Chapter 58: The Ant Path
“Buzz——”
As the deathly aura surged forward, the Celestial Finch perched on Janna’s shoulder burst out with a blinding white light from the white jade on its forehead.
The intense radiance completely purified all the deathly aura surrounding Janna.
“It seems your two contract summons don’t get along very well with my spectral servant.”
With a light wave of his wand, the skeletal ghost who had been given orders withdrew its aura and silently retreated behind Padin Green.
“They’re just particularly sensitive to deathly energy.”
Janna gently patted the Thornflower Sprite’s arm.
As a plant-type spirit innately sensitive to death, its stress response toward the skeletal ghost was even more intense than that of the Celestial Finch.
“Laura, they’re not going to attack us for now. You don’t need to be too nervous... Aph, keep an eye on that ghost. If anything seems off, let me know immediately.”
“Understood, Master.”
After soothing the Thornflower Sprite, Janna issued another command to the Celestial Finch through mental communication.
After all, as the lowest-ranked witch in the team, she had to tread cautiously with every step.
“Now that the spatial rift is open, Mr. Padin, please go ahead.”
Just like Janna’s guarded attitude, even though they had reached a verbal agreement only minutes ago, Richard Eva had no intention of truly teaming up inside an interdimensional space with a dark witch apprentice whose background was still unknown.
“Let’s hope we can continue to ‘cooperate’ once we’re inside.”
The last two words were deliberately emphasized.
As soon as he finished speaking, Padin Green’s expression turned serious.
He leapt into the spatial rift with his ghostly servant in tow.
Seeing this, Richard Eva turned around and took out a silver-grey cross-shaped pendant from his interdimensional storage ring.
“The stability phase of the spatial rift only lasts twelve hours. Just to be safe, let’s stick to our original plan and leave a two-hour buffer. We complete the exploration within ten hours. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Normally, once a spatial rift entered its stable phase, it would remain in the material world for about twelve hours. However, there were rare cases that fell outside the norm.
So, for safety’s sake, everyone agreed with Richard Eva’s risk-averse plan.
“This is the apprentice-level witch artifact I borrowed from my family—the [Guardian’s Veil]. Once we’re inside the rift, it can protect us from spatial storms and elemental attacks... Besides that, it will also prevent us from being scattered by the spatial turbulence when we enter.”
As he finished speaking, Richard Eva injected his magic power into the pendant.
A silver-grey medium began to ooze from the cross-shaped [Guardian’s Veil], rapidly forming a semi-transparent, mercury-like cylindrical veil that enclosed the group.
“Janna, I’m entrusting this to you.”
Once the [Guardian’s Veil] was activated, Richard Eva handed the pendant to Janna.
“The veil’s protection range will follow the bearer’s position. Once inside, you two focus on protecting yourselves. Leave the rest to me and Soro.”
“Understood.”
As the support members of this expedition team, Janna and Lo Silverfox were under the full protection of Richard Eva and Soro Flare.
Up to this point, Lo Silverfox had more or less completed his part of the mission. Janna’s role, however, was just beginning.
“Let’s go in.”
Once everything was ready, the four formed a formation with Richard Eva at the front and Soro Flare at the rear.
One by one, they stepped toward the spatial rift.
“During this time, do not fall behind. If you get lost in the interdimensional world, it will be extremely difficult to get out.”
With that final warning, Richard Eva stepped into the rift. The others followed in order, ensuring they stayed within the bounds of the [Guardian’s Veil].
“Pop——”
Like rippling water, the moment Janna entered the rift, it felt as though her body was rapidly shrinking, then infinitely enlarging.
In an instant, a flattened corridor—a whirlpool-like, pitch-black tunnel—unfurled before her.
“This is the ‘Ant Path.’ On the other side is the Mirror Plane Layer.”
So close, yet so far.
Once inside the “Ant Path,” Janna’s sense of space became disoriented.
Though her teammates appeared right beside her, she subconsciously felt their distance kept shifting between near and far.
“Plop—Plop—”
Their footsteps echoed softly.
As they walked faster, wave-like ripples spread continuously across the “Ant Path,” overlapping endlessly into infinity.
“We’re here.”
Light gathered, and the space suddenly opened up.
After passing through the lengthy “Ant Path,” they finally reached the rift’s exit and leapt out.
“This is... the Mirror Plane Layer?”
The moment she passed through the rift, Janna’s spatial disorientation vanished. In its place was a scene so familiar, it was almost surreal.
“According to Padin Green, this should be a historical projection of the Misty Forest within the Mirror Plane Layer.”
After surveying the surroundings, Richard Eva could only give this conclusion in response to Soro Flare’s doubts, though he himself still harbored suspicions.
“Someone’s coming.”
As they were still observing the area, Lo Silverfox, who had been silent all along, suddenly pointed in a direction and whispered a warning.
“Hide.”
Unfamiliar with the Mirror Plane Layer, they didn’t act rashly.
After quickly assessing the situation, Richard Eva led them to hide behind a tree. Simultaneously, Lo Silverfox cast a visual deception illusion over the group.
“Creak—Creak—”
Branches snapped underfoot.
As the footsteps drew nearer, the familiar sounds sent another wave of disorientation through Janna’s senses.
[This is the spatial rift that leads to the otherworld...]
[It looks like the rift hasn’t stabilized yet...]
[That means we arrived just in time...]
Familiar voices, familiar scenes.
Peeking through her peripheral vision, Janna saw four projection doppelgängers that looked exactly like their group.
She couldn’t help but break out in goosebumps.
“So this is the historical projection of the Mirror Plane Layer...”
[Wait, who’s there?]
Four sharp gazes pierced the illusion like spotlights.
Feeling their eyes upon them, even Richard Eva and Soro Flare—both third-tier apprentices—momentarily froze.