Reborn as an Extra Chapter 560: Raika and The Lyre of Faith. Part-3.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
"I seem to be getting quite close now..."
The sound of Rio's steps echoed through the strangely quiet surroundings, and as he advanced with every footfall, the weight bearing down on him grew heavier.
'This feeling... it's Dragon's Aura. I must be just a few hundred kilometers from that enigmatic plateau...'
Rio had journeyed for so long that reaching near his goal filled him with relief and joy.
'This could be the longest trip I've ever taken in my entire life, I believe...'
Even during his entrapment in the SS-rank Snake 'Karpil's illusion, Rio hadn't covered as much ground on foot.
That time, he had trekked for days, yet now he had not just walked but also soared through the skies, spanning thousands of kilometers in total.
Given how the space-time structure in the spirit realm is far more fragile and compact, one could say Rio has journeyed a distance that likely places him far beyond his home solar system.
Should he tear open the space-time barrier and form a wormhole, he would emerge in a spot much more distant from his starting solar system.
'I absolutely don't want to make the trek all the way back... luckily, I packed a strong teleportation scroll...'
Only the most advanced teleportation scrolls function within the spirit realm, the kind Alverto once possessed.
The human empire possesses just a handful of such items, yet for this assignment, Ashtel handed one over to ease the challenges Rio faced.
That very scroll ensures Rio fears no getting stranded in the spirit realm or beyond; once he locates Liam and Ellie, he'll whisk them straight back via teleportation!
'Sadly, the scroll only operates within the same realm; it can't bridge different realms, or else I'd have jumped right to the human empire...'
When activated in the spirit realm, it allows travel solely to spots Rio has visited personally there, and at furthest, to the entry wormhole where he first arrived.
'Should I discover another fragile point or wormhole close by, I could slip out through it, and no matter where it spits me out, I can simply teleport from that location back to the human empire...'
These teleportation scrolls truly rank as mighty artifacts; still, they fall short on inter-realm jumps.
Just Alverto, aided by a superior entity, managed such feats through set coordinates.
As Rio pressed on, he reached a road of bricks and smooth stones that bore heavy signs of wear, and a tune he recognized drifted into his hearing.
Ruins, shattered structures, and cracked paths appeared often across the spirit realm; since stumbling upon the ruined temple of heavenly luck, Rio had spotted numerous other remnants.
Over his month of travel, he encountered plenty of wrecked edifices and ruined routes, though most were too ruined for close study, offering scant details to uncover.
Yet on this occasion, the path stood in far superior shape than those Rio had viewed before.
With the burden on Rio mounting step by step, the haunting quiet shattered under the gentle strains of a lyre's song.
Rio drew forth his flute, gripping it tightly as he continued ahead, his face locked in its typical blank stare.
'This fellow once more...'
As the gap between them shrank, Rio neared a statue broken halfway up, set upon a grand base, where Raika perched nearby, coaxing a tune from his lyre.
The enormous statue loomed nearly skyscraper-tall, despite lacking its full upper body and retaining only the lower portion whole.
It depicted a figure in human form.
Rio even spotted subtle carvings of dragons and soaring serpents on the statue's boots, suggesting the wearer viewed such creatures as mere nuisances to trample.
As though sensing Rio's approach, Raika wrapped up his piece and offered a soft smile while gazing at him.
"Oh, you've arrived here... I figured it would take you far longer, but you reached this spot in merely a month..."
"I suspect you're the first soul in the last thousand years to venture this far into the spirit realm and draw near the shadow dragons..."
A delighted grin lit up Raika's attractive features as he caressed his sleek, gleaming lyre, then added,
"Ah, it's been ages... such a long, long time since I could chat with someone so 'freely'... It's uncommon for me to escape that intense 'gaze' that controls my every action..."
"I'd much rather remain this way... what's your view, Rio Flash? Why do folks turn so 'free' around you?"
Rio's brow creased at Raika's remarks, and he offered no answer to the query.
'Does it stem from me being an anomaly, altering the fate threads of those nearby, whether on purpose or not, simply by my presence?...'
Though Rio grasped the truth, he refused to voice it, having no desire to converse with this enigmatic outsider.
'I've crossed paths with countless strangers and placed trust in several... yet oddly, this man repels me from the moment I see him...'
'It's like my very soul rejects trusting or heeding him... so peculiar... never before have I sensed such deep 'wariness' and 'aversion' toward another...'
Rio had encountered Kehrid and Kifrid just once, complete unknowns, but he trusted them enough to spend a full night in their home.
Kehrid, an SS-ranker, posed potential danger to Rio, but he felt little urge to stay overly defensive around him.
That ease didn't hold true with Raika, however.
Around Raika, Rio sensed the constant need to remain vigilant, lest trouble find him.
"What exactly are you? And what do you seek from me?..."
A single meeting with Raika might pass as chance, but a second? That screamed intent.
Raika had somehow managed to follow his trail.
'But how could that be... if he employed any tracking ability or method, 'True Immunity' should have activated, nullifying it on me...'
'Even glimpsing the destiny strands tied to me proves impossible, since I'm an 'Anomaly'... so how does this oddity manage to follow me?'
Raika had probably shown up at the temple earlier and this statue now only after verifying Rio's imminent arrival.
He aimed straight for Rio, and the youth couldn't fathom how this eccentric pulled it off with such ease.
"What am I? Didn't I mention it before... I'm merely a simple wandering bard... regarding what I desire from you?..."
"Hehe... you understand that more than most, right... I wish to befriend you, Rio... I want you to tread the 'path' of a 'hero'!"