Chapitre 43: Chapter 44: Illusions of the Age of Gods
Where?"
[At your six o'clock. Walk about five hundred meters, and you'll see a white coral reef.]
"That far?" Li Xiang was a little surprised.
[Of course! My detection skills are top-notch!] Irigar replied proudly.
Li Xiang smiled faintly and adjusted his direction, glancing at the contour sonar map.
After a few minutes, the white coral Irigar mentioned came into view.
In the dim, murky water, the snow-white coral, clustered together like cauliflower, formed a natural archway. It stood out beautifully against the surrounding sea floor.
Li Xiang approached. "Is this the white coral you were talking about, Irigar?"
[No, check the area around it.]
"No magic readings, no metal either?"
Li Xiang checked the instruments, finding no reactions. He placed his spotlight on the ground, illuminating the coral, and began searching the seabed around it with his hands, sifting through the floating white sand at the base of the coral.
The coral wasn't very large, so it didn't take long for Li Xiang to feel something hard beneath the sand. Pulling it out and brushing away the debris, he found a seashell—a grayish-yellow conch with a rough surface and rows of neatly arranged ridges. The mouth of the shell was a pearly pink.
"What's special about this?"
[Clear the dirt from the shell's opening.] Irigar replied mysteriously.
Li Xiang found a small twig nearby and began scraping the dirt out of the shell.
"Nothing seems... Wait..."
Suddenly, Li Xiang's head began to feel dizzy, not overwhelming but like the lightheadedness that comes from standing up too quickly after sitting for a long time.
"Do you... hear something?" Li Xiang shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
[Oh no! I forgot you're still vulnerable to this! Quickly, alert your team!]
"Operator 112... report..." Li Xiang's head grew heavier, like the buzz from drinking too much alcohol. Realizing something was wrong, he used the last of his strength to shout, "Arisa Kazano!"
"What's wrong, Operator 112? What happened?"
There was no response.
"Operator 112?"
"Operator 112!"
Arisa Kazano suddenly stood up. "Captain, Operator 112 Li Xiang has lost contact."
Adashino Hishiri, seated in the captain's chair, frowned and stepped up to the large monitor.
On the screen showing Li Xiang's view, the seashell lay still in his hand.
"Arisa Kazano, activate the external camera," Adashino ordered.
"Yes, Captain."
Arisa sat back down, pressing several buttons.
The divided screen changed as the other images disappeared, leaving only Li Xiang's.
On the ocean floor, the back of Li Xiang's diving suit suddenly opened, releasing a thumb-sized mechanical arm that quickly extended outward, adjusting the view.
The display switched to an external perspective.
In the dim underwater light, Li Xiang stood motionless in front of the white coral, his hand extended with the seashell resting in his palm. He was frozen in place like a statue, unmoving in the depths of the sea.
The ship's crew, who had been focused on their tasks, now looked up at the large screen.
"Is this an illusion?"
The man sitting to Adashino's left turned in his chair, stroking his bearded chin thoughtfully.
"Pascal Edward, what's your assessment?" Adashino asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Pascal Edward was the leader of the third team within the Law Department's twelve squads, a student from the Individual Fundamentals Division and an expert in illusions.
Illusions worked by manipulating the mind and projecting false images into reality.
Basic illusions involved distorting someone's thoughts, making them hallucinate or enter nightmares. The highest level of illusion could create grand, tangible illusions in the real world, like mirages, fooling entire groups of people.
But very few could perform such feats—someone like Merlin, the infamous nightmare mage, for instance.
"Here's what I think," Pascal began. "First, we can confirm that Li Xiang is unresponsive. Excluding the possibility of a prank, any magic that can make someone stand upright without moving likely involves illusion magic.
"Second, Li Xiang was under our surveillance the entire time. Just before he lost contact, he was speaking with Arisa Kazano, meaning he was aware of something unusual. His physical condition, according to his suit's sensors, shows no signs of distress, making it highly likely that he's trapped in an illusion.
"Illusions are typically deployed using one of two methods: auditory or visual cues. In Li Xiang's case, he found a conch shell. When you hold a seashell to your ear, you can usually hear the sound of the ocean—this happens because the shell's shape amplifies surrounding noises, such as water flow, creating an effect that mimics the ocean's sound.
"In this case, Li Xiang probably heard something from within the conch shell—an ancient auditory illusion from the Age of Gods, still effective after two thousand years."
As Pascal finished, the room filled with sharp intakes of breath.
Adashino's expression darkened, her brow furrowing in concern.
A spell from the Age of Gods that remained active for over two millennia... was the caster even human?
"Pascal, what's our next move?" Adashino asked.
Pascal stroked his beard again, trying to remain composed. "There are many ways to break an illusion, but I've never dealt with one from the Age of Gods before. I can't guarantee success, and there's a risk of unintended consequences."
"While magic from the Age of Gods and modern magic are cast differently, their effects are essentially the same. Theoretically, modern magic can dispel an ancient illusion," Adashino said, quoting a basic principle from the General Fundamentals Division. After a moment of thought, she issued her command. "Pascal, take two people and prepare soundproof measures. Retrieve Li Xiang and bring him back up. His oxygen tank is running low. Also, place the conch shell in a soundproof container. Make sure no sound leaks."
"Understood!" Pascal swiftly left the control room to prepare.
Meanwhile, Li Xiang, still trapped in the illusion, felt his body becoming lighter and lighter until, finally, he was floating.
Opening his eyes, he realized the ground was far below him.
Flapping black wings, Li Xiang soared through the sky, thrilled to be flying freely.
Flight was a long-held dream of humanity, and even as a magus, flying wasn't an easy feat.
Wait... humanity?
Li Xiang suddenly realized something was wrong.
He wasn't human anymore.
He was... a crow.
Opening his mouth to speak, all that came out was a hoarse, rasping caw—harsh and grating, something no human voice could produce.
'What's going on?'
Li Xiang's mind went blank. He seemed to have forgotten everything, straining to recall any memories but drawing nothing but emptiness.
As he tried to make sense of his bird form, he heard an ancient melody in the distance.
It felt strangely familiar.
But only for a fleeting moment. His mind went blank again as his eyes turned red, his thoughts consumed by the image of a figure.
Dressed in a pitch-black robe, with a hood obscuring their hair and face, only their thin, tightly-pressed lips were visible.
With the last bit of his strength, Li Xiang let out a piercing, mournful cry before flying off toward a distant destination.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone