Night Journey

Chapter 10 Source Binding Long Stage
"Wake up, child, wake up quickly."

"This is not a place to sleep."

Cillian stared blankly at the sky.

The sky was like a rusted lead plate, gloomy and oppressive, with bright lightning seeping through the clouds, accompanied by a constant roar.

After being stunned for a good ten seconds, Cillian realized that he had survived the treacherous and crazy deep sea. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious before he surfaced.

With arms and legs spread out casually, he resembled a shipwrecked victim tossed about by the waves.

"Oh, you're awake."

An aged voice sounded from the side. Ciri turned his head and saw an old man who looked very old.

The old man's head was bald, covered with brown spots and scars, and there was very little fat left on his face; it looked as if a layer of skin and flesh were tightly stuck to his bones.

He stood on the turbulent sea, his back hunched and his waist bent, his hands trembling as he leaned on a cane, wearing a purple academic robe.

Cillian tensed up.

"Haha, don't be nervous, kid. I'm a living person, not some chaotic creature."

The old man noticed Cillian's nervousness and pinched his withered arm. "He's just a little thin, he looks like a skeleton."

He picked up his cane, hooked it around Cillian's ankle, and pulled him towards him, muttering to himself.

"I saw you float to the surface unconscious. You must have been attacked by a chaotic creature in the deep sea, right? You're really lucky to have survived."

Cillian noticed that the old man was not standing on the sea, but on a crystal staircase full of cracks.

"Stairs? This is..."

Cillian looked behind him.

On the turbulent sea, there are crystal staircases of varying heights and sizes, each reflecting a faint, cold light and incompletely cracked with fine lines.

Some were connected to each other, some shattered and disintegrated, some were left with only a few fragments suspended in the air, and some went all the way up to the deepest part of the leaden gray sky.

As the line of sight ascends, the silhouette of a giant tree slowly takes shape deep within the clouds.

It surpassed all of Cillian's imagination of "enormous," its branches stretching out as if trying to support the sky.

The leaves sway gently in the wind, transparent as crystal, colliding with each other to make a crisp and melodious sound, which gathers into a wordless lullaby.

The lullaby soothed the sea, and even the turbulent waves calmed down a bit.

The roots of the giant tree, winding like pythons, disappeared beneath the sea surface, stirring the silence of the ocean floor.

As the roots undulate, fragments of crystal are lifted up, reassembled in the air, and transformed into new steps, adding to the path leading to the clouds.

Reciprocating cycle.

Cillian wanted to see more clearly, but he was too far away from the giant tree, and the rising water vapor covered it with a bluish-green filter, blurring and blurring it.

"I just woke up from a dream of the soul, and my expression when I saw this thing was the same as yours."

The old man interjected at the opportune moment, saying in an extremely exaggerated tone, "It's really big... isn't it?"

Cillian agreed, “Yes…it’s really big…”

"That is the Whispering Tree, a miracle creation of the Mystic Philosopher. Look, what was dredged up from the seabed by the tree roots is a fragment of the Bound Source Long Staircase."

The old man pointed his cane to a distant place, introducing it to Cirien like a tour guide.

"If you wake up from the River of Silence, you'll see it more clearly."

The old man's gaze returned to Cillian. "But I didn't expect you to wake up directly in the Sea of ​​Origin. Aren't there any scholars in the city you're in? This is a serious dereliction of duty on their part."

The old man became angry for Cirien when the topic of dereliction of duty came up.

“There are no scholars where I live.” Cillian, who was soaking in the sea, shook his head. “It’s a remote town that has been cut off from the outside world for more than 20 years.”

The old man frowned, making him appear even more withered. "The outer frontier?"

Cillian admitted, "Yes, the outermost frontier of the outer frontier, and a little further out is the dark world."

"God..."

Upon hearing this, the old man was extremely saddened. He squatted down, leaning on his cane, and reached out to stroke Ciri's forehead.

"It's really not easy, child."

"It's alright, just a bit thrilling."

Cillian was temporarily convinced that the old man meant him no harm, and asked in return.

"who are you?"

The old man introduced himself, “I am Randolph Frank, from the Moden Society.”

The Secret Society is an extraordinary organization founded by esoteric philosophers, and it is one of the cornerstones supporting the civilized world.

"Why are you here?" Cillian asked, puzzled. "I thought only awakened beings like myself would be here."

"When a superhuman becomes powerful enough, they will have the ability to cross the spirit world and reach the Sea of ​​Origin."

Randolph smiled and waved his cane. "Like this."

The cane drew a few random circles in the air, and soon after, a section of tree root rose from the sea. It swayed from side to side, beckoning to Ciri.

"My job is to salvage the fragments of the Bound Source Long Rank that have sunk to the bottom of the sea, purify and repair them, and reforge their path of destiny."

Randolph put down his cane and explained, “However, I rarely encounter anyone else in the Sea of ​​Origins, let alone someone like you who has just awakened from the Dream of Souls.”

He struck the crystal steps beneath his feet heavily with his cane, emphasizing this.

"The Sea of ​​Origin is a surreal, imagistic world where there is no past or future, no near or far, only the present."

Cillian nodded as if he understood, adjusted his posture, and tried to climb the steps at Randolph's feet. Once he stepped onto the steps, Cillian would embark on the path to transcendence.

Randolph looked at Cillian with a smile from the top of the stairs and spoke.

"You'll have to work on it yourself, kid. I can't help you."

Randolph lifted his academic robe, and a strong smell of blood wafted out.

The flesh and blood in the abdomen were long gone, leaving only an empty hole. The ribs and spine were clearly visible, with only a few bits of flesh remaining in the gaps.

Randolph rummaged through his empty internal organs, and after a long time, he managed to pry out a little flesh and blood. Tree roots rose from below the sea surface, curling up two crystal shards the size of fingernails.

Flesh and blood acted like adhesive, piecing the two pieces of crystal together. Randolph then used this large fragment to complete the steps beneath his feet.

Cillian stared intently at everything, muttering, "What are you doing?"

“Repair the Bound Source Long Rank.”

Randolph didn't care. He cut his wrist again and squeezed it repeatedly until he managed to extract a little blood from his withered body, which he then poured into the cracks of the steps.

"Oh, you want to ask why I repaired it this way, right?"

Randolph snapped out of his daze and said apologetically, "Sorry, sorry, that's just how old people are, their brains aren't working so well anymore."

He remained silent for a moment, then spoke frankly in an extremely cheerful tone.

"I'm about to die, my child. It's not just that I'm getting old, but my body has also reached its limit."

Randolph began slowly, his hands never stopping their work, “I could easily lie peacefully in bed, waiting to drift off to sleep one night and never wake up again… but I don’t like dying like that.”

“I have no property to inherit, nor any offspring to entrust to me. I have dedicated my life to the cause of restoring the Fuyuan Long Steps.”

Therefore, I will follow this sacred tradition and dedicate the last vestiges of my warmth to it.

Randolph's voice deepened, becoming solemn.

"Use flesh to glue the long steps together, use blood to build the long steps, and use your body to support the long steps."

Cillian thought he had misheard. "You're committing suicide."

“To call it suicide is too simplistic; it should be described as… a sacrifice,” Randolph glanced at Cillian. “I thought I would die quietly, like everyone else, but then I met you.” “Is this a miracle?”

"No, it was just fate. Fate propelled the ocean currents so that you could meet me."

Randolph gently brushed the steps beneath his feet, looked up, and said, "And let me, at this very moment, completely repair it."

As the last fragment, along with blood and flesh, merged into the staircase, a soft white light appeared beneath Randolph's feet. The blood and flesh mixed within the crystal also crystallized at this moment, showing no difference whatsoever.

"You see, for scholars, being able to merge with the source of the long ladder is a wonderful thing."

Randolph gazed tenderly at the steps beneath his feet, the soft light illuminating his skeletal form with an air of serenity.

"Old friend, it's time to say goodbye."

Randolph raised his cane, and the spiraling, twisted wood slowly unfurled, transforming into a winding tree root. Another tree root emerged from the sea, and the two gently touched, naturally growing together.

“I will be forged into the Bound Source Long Staircase, and you will return to the Whispering Tree.”

After doing all this, Randolph asked Cillian, "I haven't asked your name yet, who are you?"

“Cillian Soflova”.

Cillian readily gave his name.

“Oh? Soflowa,” Randolph’s eyes lit up, “the path you are about to embark on is the Path of the Torchbearer?”

Cillian was completely seen through. "How did you know?"

"It's very simple, your surname... What a pleasant surprise! I never thought you were still around. I thought you had declined."

Randolph wondered curiously, "You said you're very close to the dark world. What, is your Sunflower Clan planning another expedition?"

Cillian shook his head. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

Randolph stared intently into Cillian's eyes, convinced he hadn't detected any lies.

He shook his head sadly, "So you really have declined."

Randolph dropped the subject, took a step back, making room on the steps, crossed his arms, and bowed slightly to Cillian.

“Soflois’s child, please ascend the steps beneath my feet. These are the foundation steps that I restored. It would be an honor for me to see them support the birth of a torchbearer.”

“It is my honor, Mr. Frank.”

Cillian placed his hands on the edge of the steps, trying to lift himself off the sea.

Almost instantly, Cillian felt resistance from the sea, as if an invisible hand was dragging every part of his body, preventing him from leaving the Sea of ​​Origin.

Strangely, faced with this increasingly intense dragging sensation, Cillian felt no panic or anger. In fact, she found the restraint warm and gentle—like a mother stubbornly holding her child.

Cillian instinctively said, "I will take care of myself."

Even though she was very reluctant, the mother still let go of her hands.

As the resistance on Ciri dissipated, he rose from the seawater until the last drop of seawater fell from his body, completely freeing him from the Sea of ​​Origin, and stood upright before Randolph.

Randolph's expression was filled with astonishment. He hadn't expected Cillian to be so easy to deal with. But before he could say anything, a howling sea breeze swept in.

Turning around, I saw huge waves rising from the sea.

Before he could recover from his shock, Randolph felt pity for Cirion. This was not the Silent River; the turmoil of the Sea of ​​Origin could be extremely deadly.

Randolph was on high alert, ready to lend Cillian a hand.

Despite the sudden crisis, Cillian remained calm.

Ciri looked down at his left palm. The Ouroboros Seal still shimmered with a molten gold light, but this time it wasn't the burning pain he felt when facing the Chaos creatures. Instead, it was a warm sensation, as if a ray of warm sunshine was shining on his hand.

"It's fine."

Cillian didn't know whether he was speaking to Randolph or to the Sea of ​​Origin.

The approaching giant wave quickly weakened, and by the time it reached Cillian, it was just a ripple that kept spreading. Looking around, the turbulent sea had calmed down at some point, with only concentric ripples colliding with each other.

Randolph stared at this unusual scene for a long time before finally speaking.

"Did you do this?"

“I don’t know,” Cillian shook his head, then said sincerely, “maybe.”

Randolph thought for a long time, then smiled helplessly, “Well, you Soflowa people are always accompanied by miracles.”

Cillian joked, "Isn't this fate this time?"

"Haha."

Cillian looked around and asked curiously, "Have I completed my promotion? How do I leave this place?"

"No, there's one last step."

Randolph shook his head and gestured for Cillian to look around. "Didn't you notice? The stairs are floating in the air, while the ones we're standing on are half-submerged in the sea."

He took a step forward and jumped into the sea without hesitation, mimicking Cillian's earlier actions, spreading his arms and legs, paddling wildly a few times, and letting out a genuine laugh.

"We come from the sea, and we will return to the sea."

Cillian listened to Randolph's words thoughtfully and said, "So, is this the final step in your sacrifice?"

"Yes."

Randolph swam forward a few strokes and grabbed the steps at Cillian's feet.

Cillian pressed further, "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Randolph did not respond; he plunged into the sea and disappeared.

Cillian looked around, trying to find Randolph, but all he could see was a patch of dark blue.

Just as Cillian was getting anxious, the steps beneath his feet suddenly swayed twice and slowly rose from the sea surface until the entire staircase detached from the sea and hovered in mid-air.

Through the transparent crystal, Cillian saw a pair of hands supporting the steps.

"If you stay?"

Randolph used his hands to support himself on the steps and lifted it off the sea.

“Children of the Sunflower Clan, if you ever achieve great things in the future, then go and tell everyone that it was Randolph who lifted you up!”

Amidst hearty laughter, Randolph lowered his head, his body slowly sinking into the sea, only his withered hands raised high above the surface, turning inch by inch into crystal and merging with the steps…

Lift it out of the sea.

At this moment, when Xilian looked at the layers of steps suspended on the sea, he saw that below them were bodies of various shapes and sizes. These were the sacrifices of scholars who had given their everything to the Binding Source Steps in order to pass on power and continue civilization.

Ciri looked up, the steps continuing upwards until they disappeared into the leaden gray shadows.

With his eyes closed, Cillian saw a torch burning fiercely in the darkness, illuminating everything like the sun.

No one gave Cirien an answer, no one whispered anything, but the moment Cirien gazed at the torch, he knew its name.

It is a great creation that comes from the Lord of the Torch, who guides the path of destiny, and anchors the existence of the explorers.

Miracle Creation - The Immaculate Torch.

The torchlight shone on Cirion, almost melting him into its glow.

Someone was speaking to Cirien, as if whispering or chanting, in a voice that was both male and female, and like that of a child and an old man.

The voices spoke in unison.

"Bless you—and nurture all things."

Ciri wakes up in reality.

(End of this chapter)