Only God
Chapter 243 - 208 Solitary Island

Chapter 243: Chapter 208 Solitary Island

A sailing vessel carrying twenty people set off from Ajia’s harbor on an inconspicuous dawn.

High Priest Ora stood at the bow, beside him was the priest who had been blinded by the Hermit.

"Could you repeat that prophecy for me, High Priest?"

After speaking, the blind priest silently muttered a prayer,

"May Kagawus enlighten me, you are the mysterious prophecy."

High Priest Ora hesitated for a moment and then slowly said,

"In the vision of that prophecy, on Solitary Island, besides the Hermit, there was also a young man."

"A young man? The Hermit’s disciple?"

"Perhaps."

High Priest Ora paused, then continued,

"The prophecy states that the Hermit must take our ship to Ajia Land."

Upon hearing this, the blind priest subconsciously stroked the mast.

Judging from the long-standing experience of Kagawus’s priests, this prophecy did not seem ambiguous; it sounded very clear.

"Alright, I hope this journey will have a good return."

The blind priest said slowly.

The sailing vessel navigated the ocean for five days and nights, guided by the blind priest’s excellent memory and the continuous prophecies of the accompanying priests, it never strayed from its course.

Gradually the ship entered into unknown seas, and everyone on board began to grow anxious.

What exactly was in these waters? Storms? Sea monsters? Fog? Or nothing at all? But in any case, there was a reason for the seas to be unknown.

Unknown waters meant unknown perils.

The tense priests began to pray incessantly on the ship, and under Ora’s arrangements, someone delivered a prophecy each day to ensure safety.

One day, the blind priest stood up from the deck and muttered,

"Strange."

"What’s wrong?"

High Priest Ora asked, his eyes bloodshot.

"If we haven’t strayed off course... there should be a thick fog here."

The blind priest surveyed his surroundings with his only intact Eye of Prophecy. The sea was calm, and only small waves pushed the ship forward.

"That shouldn’t be, shouldn’t be..."

The blind priest murmured,

"If we haven’t deviated from the course, there should be an inescapable fog."

Saying so, the blind priest knelt down hastily, fear squeezing his heart, and prayed tremblingly,

"Mysterious Kagawus, you are the master of prophecy, I beg you to protect and guide us, we will offer you countless offerings, with all our might."

A deep unease flashed through High Priest Ora’s heart, and he too knelt down to join in the prayer.

Just after their prayers,

A faint black spot appeared on the distant sea horizon.

High Priest Ora widened his eyes, asking,

"What is that...

Has our prayer worked?"

The blind priest was equally shocked, speaking slowly,

"I don’t know if that’s Kagawus manifesting, or just a coincidence...

We are mere mortals, we cannot distinguish these things."

Ora nodded, his gaze fixed on the distant Solitary Island.

As the sea breeze nudged them along, the outline of Solitary Island became clearer, desolate and isolated, with only a sparse grouping of trees at the center of the island that could barely be called a Secret Forest.

The priests on the ship cheered, and the blind priest knelt down and prayed with tears.

Decades ago, the Great Temple sent out over thirty Priests to search for the Hermit, only to return defeated, with just him as the sole survivor. Whenever he recalled those times, nightmares of fear would choke his throat.

Perhaps this time, it would truly be different.

Perhaps even Kagawus hoped that the Hermit He chose would venture to the land nourished by rivers.

The ship slowly approached the shore, the plank was lowered, and the Priests disembarked one after another, stepping over the shallow beach soaked with seawater. Gazing towards the heart of the island, they beheld the gloomy Secret Forest, and for some reason, a shadow seemed to rise within their hearts.

High Priest Ora stepped onto the island, leading the Priests onto the land and into the forest’s embrace.

Ora surveyed the surroundings; the trees appeared ancient and distant, their bark as grotesque as corroded bronze, bulging in places like diseased pregnant women.

As the group ventured deeper, the environment grew increasingly eerie. The Priests walked on the soft sandy ground, the silence around them was terrifying, their heavy breathing permeating the whole team.

High Priest Ora stared intently ahead, continually moving forward, until he was nearly tripped by a stone and had to pause.

His gaze moved downward, attempting to kick away the stone that had almost caused his fall.

However, when he looked at the ground, he froze.

High Priest Ora trembled as he lifted his foot, stepping on the soft sandy ground again.

He turned his head, wanting to look at the footprints made along the way...

But...

On that traversed path, on the soft sandy ground, there wasn’t a single footprint!

The silent and twisted tree trunks surrounded the group like a famine-starved demon opening its gaping maw to swallow them whole.

"What... what in the world is this?!" High Priest Ora said with a trembling voice.

The Priests looked at the High Priest in confusion, then, following his gaze, they looked down at their feet.

On that sandy ground, there was not a single footprint!

"Footprints..."

"Where are our footprints?!"

"Why is this happening, what does it mean?!"

Panic erupted among the Priests like a plague, and the blind old Priest shook with the resurgence of dreadful memories long absent.

He pushed through the crowd, the blind Priest stumbling towards Ora.

The blind Priest was about to say something when his lips froze, his remaining trembling pupil staring past Ora.

"That is, that is..."

Ora felt a chill down his spine, cold sweat dripping down his neck.

He slowly turned around, looking towards the shadow behind him.

In the shadow of the Secret Forest, an old man with white hair and a vulture-like face approached like a specter, with not a sound made as his bare feet stepped on the ground.

"It’s him... it’s him!" The blind Priest collapsed to his knees, issuing a frantic wail.

The Hermit stepped out from the shadows, his grey eyes fixated on the blind Priest, the gaze chillingly cold.

"It seems... you’ve disobeyed my command," said the Hermit, his voice chilling to the bone.

"I, I... it wasn’t, I..."

The blind Priest struggled to defend himself, but upon meeting the Hermit’s eyes, he was unable to utter a word.

High Priest Ora stood petrified, the primal instinct of fear dominating his entire being.

The blind Priest knelt on the ground, begging for mercy from the Solitary Island Hermit.

The Hermit remained silent, raising his wooden staff towards the vulnerable head of the blind Priest, his gaze as chilling as falling into an ice pit.

The moment the staff was about to swing down.

From within the Secret Forest, a young voice was heard.

"What’s going on?"

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