Fear Phantasm
Everyone closed their eyes, convinced that they were all doomed. But then, something strange happened. The first griffin to reach Freyr exploded into countless points of light. Suddenly, all the griffins froze in mid-air, their bodies appearing to crack and emit dazzling beams of light.
Finally, with a blinding flash, the griffins' bodies disintegrated into countless tiny particles of light that scattered with the wind...
In the fading light, everyone instinctively lowered their heads, unable to look directly at the brilliance. Only Freyr stood tall, his head held high as he looked at the sky, a cold smile on his face.
The griffins' bodies gradually dissolved into the light, breaking apart and disappearing into fine dust that was carried away by the wind. The evening sky brightened as if it were midday, and Freyr could feel the very fabric of space around him twisting—the trees, the grass, his companions, and even the bodies and blood on the ground were all warping.
Then, with a loud bang, everything fell silent...
The forest was the same forest.
The sky was the same sky.
The distant mountains remained unchanged.
The setting sun was still the same.
But the blood on the ground had vanished. The bodies that had been torn to pieces were gone. Instead, there were people lying scattered on the ground—Knight Peter, his subordinates, and the Russell family guards who had seemingly "died" in battle. They all lay with their eyes closed, but they were alive, merely unconscious.
Freyr looked at himself and found that his gruesome wounds had disappeared. Andrew lay at his feet, surprisingly uninjured. Not a scratch remained from the previous battle, nor from the stab Freyr had delivered to his chest. His armor was intact, with only a faint mark where Freyr's dagger had struck—just a superficial scratch, as it would be impossible for a frail, untrained boy to pierce the armor.
Freyr firmly slapped Andrew's face, waking the knight. Andrew opened his eyes to see his master looking down at him. Freyr smiled. "I'm sorry I had to do that... because everything here was an illusion, and you were the source of it. All the griffins were conjured from the memories of your most terrifying experiences. The enemy created them based on your inner fears. So, I had to knock you out in the dream. Once you lost consciousness, the illusion had no source and naturally disappeared."
As for the stab Freyr had inflicted on Andrew—it was only in the dream.
The Russell family guards, who were still standing, looked at their bodies and their comrades in amazement. They couldn't understand how their young master had made the dreadful magical creatures vanish and how their injuries had disappeared. The once-dead companions, even those torn apart, lay intact on the ground.
The only one still injured was the female knight, Calista. Her wounds were real because she had used a secret technique from the Moon tribe—the Domain of Magic Dispelling. This technique allowed her to break free from the illusion, so her injuries were genuine.
Without time for detailed explanations, Ryan, the wizard, seemed to understand the most. Although his magical abilities were limited, his knowledge of magical theory was extensive. He quickly took out various potions and applied them to the unconscious female knight's injuries.
Freyr picked up the dagger from the ground and inspected it. "As expected, not a drop of blood," he noted.
He walked forward with the dagger, and the others finally noticed something small moving slowly in the grass ahead. It was a tiny creature, about the size of a large rat, with pale green fur that made it hard to spot without careful observation.
As Freyr approached, the little creature let out a terrified squeal but moved sluggishly. When it tried to roll out of the grass to flee, Freyr's dagger shot forward, pinning it to the ground. Freyr stepped on it.
The creature was round and chubby, with green fur and a body resembling a ball of flesh, but with a long tail like a squirrel's. It looked almost like a squirrel, except its fur was an unusual green, and it had a small, crystalline horn on its forehead. This horn wasn't bone but a shiny crystal.
Freyr stepped on its tail, and the creature struggled, letting out high-pitched squeaks. It bared its teeth at Freyr, and suddenly, a beam of light shot from the horn on its head, hitting Freyr directly...
Freyr felt no physical pain from the beam but instead experienced a surge of memories flooding his mind. It was as if his deepest fears were being dredged up one by one...
Fear?
Yes, it was as if the creature was scanning his memories, uncovering long-buried fears not of this world. Freyr shook his head vigorously...
He was infuriated!
Ever since coming to this world, Freyr had always worn a faint, indifferent smile. But now, his face twisted with rage, and his eyes burned with anger. He looked coldly at the little creature and bent down, his voice chilling as he said, "What, are you trying to find the things I fear in my heart? Well, you're bound to be disappointed!"
Freyr reached out and grabbed the little creature by the neck, lifting it up. He brought it close and whispered, "You can read people's fears, so you should understand my words, right? Let me tell you... don't think you can play your tricks on me. I do have fears, but what I fear doesn't exist in this world! The illusions you can create are limited to the rules of this world, right? Well, sorry to disappoint you, because I... don't belong to this world at all!"
The creature struggled desperately, its horn shooting beams of light at Freyr, but its small eyes filled with terror and despair as it realized that its magic had no effect on him.
"Master..." A delighted voice called out from behind Freyr. Ryan, the wizard, rushed over and stared intently at the creature in Freyr's hand for a long time. His voice filled with joy, he exclaimed, "My God! It's a 'Fear Phantasm'! According to records, these creatures have been extinct for hundreds of years! Look at its horn; it's already an inch long! This little one is still a juvenile phantasm, probably less than a hundred years old!"