently in a large hallway that led to a big dome in the center.

They both walked together in the dark as they observed the remnant of an old past. They could see eroded paintings in the walls and ceilings.

Most of what they could see were depictions of humans with giant wings on their backs. They were the symbols of angels.

These angels looked ethereal, even after years and years of erosion. Serena could only wonder what it would have looked like if it was in its peak condition.

Aric brushed his finger across the walls and found that it was full of dust. He was intrigued by the material of the palace as it seemed like something he had not seen ever before.

Then, he saw a fragment of the wall in the ground. Filled with curiosity, he picked it up with his hands. Seeing that it was as small as a door, he thought that it would be light.

However, he was nothing but wrong. He tried to lift the fragment, but he could not move it one bit. Feeling surprised, Aric used his full strength and tried to move the fragment.

Even with his full strength, Aric could not move the pillar. It was as if it was glued onto the ground.

"Let me try," Serena said as she saw Aric struggling.

Even with her pink smoke, Serena was also met with strong resistance from the pillar. They were both surprised at the weight of the seemingly small pillar.

*step* *step*

As Aric and Serena were inspecting the fragment, they both heard footsteps from where they were from. They immediately assumed their fighting positions.

Out from the darkness came two figures. One of them was petite, and one of them was obese. It was easy to guess who they were.

Once Serena saw them, she lowered her guard and waited for them.

"What took you so long?" Serena asked both of them. She had her arms crossed, and he eyebrows furrowed as it was clear that she was annoyed.

Hugh and Jane waited a bit of time until they entered the palace. This meant that they did not care that Serena was gone.