Lockdown

As time passed, however, Magnus soon grew to dislike the feeling of being relaxed.

Every minute he spent listless and unoccupied allowed a certain nervousness to grow from within him. Sometimes, cold sweat would flood his back as shivers ran up his spine.

Some sixth sense he could not explain was speaking to him.

And only him.

Magnus bit his lip as he was unsummoned and returned to the Hivemind. He had finished another round of swordsmanship practice in the depths of Thawsore where poverty ran free.

Klaris really knew his way through the muddy streets, allowing him to find niche locations only a few knew of, and even fewer could reach.

Snaking threw the sewers, sliding down muddy slopes, and climbing down into the deep ravine-birthed crevices of the Heaven-Touching Mountains. Those were all tasks challenging to accomplish without a proper guide.

As Magnus returned to the Hivemind, Klaris swiftly took out a One-Time Transport Scroll, wrote on it, and promptly disappeared.

His body then reformed in the bathroom of his Midseerian Hotel room.

Klaris glanced at the mirror. A tall man with shiny black hair and deep black eyes looked back at him. An unusual but healthy tinge shone from his pale skin.

He had gained weight ever since he became a part of the Hivemind. His general health had also improved with the influx of nutrients from all the special food that he had been able to eat.

It felt good to have moved past his previous life.

Klaris couldn't help but smile as he turned away from the mirror and walked out of his bathroom.

That was when Klaris froze.

A fierce light was shining into his hotel room. He looked out the window and a familiar barrier came into view.

"Oh no," Klaris gulped, instantly realising how bad the situation might be, "I shouldn't have returned."

Rie, who was standing beside him, smiled wryly.

"It appeared the moment you teleported back. We're trapped. Are they after Magnus or someone else?"

"If it's the former, that means that they've somehow predicted Magnus' presence despite his hiding in the Hivemind. If it's the latter, then we don't have to worry about anything." Klaris pursed his lips. "...I hope it's the latter."

Magnus watched this from within the Hivemind. He did not feel it appropriate to appear in the real world and tempt fate just yet. His heart was already beating hard as is.

Instead, he spoke with a grim tone,

[ They're here for me... This barrier is Ariel's Blessing. Midseer's Protector has acted, and with surprising confidence. I knew something was wrong when I felt those chills. ] Magnus stared at the barrier through the eyes of Rie. [ It was probably from a powerful Blessing locking onto me. Rie, try searching for information related to this event. Maybe find out what kind of Blessing was used on me. ]

Rie's body thus turned incorporeal for a moment, blinking into a State of Higher Existence.

"...I got nothing," Rie eventually sighed, "I think I got close... but something was blocking me out."

"Then, they have something to obscure themselves from other Seers and Diviners." Klaris clicked his tongue.

He then took out another One-Time Transport Scroll and made an attempt.

Rrrrip!

The Scroll was torn, and Klaris' body flickered.

Unfortunately for him, he did not disappear. He was still standing where he was, unable to leave.

"They've locked down the area..." Klaris' voice trailed.

Woooong wooooong!

Magnus suddenly felt a chill engulf him despite his presence being concealed by the Hivemind.

"And they've locked on to me." Magnus pursed his lips.

Then, an eerie grin wormed its way onto his face. Desperation slowly crept through him.

He appeared in reality with a flash of light, floating in the air.

In the next moment, Magnus' physical body turned ghostly. His hair turned white and his eyes became a deep purple. He descended and phased through the floor.

He passed through floor after floor, hurriedly making his way downwards.

'From what I recall, Ariel's Blessing behaves like a dome. I have a chance of escaping if I go through the earth.' Magnus thought.

But he was soon proven wrong.

Just as he made it to the ground floor, he found out that there was a colourful barrier of light beneath him. He touched the barrier with his ghostly hand, and he instantly felt a searing pain surge through him.

Passage was disallowed.

It was then, while Magnus was thinking of another way to escape,

"Hello, [Gatemaker]," A familiar voice rang in his ears. "I'm glad to have finally found you."

Ariel was standing on a floating disc of light. Her beautiful blonde hair was fluttering with the fluctuations of her own aura. Her blue eyes gleamed with a certain cheerfulness and a silent ferocity.

Beside her was a dainty woman, fragile-looking and akin to a rose in a vase. Both her hair and her eyes were red, on a face that seemed to wish to be babied.

But her expression was soft and seemingly all-knowing. Magnus might have mistaken her for an older, more mature version of Rie.

It was creepy, being looked at with such an expression.

Magnus had the chills once more.

But with his beating heart, and the surrounding aura slowly enveloping him, internal conflict surged within his mind.

Ariel had control over his life at this moment in time.

Full control.

"We also know about your little friends on the 34th floor, [Gatemaker], so if you prefer life for all of you, then cooperate. Be an obedient otherworlder for me, will you?" Ariel smiled a sunny smile.

While the threats in her words were as clear as day.

Magnus tried to move his already incorporeal body to no avail. Spirit Energy had flooded the area, complete cutting off his movements. He could be annihilated at any moment.

'Ah... The power of a 6-star threat...' Magnus smiled wistfully.

He then stared into Ariel's eyes as he pushed down his growing desire to court death and fight.

"What... do you want me... to do..?" Magnus flickered back into tangibility and spoke sluggishly. It was hard to move even his jaw.

Ariel took a step forward and gestured with her hand.

A long chain flew out from behind her, glowing in a light-engulfing black. Each link was as large as a human head.

"Accept your capture," Ariel said simply, still smiling, "And come with me."

She then chuckled,

"You actually don't have a choice."

The chain then snaked around the immobile Magnus from head to toe. His vision was blocked out by the chains as he was bound like a mummy wrapped in bandages.

The last thing he saw was the appearance of a Scroll. It popped into existence in front of Ariel's face.

Then, there was darkness.

The same thing happened to his other senses.

The last thing he heard was Ariel saying, "Good work, and thank you for your help, Laurel."

The last thing he smelled was the smell of the hotel's carpets.

The last thing he could feel was the chain pressing against his skin.

The last thing he tasted was a sourness in his mouth.

'What's going to happen to this body now?' He thought to himself as he felt his body grow isolated from the Hivemind.

It was similar to that time with the Blobs of Torment.

His connection was severed.

.

.

.

"Good work, and thank you for your help, Laurel." Ariel sighed in satisfaction.

The annoying fly that had been wandering around her territory had finally been captured. She had completed the Trial issued to her and many other members of the Interstellar Trinity.

"We have successfully captured the [Gatemaker] and therefore prevented him from causing further chaos."

"Mm," Laurel, the red-haired woman, nodded. Her dark red eyes sparkled as she scanned the wrapped-up Magnus before her. "But... why is it that our Trial was to capture him instead of killing him? I find that point interesting. There were a few such instances in the past, and it always had a catch."

Ariel squinted her eyes as she beckoned Magnus towards her. "Then, he probably has either one of three traits: resurrection, undeath, or regression."

"Then, death is simply not the end for him... I do wonder which trait he has." Laurel turned around and charted her footsteps for departure. "You are right, Ariel. Eternal imprisonment is thus the only way to prevent his future actions."

Her red eyes flashed.

"But I can't seem to shake this feeling that this still isn't his end despite the Trials deeming it so,"

Laurel took another look at the bound Magnus before shaking her head.

'I should not worry about such things at the moment. There are more pressing matters at hand,'

She looked up into the sky, her gaze piercing past the vast blue and arriving in the darkness of outer space.

'The True Apocalypse...'

With knitted brows, Ariel observed the pondering Laurel. "If you're so worried, shall we take the [Gatemaker]'s friends in as well? They may have the answers we seek. The backup plan might be in their hands."

"A good idea," Laurel blinked before smiling, "Let's do that. Being thorough won't hurt."

Just as they made their first step towards the upper floors of the building, however,

CRACK!

An immense force landed upon Ariel's barrier of light, shattering a hole into it.

.

.

.

Right after Magnus perceived his disconnection from his own body, he felt another powerful aura engulf the hotel.

CRACK!

An unfamiliar force struck Ariel's barrier, shaking the entire building and threatening to cause it to fall. But the engineering of the structure proved to be resilient.

Dust fell from the ceiling as cracks snaked across the concrete, but that was it.

What came next was the orchestra of battle.

From what it sounded like, it was one against many. From what it felt like, it was one on one.

Magnus wasn't sure.

All he knew now was to leave. He could not risk the rest of his Hivemind members getting captured the way he was.

Klaris thus unsummoned everyone else and hurriedly took out a One-Time Transport Scroll. He added the required details and tore the scroll apart.

Rrrrrip!

The familiar tearing sound was crisp despite the sounds of battle below.

Unfortunately, however,

"Damn,"

It seemed like teleportation still did not work.