Taol's Compendium of Nent

Chapter 11: Tempestas Pass (Novus)

This was the last major landmark that we had to traverse through if we wanted to get through Novus and out into the next continent on the list, Petram. Apparently, it is known to be this vast, utterly barren, glacier-like area where the land can range from flat to straight up mountainous – cliffs and gorges can be found almost everywhere on the pass, and one must be lucky to watch their step, for falling into the cracks of the pass will undoubtedly lead to a cold, painful death deep within the icy waters that waited below.

Still, it is known that the weather for this particular area is relatively stagnant, with snowstorms, blizzards and whiteouts being relatively uncommon in this part of Novus – maybe it was because it was the closest to Petram, which has tropical climate that was greatly contrasted to Novus’s cold climate. All that might have just canceled each other’s climate out, resulting in nothing but just icy land. Then again, I’m no geologist nor am I a meteorologist…

When we reached the end of the tundra, we could see how the two lands differed so much – the grass just stopped almost abruptly as soon as we arrived at the pass, as if this part of Novus was almost unnatural. It felt unnatural, given the eerie silence that lingered in the air.

Attempting to assure myself that nothing bad will happen here, we stepped into the pass and began the long journey ahead – it was predicted that it would take months to cross this area, not because of anything to hinder us, but rather the sheer size of it all. The worst that we had to expect were rogue winds for the most part.

That or maybe rogue wild animals.

The first few days were relatively calm, if not static – unlike the Auris Circle, where the unstable weather was so vicious that the sky was blocked out of our own view, the sky was clear as day, so at least we had some indication to follow involving the time we’ve spent on the move.

There was very little to be said about this particular journey, actually…

I was thinking about every other struggle that I’ve had – the plains where I met my companion, the ruins where I was afflicted with this corrupt magic while having to deal with that horrid fiend that lived within it, the mountain range which was nature’s biggest anomaly that we’ve faced so far…Novus felt like it was on the calmer side, despite the fact that I had to face a literal golem which more or less served as a berserker foe of the Auris Circle.

Still, I can’t deny the fact that Novus’s sceneries and environments are one to be envied of, considering how I have lived in Flos for basically my entire life. The snowy terrain meant that it everything just…fits. I honestly don’t know how to describe it properly.

The tundra, the Circle after the golem was defeated, the village, the city…everything. There was this aura of calmness that is so soothing. There is this welcoming vibe that exists within this continent, and I think this is something most foreigners can understand.

Maybe the Novus locals won’t get me because they’ve lived here for much longer than I have – they probably view Flos as the same way as I view Novus, actually. Perhaps if I wasn’t on an exploration mission which required me to scour all over Nent, this would be a nice place for one to seek out some self-reflection…possibly figure out who they are.

This place definitely looks like it would allow that.

Okay, I will be honest, we did come across some troubles while we were venturing through the pass – and it was a situation which intrigued me more than shaken me.

We were a whole month into our journey, and one night we had set up camp and had our dinner before Tirza decided to clock out for the night. As for me though, I was too focused on the stars above me, gazing at the aurora that lit up the darkness around us. Suddenly, from a distance away, I caught something…it was this faint light that was slowly approaching me.

At first, I grew relatively worried, but the closer it got, I felt my fear slowly subside. It was approaching us in a non-threatening manner…and when I was able to take a clearer look at what was coming at me, I realized it was some kind of apparition…I was utterly starstruck. It was a ghost of sorts, which looked like a masked figure. Was this land haunted? If so, were these spirits vengeful of peaceful?

Suddenly, there would be a momentary, yet bright flash of light that came from the apparition – my sight was quick to return, but in the process, I was surrounded by more ghosts which looked similar to the first spirit that approached me earlier. In a bout of shock, I lost my footing and fell down to the ground, looking up at the ghosts that surrounded me. Just what were they going to do to me?

Before I could even think about what was going on, the apparition in front of me would speak up, saying that they knew about the power I possessed, and in a flash, my fears subsided and I was completely overwhelmed with curiosity and a desire for answers.

I begged for answers, desperation clear as day in my voice.

Instead, I was met with nothing but silence. However, one of the ghosts had this to say…

They spoke of how they wielded such power themselves, but because of how it advanced and how they didn’t have the mental capacity to withstand its effects, all of them went mad from the delusions of their magic and chose to end their lives before they were contorted into evil beings in their own right – and that was when it hit me.

They were the Void Servants themselves.

After they had spoken of their fates, they gave a terrible prediction – that I was next in line to join them in death once the magic takes its toll on me.

That alone was enough to make my heart sink as my eyes widened with terror – this surely wasn’t true, right? My breathing began to intensify amidst the panic that was beginning to settle in, and just before I felt like I was on the verge of breaking down in an emotional fit, one of the ghosts would interject, having something to add.

He had spoken about…something else.

About how maybe, just maybe, if I were to seek out the remaining traces of corrupt magic across the four remaining continents, I may be able to contain it and bend it to my will…then my mental state may not be compromised. However, he also elaborated further on this idea – I had to reach Inanis as quickly as possible in order to find the definitive goal that I wanted to seek out. It was from here where they assured me that my answers were guaranteed to be there.

All will be revealed there, and I may find a solution to be free of my affliction as well…

I was left half-lost, unsure on how to take in this information – however, when I begged them for more answers involving everything that’s been happening to me, they would turn away from me, completely ignoring me as they walked off into the distance as the spirits began to ascend up to the stars, vanishing into the aurora. Here I was, left in a distraught state of mind as I tried to contemplate everything that had just occurred.

I didn’t know why, but I decided that I had to keep this to myself – this was probably because of the grim prediction that those ghosts of the Void Servants had given about my potential fate in the coming future. The last thing I want is for Tirza to get overly paranoid and worried about my well-being. I decided to go to sleep for the night, knowing that I have stayed up long enough – it was hard to sleep honestly, considering how there was a lot on my mind, but I eventually managed to force myself to.

It was from here where things continued on as normal – I never saw those spirits again, but it felt like I would meet them once more at some point in time as I progress more into my adventure. It just really felt like that…

When we reached the end of the pass, about roughly one-third of the year had passed. We could tell when we were about to reach the end of our Novus campaign – we could see that the ice around us were becoming less and less prevalent with every hour. Grass was beginning to show up, and far ahead of us, a great distance away, we could see greenery on the other end. The Land of Earth was beginning to approach us closer and closer.

Just as our Flos exploits, we had spent another year venturing through Flos – and this included the weeks it took to reach places like the Auris Circle, the city where the queen resided as well as the road to the ice pass which the final major point of the continent.

Flos may be the catalyst to the sense of urgency that has been forced into this adventure, but Novus was the one that gave me the answers and guidance that I needed to take this urgency to the alleged source. Where I once believed the Edge of Nent to be a myth, I was starting to believe it more and more as this adventure progressed.

There was definitely something going on right now, and judging from my meeting with the queen, that something may well be dark times for the future ahead. Which was probably why Lord Bell was so distressed when he put us to work, and when the queen said that all of Nent may be involved in this massive expedition, I trust that Petram may be the same as well, especially considering the fact that they’re known to possess the biggest suppository of knowledge, both fictional and real, in all of Nent.

They have more clues which may lead to a definite answer behind all this. Better yet, maybe they possess the answer themselves, but one thing was for sure.

Inanis, in some way or another, has a major involvement behind all this. But why? Why does it have said involvement? What backstory could they possibly have which could result to all this? Just what have they done which has resulted to this clear unrest amongst the rulers of Nent?

The Exploration Team has to find out, and given how I seem to be the only one who has been afflicted with what the Void Servants once had, I have to find out before anyone else does. This wasn’t a leisure ride anymore.

This was a time attack.