35 Chapter 35: Fokay [3]
Chapter 35 – Fokay [3]
Kaden found himself back inside his house, standing before his family once more. As he looked at them—looked at their warm faces, the subtle worry in their eyes—he didn't feel fear. Even if he should considering it might be the last time he will see them. Instead, he looked at his father with something close to… disdain.
"Father," he said, voice flat, "I heard somewhere that a damn idiot once said that only one in a million ends up in a lethal situation their first time in Fokay."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Is that true?"
Garros stared at him, face caught in an awkward twitch. 'Why do I feel like I'm the damn idiot he's talking about?' he thought bitterly.
But, as expected, he wore his signature grin a second later.
"A damn idiot indeed. It's actually one in a billion, my son. Don't listen to those dumb bastards out there, alright? HAHAHAH!" Garros laughed, loud and carefree.
Kaden's lips twitched. He didn't say another word.
He shook his head, then willed himself to go.
He didn't want to linger.
Because if he did, he might not have the heart to leave.
No matter what he said, no matter how composed he tried to act—the possibility of true death was now real. He had no Death Coins left. Zero.
And if he died again… it would be the end.
And in that moment, Kaden saw it. Just a glimpse.
Something beyond the fear of death.
But it was only that—a glimpse.
…
Kaden reappeared in the same familiar darkness.
The will spoke again.
{Kaden Warborn, Child of Blood, welcome to Fokay.}
{Your spawning point has been selected.}
Kaden's heartbeat picked up, loud and hard in his chest.
He held his breath.
{Spawning Point: Forest of Eternal Sunshine.}
And in a flash, Kaden vanished—his form pulled from the void and thrown into a new reality.
A forest. But not a normal one.
This place shimmered.
Golden trees. Golden leaves. Even the soil glowed faintly beneath his feet, shining in the light of a golden-white sun that loomed unnaturally overhead. The temperature was overwhelming—hot to a degree that felt almost divine in pressure.
Kaden stood still, scanning the surroundings with his perception pushed to its maximum.
'No enemy… yet,' he thought, slowly exhaling in quiet relief.
But he didn't relax.
Because just because there wasn't danger now, didn't mean there wouldn't be in five seconds. Especially not in Fokay. Especially not here.
Then, it hit him.
He remembered this place.
He might not have memorized the politics of Waverith, but when it came to Fokay—he had studied hard. He'd learned the types of zones. The mechanics behind the evolution quests. The forbidden regions. The places not marked dangerous because of monsters—but because they were owned.
Owned by power.
Owned by names.
Zones that belonged entirely to specific factions or bloodlines. Zones that were untouchable for those who didn't belong.
And the Forest of Eternal Sunshine?
Was one of them.
Kaden's mouth tightened as he muttered—
"…The Celestial Empire."
And immediately, he cursed his fate.
Of course. Of fucking course. He just had to be tossed straight into the domain of one of the most powerful forces in all of Fokay.
"This is insane. What if they find me? What if they don't believe me?"
He paused, then nodded to himself.
"No… no, they'll know. They'll understand. The Will does this sometimes. They'll see I'm Awakened rank and know I didn't get here on my own."
He smiled, just a little.
"They'll believe me."
For the first time since entering Fokay, he actually felt a little relief.
Because there was no way he'd survive offending the Celestial Empire. Not with the way they controlled almost every resource in northern Fokay. Searᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
But apparently—
something disagreed.
DING!
Kaden's face twitched as the system message opened in front of him.
[You have received a quest.]
[Quest: Escape.]
[Difficulty: Near-Hell.]
[Description: You have been transported by The Will into territory belonging to the Celestial Empire. You are considered a trespasser. You will be hunted and killed on sight, no questions asked.]
[Objective: Escape without being caught.]
[Reward: Depends on performance.]
[Penalty: True death.]
Kaden stared at the quest window with a blank expression.
Then—his ears twitched.
A moment later, he vanished from his spot with a lazy, slow-motion blur—activating Slothful Steps.
Seconds after he disappeared, three figures arrived—each one dressed in radiant white-and-gold armor, faces hidden behind smooth, faceless masks.
"…Did I sense wrong?" one of them said, looking around.
"Man, you ruined our nap over nothing?" the second said, slapping the first on the back of the head.
SLAP—!
"Aïe aïe! Luke, what the fuck? I swear I felt something weird!"
"Oh, now you're backtalking, huh?" Luke raised his hand to slap again, looking genuinely offended.
"It's enough," the third voice interrupted—calm, stern. The leader.
"Continue patrol."
With that, he vanished.
"Tsk tsk. This guy has no sense of humor," Luke muttered before vanishing too.
Rael, the first, lingered. Eyes scanning. He looked around one last time, suspicious.
Then he too disappeared.
Seconds later—Kaden emerged, slowly, in complete silence.
He looked down at his hand, where a small, glimmering ring sat. Faintly pulsing.
An artifact.
Rare-rank.
It suppressed presence to a great level—almost like vanishing.
'Gotta thank Mother for this one,' Kaden thought.
Then he smiled.
Faint. Hollow.
'Well… if I survive this.'
He exhaled and moved.
His new goal was simple.
Escape.
Without being caught.
'Fucking hell.'
…
At the same time Kaden was thrown into Fokay—his third time, technically—his dear fiancée was entering for her first.
She stood in that same space of darkness.
The same voice greeted her.
{Rea Thornspire, welcome to Fokay.}
{Your spawning point has been selected.}
{Spawning Point: City of Pain.}
A blink later—Rea vanished.
When she opened her eyes, she stood in front of a massive, ominous gate. The sky above was cloudy. The wind cold.
And the guards stationed at the gate were wearing armor shaped like ceremonial robes—something between a knight and a priest.
Their presence was unsettling.
And before Rea could even process anything, the guards stepped forward.
"You… are you new to Fokay?" one of them asked.
They had seen her appear from nothing. That wasn't something a normal Awakened could do.
Rea gave a small, polite nod. Her face was calm. Her voice clear.
"I am. I just arrived. Could you tell me where I am?"
The guards glanced at each other.
Then the speaker responded.
"You're in the northern region of Fokay. This is the territory of the Church of Sorrow."
He paused for emphasis.
"This is the City of Pain. One of the holy cities under the Church's guidance."
Then—he smiled.
And the other one did too.
But the smiles weren't right.
They didn't look happy or even kind.
They looked like the smiles of men drowning in pain.
The type of smile someone forces when they want to cry.
The kind that doesn't make you feel welcome—it makes you ache.
Rea felt it.
Deep. Instinctive. Crawling under her skin.
Then their voices rose—together, perfect harmony. Like this was something they'd said many, many times before.
"Welcome to the City of Pain…
Where pain is the only thing you will find in abundance."
—End of Chapter 35—