CHAPTER 251: INTO THE FROZEN MOUNTAINS

Marengo was covered with a thick fur cloak made from tanned hide, it was specially prepared for winter travel. If the cold became unbearable, the cloak could be wrapped around his stomach and legs to keep him from freezing. Even his face was protected by a fur mask to guard against the icy wind.

Dominic himself wore his usual fur coat, but he had also strapped a new cloak over Marengo’s back, it was a fine, heavy mantle made from the pelt of a snow bear, a beast said to live in this region. It was incredibly warm and offered excellent protection from the cold.

All of these things had been arranged thanks to the villagers and the traveling merchants who had insisted he prepare properly for the journey. One of the friendlier traders had even gone into his storage shed to bring out some of his most valuable supplies to help Dominic get ready.

"Do your best!"

"Don’t die out there!"

"You need to bring lover back, no matter what!"

With the villagers’ shouts of encouragement echoing behind him, Dominic mounted Marengo and nudged the horse’s belly with his heel. Then, with a burst of snow under the hooves, he charged toward the far northern white mountains that was gleaming under the winter sky.

Once he left the village, the road quickly vanished into a deep forest, the slope growing steeper and harsher.

The bare trees and tall conifers stood close together, their branches clawing at the air.

As he went higher, the trees became shorter, turning into low shrubs clinging desperately to the rocky slopes, until even they began to thin out.

A cutting wind roared through the mountains, it was sharp and cold enough to sting his skin. It howled through the gaps in the trees while carrying bits of frozen air.

Dominic wrapped a thick cloth around his mouth and nose to keep in his warmth.

It seemed the tribe of the cursed stone came down to the villages regularly, because even though the path was narrow like an animal trail, it was still a path. It was faint but continuous.

The grass and moss grew over the stones and loose rocks rolled beneath Marengo’s hooves as the horse picked its way carefully through the rough ground.

No matter how many times Dominic called out with his mind, there was still no answer from Shiao Yi.

That was strange.

Someone with Shiao Yi’s psychic powers should have been able to respond.

Was he trapped inside a barrier that blocked his abilities? Or worse, was he too weak to even reach out?

The more Dominic thought about it, the darker his imagination became. Every possibility that crossed his mind only deepened his worry.

The cursed stones were said to be similar to magic stones. It was an objects that could channel power.

The people claimed they could be used to perform all sorts of magic, like causing someone to faint, taking away their will, even freezing them in place. If that was true, then Shiao Yi might have been subdued by such a stone.

Dominic’s chest tightened painfully.

Shiao Yi must be in danger right now, waiting for him to rescue him. Anxiety and desperation swirled inside him until his thoughts nearly fell into chaos.

"Brrr..."

Marengo snorted, breaking through Dominic’s troubled thoughts.

"Ah... I’m sorry, Marengo," he said softly, patting the horse’s neck to calm him.

’’Marengo understands us better than you think,’’ Shiao Yi had once told him with a smile. ’’He can feel what we’re feeling.’’

Dominic’s throat tightened as the memory flashed in his mind.

"We’ll definitely save him, Marengo," he said firmly.

The horse neighed loudly, shaking its head with a strong, determined snort—as if sharing his resolve. Encouraged by his loyal companion, Dominic tightened his grip on the reins and pushed forward into the freezing wind and snow.

...

Struggling through the heavy, sticky fog of sleep, Shiao Yi slowly forced his mind to wake. The headache still pounded his head fiercely and even nausea began to rise in his throat. It felt as if he were trapped inside an anti-ability users barrier.

A strong and continuous vibration, the one that disrupted the delicate brain waves of his psychic powers kept attacking his mind.

In this state, he could hardly move at all.

He partially shut down the special part of his brain that activated his powers.

It wasn’t possible to suppress every function completely, but through training he had learned to control it to some extent.

That training had been meant to prepare him for situations exactly like this, when he might fall into an anti-ability users trap.

The training had been brutal. He had to endure long hours of concentrated attacks from reversed impulse waves and magnetic fields that tore and twisted his special brain.

Even when he rolled on the ground in agony or vomited from the pain, the assault never stopped.

There was only one way to survive that hell, he had to master the ability to shut down his own mental signals.

Many ability users who couldn’t endure it had lost their sanity before they could succeed.

But now, Shiao Yi was thankful for that suffering. Because of it, he could now block out the waves that would have driven his special brain mad and think clearly again.

Of course, since he was cutting off his brain’s psychic activity, he couldn’t use any of his powers. That meant no telepathy to reach Dominic, no teleportation to escape, and no telekinesis to defend himself.

Dominic must be worried about me, he thought.

With that, Shiao Yi finally turned his full attention to his situation.

It seemed he was lying on some sort of bedding. He moved slowly while careful not to trigger another wave of nausea by turning his head too fast.

He looked around cautiously.

The room was enclosed by earthen walls. It was completely sealed off, with no windows.

The only light came from a small lamp placed in a hollow of the wall. The oil flame flickered weakly, making the shadows dance. There was just one bed. Nothing else.