Chapter 50 Finding the place
“Thank you for your advice earlier,” Malouf said. Then, scratching his head, he asked,
“Erm… could you spare me some medicine for my brother Anwar?”
“No--” Yazmeen was about to say, but Vandal cut her off.
“Yes, have one of these pills.” Vandal opened the parcel, much to the discontent of Yazmeen, and gave one to Malouf.
“Thank you, brother. I will not forget this favor,” Malouf said gratefully as he turned and left, but the other men cast lingering gazes before they too turned and followed him.
“Why did you give them? Those pills could be used as backup medicine for us in case any of us gets injured,” Yazmeen protested.
“It’s okay, we will be fine. Don’t worry about it,” Vandal said calmly. Somehow, when he looked at the map, he knew the exact location of the place. A lot of the terrain felt familiar, as if he had been there before, and this was due to the mixture of fragmented memories lodged in his head.
“Let’s not waste time. Let’s be on our way,” Vandal said, and somehow he had fully displaced Mael as the leader of the group due to his guidance and way of handling conflict.
As they left, they passed through different places. His gaze abruptly changed. He stopped mid walk and began to stare at a certain area ahead with a puzzled expression.
“Stop.”
“Why are we stopping?” Mael asked in irritation.
“There’s a trap,” Vandal said.
The reason for that was because Vandal discovered that there was a well laid trap ahead. Someone had disguised the ground as regular terrain, but in reality it was filled with sharp spikes. It was covered with a brown layer and hidden beneath leaves. If not for Vandal spotting the signs due to his excellent eyesight, especially in his left eye, they would have walked straight into it.
As they stopped and moved around the area, several people came out with curved weapons and attacked them. They were masked and carried smoke bombs, which they threw down to obstruct their sight.
“So you saw through our traps. Well, it doesn’t matter. We refuse to believe a few measly pills are enough to put you back in top shape. That’s just not possible. But now you have been poisoned.”
“Is that what you think?” Jaclynn said with a smile. Then she took out a vial from her bag and gently poured it onto the ground. It evaporated immediately.
“Foolish people. That’s why we wore masks in the first place, so we would not be affected.”
However, before they could relish their perceived victory, Vandal launched a gut punch at the one who spoke. His eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out instantly. Mael struck the other two from behind with his palm outstretched, leaving just three people left, but before they could register what had just happened, Hutrar backhanded all three of them. Before long, they were all subdued.
“Who’s the fool now?” Jaclynn said with a smile.
“Take off their masks,” Mael told Chan.
Chan crouched beside the fallen men and removed their masks one after the other. As the cloth came loose, their faces were revealed clearly under the dim forest light. His brows tightened almost immediately.
“They are from the Stonejaw Brotherhood. Check out the choppers on this guy,” Chan said, glancing back at the others.
Chan looked at their jaws again and whistled in wonder before commenting, “You guys never skip jaw day,” causing the Stonejaw Brotherhood disciples to look at him with extra animosity for making fun of them. Jaclynn and Yazmeen stifled a giggle at the joke.
The Stonejaw Brotherhood disciples all had large, prominent jawlines, as if they had been training their jaws since birth. As such, it was not difficult to recognize them, and their clan was quite famous in the southern lands.
Vandal stepped forward and looked down at them. His expression did not change much, as if this outcome had already crossed his mind. However, when his gaze shifted to one of the men lying unconscious, something in his eyes sharpened slightly.
“These two,” he said slowly, “they were with Malouf earlier.”
Yazmeen frowned. “Are you sure?”
“I saw the way they were looking at us, at me rather,” Vandal replied. “It was not just curiosity.”
He bent slightly and grabbed one of the conscious men by the collar, lifting him just enough so their eyes met.
“Did Malouf send you?” Vandal asked.
The man clenched his jaw and turned his face away without answering. The other one who was still conscious did the same, refusing to meet his gaze.
Vandal watched them for a moment longer before letting go. The man dropped back to the ground with a dull thud. He looked around again, scanning their faces.
He exhaled lightly. “Malouf is not here with them.”
There was a faint trace of relief in his tone, though he did not show it openly. Still, the thought lingered in his mind. Whether Malouf was involved or not, he would need to confirm it himself.
“We will ask him when we see him again,” Vandal said, straightening up. “For now, let’s get going.”
No one argued.
They resumed their journey, following the map carefully. The deeper they went, the more the terrain began to shift subtly. The trees grew thinner, the ground more even, and the air carried an unusual stillness, as if the place itself was holding its breath.
Before long, they arrived at an open stretch of land.
At first glance, it looked ordinary. However, the moment they tried to move forward, an unseen force stopped them completely.
Chan reached out instinctively, his hand pressing against something invisible. The air in front of him shimmered faintly under the contact, like a thin veil.
“There is a boundary,” he said.
Vandal stepped closer and observed it carefully. This place felt familiar, and he did not know why.
However, this was the place, the location where the Jade Infinity Stone was located.
The name felt strangely familiar on his tongue, as if it had been buried somewhere deep within his fragmented memories.
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from behind.
Another group emerged from the forest, their condition far worse than Vandal’s team. Some of them had torn clothing, others bore visible injuries, and their expressions were filled with exhaustion and frustration.
It was clear their journey had not been smooth.
Mael glanced at them briefly before looking away, his face tightening. His irritation had been building for some time, and though he said nothing, the reason was not difficult to guess.
The others had begun to look toward Vandal more often. They listened when he spoke. They followed his lead without hesitation.
Mael remained the official leader, but that authority had started to slip in ways that could not be easily addressed.
Vandal, on the other hand, paid no attention to it.
His focus shifted as another familiar figure stepped forward from the newly arrived group.
“Brother Vandal.”
Malouf approached with Anwar beside him. Both of them looked tired, but unharmed.
“I am glad to see you made it,” Malouf said, his tone genuine. “How was your journey?”
Vandal studied him for a moment before answering.
“We were ambushed,” he said plainly. “By men from the Stonejaw Brotherhood. Two of the men that attacked were with you earlier.”
Malouf’s expression changed immediately. Confusion appeared first, followed by a firm shake of his head.
“I know nothing about that,” he said. “I swear it.”
Vandal held his gaze, watching closely for any sign of deception. There was none that he could detect.
After a brief moment to contemplate, he nodded slightly. “I believe you, but these are your men. I could have killed them, but I didn’t because they are your Resonance Council members.”
“Thank you for sparing their lives. I will look into this matter personally,” Malouf said.
Malouf seemed relieved, though the tension did not leave him completely.
“Stupid barrier. Why is there a barrier in the middle of nowhere?” the slick haired disciple with feminine looks cursed as he walked straight into it and almost broke his nose.
Around them, the other groups had already begun testing the invisible boundary. Some struck it with weapons, others used techniques, hoping to break through by force.
Each attempt ended the same way. The barrier remained completely intact, absorbing everything without even a ripple.
“They are wasting their time,” Malouf said quietly.
Vandal turned to him. “You know something.”
Malouf hesitated for a brief moment before stepping closer.
“There is a way to open it,” he said in a lower voice.
That immediately drew the attention of the others.
“What do you mean?” Yazmeen asked.
Malouf glanced at the barrier, then back at them.
“A hundred years ago, my ancestor was among those who helped construct this shield,” he explained. “The method to open it has always been passed down through our family. It is not something that can be broken from the outside.”
Vandal’s eyes sharpened slightly. “And today?”
Malouf took a slow breath.
“Today,” he said, “is the first time I have ever needed to think about how to use it. And now I understand why it was preserved for so long.”
The air around them grew heavier as his words settled.
Every strike against the barrier continued in the background, each one more desperate than the last.
But now, Vandal and his group were no longer looking at the barrier the same way.
They were looking at Malouf.