Published at 29th of July 2026 6:48 am

Chapter 1883: Talisman

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There was a talisman.

It appeared to be made out of a strange blend of metal and stone, no larger than an average human’s palm.

Curious markings framed its edges, while a circle of one hundred and eight fine lines was carved into its center. There were markings on the other side as well, but it was impossible to read them with it pressed against the wall.

The talisman hung from a rope, nailed to the wall just beside the entrance.

Adam and Darren walked toward Genevieve, who stood before the talisman.

"Yeah," Adam said as he stood beside Genevieve. "It’s similar to the one in our previous hideout."

Darren remained silent. This was the first time he had noticed the talisman.

"Right?" Genevieve murmured. "I thought the one back there was just a piece of decoration. This one looks exactly the same..."

Adam nodded.

He too had thought the talisman in their previous hiding place was nothing more than an ornament. Although he had noticed it, he hadn’t paid much attention to it. It seemed nothing out of the ordinary.

But finding the same talisman in this underground chamber suggested it wasn’t merely decorative after all.

"Could it be..." Genevieve murmured, her gaze shifting between the talisman and the entrance. "A ward?"

"It could be." Adam shrugged.

He turned toward the dark, broken entrance and said, "It could explain a lot."

Throughout the night, countless undead had marched across the battlefield above. Yet not a single one had descended into the underground hall. Later, the swarm of monstrous bats had pursued them relentlessly across the mist-covered plains.

And yet...

The moment Adam and Genevieve slipped into the ruin, the bats had stopped at the entrance. They had circled overhead but refused to come inside.

Genevieve looked intently at the talisman, studying it. "If this really is a ward, it isn’t meant to keep people out."

"It’s meant to keep those monsters out," Adam added.

If this were true, then this ancient underground hall — and several more scattered across the plain — wasn’t merely an abandoned ruin.

It was a sanctuary.

But who had left behind these talismans?

Adam’s thoughts drifted to the remains of mother and child in the previous underground hall. He turned to Darren, who was gaping at the talisman, and asked in a solemn voice:

"Did you find any remains of people in here?"

Darren snapped out of his daze, then met Adam’s gaze. He quickly shook his head. "No," he said. "Not in this hall."

He pointed at the two doorways to either side of the chamber. Both passages had been blocked by stones and rubble. "Perhaps..."

His words trailed off.

Genevieve turned to Adam and said, "Maybe the people who once lived here used the talismans to ward against the monsters outside."

"Maybe..." Adam murmured.

"But then how old are these talismans? Who created them? How long have the monsters been roaming outside?"

Valerian shot a series of questions, his topaz eyes lighting up with curiosity.

"What a mystery this is! We must solve it!" He clapped joyfully.

Darren cast a scornful look toward the little fellow, wondering if the stupid cat didn’t quite understand the dangerous situation they were in.

Valerian turned to him and hissed. "What’re you looking at, fool!"

The Paladin clenched his jaw. He was about to reply when suddenly Adam turned toward him with cold eyes.

"What’s the matter?" he said quietly. "Something you wish to say?"

Darren swallowed the words in his mouth. He harrumphed and turned away, walking toward the makeshift camp he’d made in the corner of the hall.

Adam’s gaze followed him.

If it weren’t for Genevieve’s presence, he would have long since murdered Darren and fed his corpse to the monsters prowling outside.

Doing so, however, would be counterproductive.

Genevieve had only just begun to lower her guard around him. If he casually executed one of their own companions, no matter how justified the act might be, she would inevitably begin to fear him as well.

Trust, once broken, was difficult to rebuild.

For now, Darren could keep breathing.

After carefully surveying the hall one last time and confirming there were no other exits or hidden threats, Adam and Genevieve returned to where Darren sat.

It had been a long and exhausting day.

Adam took out some preserved rations and a waterskin from his pack. Genevieve did the same, and before long, the two quietly shared what they had brought.

Neither spoke much. The silence was oddly comfortable, broken only by the occasional exchange of a waterskin or a brief remark by Valerian.

From the side, Darren watched everything. He saw how naturally they spoke to one another. How Genevieve no longer kept her distance from Adam as she did during their journey to Kinran Valley. How she no longer looked at Adam with the caution she had shown at the start of the expedition.

With each passing moment, the hatred festering in Darren’s heart burned more fiercely. Yet none of it showed on his face. He quietly lowered his head, hiding the malice in his eyes.

"Hey."

Darren shuddered when Adam called out to him.

He gulped subconsciously.

Turning toward the raven-haired youth, he saw Adam beckoning a single finger, as though calling over a dog.

Darren hated it.

What he hated even more was that he obeyed without a word.

Why did he fear this man so much?

Why?

If only he could snap his neck...

Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Harboring murderous thoughts, Darren walked over to the pair and silently took a seat beside them.

"We need to escape the mist," Adam said in a serious voice.

"...What about the others?" Genevieve couldn’t help but ask. She wondered how the others were faring in this dangerous plane.

"I’m sorry to say this, but," Adam began, shaking his head, "finding the others cannot be our first priority."

His gaze shifted between Genevieve and Darren, and he said, "We need to get the hell away from this battlefield."

Darren remained silent. He wanted to speak about certain things, but couldn’t find the courage to speak them in Adam’s presence. He hated it...

"You already saw how difficult it was to traverse the land during the daytime," Genevieve said. "The mist makes it impossible to ascertain the direction. And there are those things... those things that destroyed my spiders. Probably the bats."

Adam waited for a few moments to speak.

"I have a way to scout the road ahead," he said quietly.

Genevieve frowned. "Through the mist?"

Even as she said those words, she instantly knew they were incorrect. If Adam truly had a way to navigate through the mist, then they wouldn’t have had so much trouble arriving here.

"No," Adam said, shaking his head.

"At night."

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