Hi hope yall enjoy and sorry for posting only one last week ill post a extra one to make up for it.
Chapter 71: The Dwelling of Spirits and Ramiris
The spirits continued to drift around Varion even after the conversation ended. They were soft, glowing shapes of various elements floating near his shoulders and hands, some brushing against him curiously before pulling back again. They didn't seem hostile. If anything, they looked almost… respectful.
Rimuri watched them for a moment longer, then clapped her hands together.
"Alright, that's enough sightseeing," she said. "We're here for a reason. The main area where the spirits gather should be somewhere deeper inside of this gate."
Varion glanced at her. "You sure this is the right place?"
"Positive. Great Sage confirmed the coordinates the moment we stepped through the gate." She looked toward the large stone archway ahead of them. Faint runes glowed along its surface, and a cool, dense magicule pressure leaked out from within. "That's the entrance to the Labyrinth. Once we go in, the path will try to confuse us, but I can handle the navigation."
Kenya stepped closer to the arch, eyes wide. "It feels… weird. Like the air is heavier."
"That's normal," Rimuri replied. "The Dwelling is saturated with spiritual energy and magicules. Stay close and don't wander off, okay?"
The kids all nodded. Chloe lingered closer to Varion than the others walking while holding the sleeve of his cloak lightly as if trying not to let him know. He noticed, but didn't comment on it, allowing her to do as she pleases.
Varion took one last look at the floating lights around him, then followed Rimuri as she led the group toward the entrance. The moment they stepped under the arch, the temperature dropped and the light shifted. The outside world vanished behind them, replaced by smooth stone corridors that stretched in multiple directions.
Almost immediately, the path began to twist.
Rimuri clicked her tongue. "Yeah, it's already trying it. Don't worry, I've got it mapped out already."
She walked with confidence, occasionally pausing to let Great Sage recalculate their position whenever the labyrinth shifted. The kids stayed close, Ranga padding along at the rear in his smaller form. Varion walked near the middle of the group, quietly observing. The deeper they went, the more the air pressed in around them.
After several minutes of walking, a heavy metallic sound echoed down the corridor ahead.
Everyone stopped.
Rimuri's expression sharpened. "Something's coming."
The sound grew louder, slow, deliberate footsteps that shook the floor slightly with each impact. A moment later, a massive figure stepped into view from a side passage. It was a golem, easily three times Varion's height, constructed of dark metal and stone with glowing elemental cores embedded across its body. Its head turned toward them with a low, grinding noise.
Rimuri exhaled through her nose. "So that's the first test."
Kenya took a step back. "We're fighting "that"?"
"No," Rimuri said calmly. "I'm fighting that. You guys stay behind me."
She didn't wait for a response as threads shot out from her hand, wrapping around the golem's limbs in an instant. The construct struggled, metal screeching against the bindings, but Rimuri was already raising her other hand.
"Hell Flare."
A sphere of black and red fire compressed in front of her, then shot forward. The explosion that followed filled the corridor with heat and light. When the smoke cleared, the golem was on one knee, its chest plate cracked and one of its elemental cores flickering weakly.
Rimuri didn't give it a chance to recover as a second Hell Flare finished the job. The golem collapsed with a heavy crash, the light in its cores dying out completely.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then Kenya started clapping.
"That was awesome!"
Alice and Ryota joined in, while Gale let out a relieved breath. Chloe simply stared at the wreckage with wide eyes.
"So cool" Chloe whispered to herself earning a small laugh from varion
Rimuri turned back toward them with a small, satisfied smile only for her expression to change as she looked past the group.
"…You can come out now," she said, her voice suddenly colder. "Unless you want me to do the same thing to you."
A high-pitched yelp echoed from further down the corridor.
A small figure with distinctive golden blonde pigtails and a frilly dress peeked out from around a corner, clearly having been watching the entire fight. The moment she realized she'd been spotted, she tried to duck back out of sight.
Rimuri's eyes narrowed.
"I said come out."
The figure flinched, then slowly stepped into view with both hands raised. Her wings fluttered nervously behind her.
"W-Wait, wait, wait! Don't attack! I'm not your enemy!"
Rimuri crossed her arms. "You're the one who sent that thing after us."
"I-It was just a test! A standard procedure! I didn't think you'd destroy it so easily!" The little fairy's voice cracked as she looked at the remains of the golem. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to get that thing working properly again after those dumb dwarves threw it away…?"
Varion studied her quietly; she felt kinda like a spirit but far older, but damaged, Fractured maybe. As he stared at her longer and felt a sense of familiarity with the magicules in her they felt like milim's mixed with something else.
Rimuri raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"
The fairy puffed out her chest, trying to look dignified despite the obvious fear in her eyes.
"I-I am Demon Lord Ramiris of the Labyrinth!"
There was a short silence.
Rimuri stared at her.
"…You're joking."
"I am not joking!" Ramiris stamped her foot. "I am a proper Demon Lord!"
Rimuri glanced at Varion, then back at the tiny figure in front of them. "I've met Demon Lords. You're not even close."
Ramiris' face turned red. But before she could argue further, Ramiris's eyes suddenly landed on Varion. The irritation drained from her expression almost instantly, replaced by something much sharper.
The new spirits that had begun drifting near him scattered at once, pulling back as if scared of her attention.
She floated closer, staring at him with wide eyes.
"…That….." she said quietly. "That's a Hero's Egg. How do you have that, I haven't given anyone one of those in centuries."
Ramiris' gaze sharpened further. Her wings slowed.
"…And now that I look closer, you feel like.." she continued, softer now almost soft as if remembering a dear friend. "Like Lord Veldanava. Actually… you feel even more like him than Milim does." as she finished she actually started to tear up slightly and drift closer to him before catching herself.
Varion's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's the second time someone's told me that," he said. "What do you mean by 'even more than Milim'?"
Ramiris opened her mouth, then stopped. Her face scrunched up in concentration, as if she were trying to drag a memory to the surface. After a few seconds she let out a frustrated huff and shook her head hard, pigtails bouncing.
"Ugh, I don't know! It's all fuzzy right now. I can "feel" it, but I can't remember why!"
She suddenly puffed out her cheeks and pointed an accusing finger at the group, her voice turning high and childish again.
"But that's not important right now! You guys broke my Elemental Colossus! Do you have any idea how long it took me to get that thing working properly?! It was finally listening to me and everything!"
Rimuri crossed her arms, unimpressed.
"We'll make you a new one," she said simply.
Ramiris froze mid-air.
"…Huh?"
"I'll build you a better one," Rimuri repeated. "In exchange, you help these kids."
She glanced back at the children, her expression softening slightly.
"Their bodies can't handle the amount of magicules they have. If nothing's done, it'll keep breaking them down from the inside. I was told the Dwelling of Spirits might be able to stabilize them through elemental contracts. That's why we're here."
Ramiris looked at the kids more carefully this time. Her childish anger faded as she studied them, particularly the unstable flow of energy around their bodies.
"…Ah," she muttered. "Yeah. They're a mess." she nods to herself as if agreeing.
She floated in silence for a moment, then sighed and scratched her cheek.
"Fine, fine. I can take you to the place where the greater elementals gather. If they're willing, the kids might be able to form contracts. That should stop their bodies from falling apart."
She turned in the air and pointed deeper into the labyrinth.
"Come on, then. I'll guide you. But you better make my new Colossus really strong, got it?!"
Without waiting for an answer, she fluttered ahead, already muttering under her breath about materials and designs.
Rimuri watched her for a second, then glanced at Varion.
"…Well," she said quietly. "That went better than expected."
Varion's gaze lingered on the small figure disappearing down the corridor as he frowned. The words *even more than Milim* were still sitting heavily in his mind bringing more questions, as well as bad memories with it.
"…Yeah," he said. "It did."
Rimuri turned to the kids.
"Alright. Stay close, and don't wander off. We're not done yet."
The group started moving again, following Ramiris deeper into the Labyrinth.