Heir of Synthesis: The World Mage

A few minutes later, all of Dandara’s exposed wounds had been staunched and sealed by the medicinal mixture. The toxin’s advance had been forcibly halted, keeping it contained inside her body.

It was purely a temporary measure. He would need to reapply the medicine frequently to prevent it from spreading again. Luckily, Priam had prepared in advance before setting out on the mission, stocking up on a huge amount of pills.

After covering Dandara’s body, Priam let out a heavy sigh, deep in thought.

’How am I supposed to deal with this?’

Now, he would have to keep her physically by his side at all times to ensure her survival. If the overall situation of this mission was already extremely complicated, the difficulty level had just skyrocketed.

...

Priam remained motionless, thinking and assessing her for several hours.

Until, slowly, Dandara’s eyelids trembled. She opened her eyes, recovering a little energy and consciousness.

Mirra jumped up excitedly and hugged her with the utmost care.

After a few seconds, Dandara’s weak gaze focused on Priam’s figure. Her lips moved in an almost inaudible whisper:

"Boss... I’m sor—"

"Cut that out," Priam interrupted her immediately, keeping his tone firm. "Never apologize to me or thank me for anything. Just hold on and trust me."

Her eyes trembled, but the light of resignation was completely replaced by a burning, stubborn resolve.

[An ally’s Loyalty has evolved!]

[Dandara Growlyn] [Loyalty: Unshakable+ (UP)]

[+5,000 GP]

Priam exhaled, feeling an immense weight lift from his shoulders.

"Mirra, from now on, focus one hundred percent of your power on transferring energy from nature to her. Don’t spend any on me. We need to make sure Dandara’s condition doesn’t get any worse."

The little girl readily nodded, intensifying the channeling toward Dandara. With every passing hour, she had to send a good amount of energy to keep everything stable.

A few minutes later, Dandara succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep again. Her physical condition was deplorable—she was practically incapable of moving a single muscle. Simply waking up and uttering those few words had already required an immense effort.

’What do you intend to do now?’ the shield’s voice echoed in Priam’s mind.

He let out a breath through his nose, taking several seconds to answer, his eyes fixed on Dandara.

At that moment, he remembered a crucial detail.

Earlier, Dandara had mentioned that she felt a calling coming from the direction of the last Heroic Relic. Maybe there was something there that could help her.

"I’ll be leaving soon. Nothing has changed. I’ll just have to take her with me."

’Have you gone mad? You intend to drag someone half-dead into the epicenter of an anomaly?’ The shield’s voice sounded deep and stern. ’Listen carefully: that abyss didn’t even exist until the world’s final ruin. It’s a phenomenon that appeared out of nowhere, an absolute mystery. Even the Will of Heaven couldn’t decipher it! The only certainty was that it emanated a monstrous source of energy, which was why it sent my brother there. I’ll barely be able to help you inside. Any kind of abomination could be lurking in that place. Carrying someone in this condition makes everything a thousand times more lethal.’

Priam calmly nodded, not bothering to argue.

With his decision made, he took out fresh supplies and began renewing the application of the medicinal mixture over Dandara’s skin.

He did everything methodically and strictly professionally, shutting out any hesitation or embarrassment. But of course, it was a little difficult not to take a second good look at everything.

Once he finished, he wrapped her body in clean bandages and covered her with a thick black cloak. Then, he carefully positioned her on his back, securely tying her down with straps to make sure she remained stable.

Dandara’s head rested gently against his shoulder, her weak, steady breathing brushing against his neck.

That constant physical proximity would make Mirra’s job of transferring energy directly much easier.

Priam stood up and adjusted the straps. He genuinely felt no discomfort, although he could feel her warmth and softness pressing against him.

Mirra possessed enough Ether and regenerative ability to sustain Dandara’s condition on her own; the only drawback was that Priam wouldn’t be able to rely on the little girl during battles.

Dandara’s weight was insignificant to his enhanced physique. With the aid of the wind element, his speed and mobility would barely be affected. The real problem was that she had become an extremely vulnerable point. Priam couldn’t afford to take a single direct hit to his back during a confrontation, as the residual impact would destroy Dandara’s weakened body.

He took his first step out of the underground cave, sweeping the perimeter with his sharp gaze.

Without a hint of hesitation, he advanced steadily toward the lands suffocated by Miasma.

...

Priam didn’t hurry. He moved with measured, cautious steps for nearly five hours of continuous travel.

During that time, Dandara would wake up for brief intervals and, in a weak voice, explain what had happened.

When she had approached that region several days earlier, she had immediately noticed the presence of Sorcerers patrolling the surrounding area. Acting on instinct, she had retreated and dug out that underground cave as an emergency refuge.

When she finally tried to sneak through... she discovered their secret in the worst possible way.

Strange Corrupted Beasts lurked hidden among the albino branches.

The entire forest had been overrun by a peculiar species of small owls that blended perfectly into the bark of the trees, making them absolutely undetectable to ordinary senses.

Possibly, the Sorcerers had moved into that area after discovering the existence of the species, with the goal of corrupting them and adding them to their army.

As Dandara attempted to advance toward the location, she was surrounded and attacked within a matter of seconds.

Her tormentors weren’t the Sorcerers themselves, but rather the newly corrupted Calamity Beasts. Fortunately, drawing on the tactical lessons she had learned from watching Priam — remembering that this type of beast had no intelligence whatsoever — she used the terrain itself to create an ingenious distraction and escape.

She managed to drag herself back to the underground shelter, but the vile poison had already entered her bloodstream.

All of that had happened almost ten days ago.

Her survival up to that point had been nothing short of a miracle, fueled solely by her stubborn refusal to die in such a miserable way. However, the moment Priam found her, shame crushed her. She felt like the lowest piece of trash in the world.

Not having the strength to live up to his trust, and even becoming a weakened burden, had awakened a bitter regret in her for having held on for so long. At that moment, her only wish had simply been to disappear.

But now, after those few words from Priam, the weight in her chest had been lifted.

She kept her eyes gently closed, her arms wrapped around him, resting her face against his shoulders in a completely relaxed state, free of any despair.

Analyzing the eerie silence of the whitish forest, Priam was certain that none of those corrupted owls remained in the area.

After losing Dandara’s trail, the Sorcerers must have assumed the job was done and left. After all, under the effects of that lethal toxin, there was absolutely no chance she would survive long enough to become a threat.

...

As he rounded the mountain’s final stone wall, Priam abruptly stopped before a dense, sinister black mass rising ahead of him like a living wall.

The pressure emanating from that Miasma was subtly different from the Sorcerers’ corruption, even though they shared the same dark nature.

The Miasma felt like the raw cruelty of wild nature — there was no deliberate malice there; it was simply a hostile force existing in its purest state.

The Sorcerers’ corruption, on the other hand, was like the unrestrained and shameless wickedness of the Magi: a twisted energy created by those who believed that only their own existence mattered, destroying everything around them without the slightest hesitation.

’My senses are completely blocked once I’m inside. The only thing I can confirm is that my last brother is somewhere within this fog,’ the shield’s voice echoed, extremely serious.

’This Miasma naturally has the property of imperceptibly corroding the mind. Every second you spend inside will weaken your body and energy reserves.’

Priam silently nodded.

For any other Mage, that place was forbidden territory, impossible to explore for long without suffering fatal consequences. But...

[Dominate] [Yes / No]

Priam took a firm step forward.

At that very instant, the dense Miasma before him rippled and bent, cleanly opening up in front of him so he could pass through.

In the end, that Miasma was merely ownerless energy accumulated within the environment. For Priam, subjugating it was even simpler than climbing aboard that Celestial Vessel.

The shield fell into absolute silence.

Priam advanced calmly, measuring each step.

The only certainty he had was that, by continuing forward, he would eventually reach the edge of a deep abyss — and whatever he was looking for had to be hidden within its depths.

He kept a calm and cautious pace, since visibility around him was almost nonexistent. It would be ridiculous to triumph over the Miasma only to end up falling off a cliff due to carelessness.

Step by step, he penetrated deeper into the darkness.

The only constant sound in the surroundings was Dandara’s soft, steady breathing brushing against his neck.

For some reason, feeling the warmth of her body against his back brought Priam a renewed wave of determination.

This was a new feeling, and Priam couldn’t understand where it came from. His awareness of the imminent danger hadn’t diminished. But it was as if no obstacle in this world was big enough to stop him.

He walked through the darkness for several minutes.

Until...

Without warning, Dandara’s body began trembling uncontrollably on his back.

Priam stopped immediately, his muscles tensing at the sudden reaction.

’You finally came...’

Suddenly, a female voice, velvety yet imbued with an ancient apprehension, resonated directly in the depths of his mind.

Priam’s eyes widened.

He recognized that voice instantly: it was the exact same entity he had heard before!

’I told you that you would fail, but the *Master* has always been right... It doesn’t matter. Whether you’re truly capable of living up to his expectations or not, you’ll have to prove it to me here and now.’

The very next second, a visceral and overwhelming killing intent descended upon him. It was as if a mantle of absolute ice had been instantly placed over his entire body.

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