9 Encounter

As the gate began to swallow the carriage whole, the surroundings twisted like a flowing river. He felt a slight tremor on the carriage, and a strange sensation as if his body was stretching horizontally. Yet, Abel felt no pain, only discomfort.

The surroundings gradually became more distorted. Glancing through the gaps of the carriage, Abel saw a dramatic change in his environment.

The first thing he noticed was a fierce attack of wild air. It howled, making the surroundings noisy.

As the air rushed at him, Abel felt a burning sensation in his eyes, making it difficult to keep them open.

"Ugh... it's so windy..." Abel commented, struggling to open his eyes.

Suddenly, the wild air stopped, allowing Abel to open his eyes fully. He saw a hazy, transparent barrier that covered the carriage like a blanket.

With clear vision, Abel saw the same cloudless sky, but the environment had transformed. The grassy plain he had been traveling on was gone, replaced by an endless expanse of blue sky.

"Where are we? I'm pretty sure this isn't the main path..." Abel wondered. "Why does it feel like a bridge high up in the mountains?"

Thinking about this, Abel glanced to his left. He sighed in relief. Instead of endless blue sky, there was a vast, rocky terrain stretching across the horizon.

Abel understood what kind of terrain they were passing by. He tried to poke his head out the right window of the carriage, but the transparent barrier prevented him.

Ignoring this, he braced himself and poked his head out. To his surprise, the barrier stretched without resistance. Looking closely, it seemed to ripple slightly as his head passed through.

Abel sighed in awe. It was his first time experiencing something that defied scientific explanation so directly. He quickly dismissed this thought and focused on the view below.

There, he saw clouds – a sight that had been missing before. Giant white masses clumped heavily across the horizon, almost completely obscuring what lay beneath.

Looking at this, Abel's suspicion grew. He and his team were traveling at the edge of a rocky mountain terrain. Grass and trees were scarce.

It felt as if he was high, high above the mountains, like he was slowly traveling on a peak.

"Where the hell is that old man?" Abel wanted to ask a question to confirm his suspicion, but he was in a pinch. The giant, scarred man driving the carriage was someone he had issues with.

"Yet, looking at the surroundings and the fact that we are high above the clouds on this rocky terrain, I have a theory..."

"The Niflheim's Verge!"

Abel's heart sank. He refused to believe they were in one of the world's most dangerous forests.

"Why are we here? What are we doing here...?" Abel muttered in confusion. "Could my fiefdom be located near this damned dangerous forest?!" Abel squinted his eyes at the thought.

His eyes darted around, searching for someone to confirm his suspicions. However, he was cooped up in the carriage with no one beside him.

His gaze naturally fell on the towering man driving the carriage.

"Umm... B-Brimeborg...?" Abel asked nervously.

Brimeborg only replied with a simple word, "What?"

"Are we... perhaps in the Niflheim's Verge...?" Abel asked in a low voice.

"Yes," Brimeborg replied again, simply.

Hearing that answer, Abel couldn't help but gasp. His eyes scanned the seemingly endless terrain below, filled with unknown dangers.

"The Niflheim Verge!"

Abel remembered a quote etched deeply into everyone's minds, a constant presence. It spoke of a place shrouded in perpetual twilight, where colossal trees, older than time itself, pierced the dark sky. Their gnarled branches writhed like grasping claws, and their whispering leaves spoke in forgotten tongues.

it spoke: 

Whispers coil around its name, a tendril of dread reaching out to those who dare speak it. This is no mere forest, but a realm veiled in perpetual twilight, where colossal trees, older than time itself, pierce the inky sky. Their gnarled branches writhe like grasping claws, and their whispering leaves speak in tongues long forgotten.

Within this endless maze, the very air hums with ancient power. Here, mythical beasts, born from the primordial chaos before the first flicker of Qi, stalk the shadows. Their forms, half-glimpsed through the gloom, defy description, their might rivaling even the legends of the gods. But for the gifted few, those touched by fate and guided by an unseen hand, the Verge might offer more than just knowledge. Legends speak of those who emerged, not just with forgotten lore, but with power that rivaled the gods themselves.

it was a long and tedious sentence yet Abel were able to remember it perfectly. 

 It truly signified the dangers of the forest, especially during the Great War.

"Haha... you must be joking, sir Brimeborg... haha..." Abel laughed nervously.

'Why would they be in this dangerous forest? Surely the Duke wouldn't think of abandoning me, right? Surely the Duke has thought carefully about my fiefdom, right...? Surely he isn't planning to send his heir to the afterlife, right...?'

A series of thoughts flooded Abel's mind. But fate seemed to disappoint him, as the giant, scarred man remained silent.

'You must be kidding me!' Abel fumed, scratching his head wildly. 'Why the hell did I come back to life only to suffer more?! Wasn't it supposed to be a relaxing life?! Even worse, what if I fall off this freaking cliff?! Isn't my life guaranteed to disappear?! Aghhh!!! My god!!'

Abel wallowed in self-pity, but the carriage continued its smooth journey. For half an hour, his emotions simmered. He sat with a face sourer than a lemon, arms crossed tightly.

He continued to observe the ever-changing scenery until, with a sudden jolt, the carriage came to a stop.

A loud roar, like the guttural snarl of a jaguar, reverberated through the air...