Reborn as an Extra Chapter 560: Raika and The Lyre of Faith. Part-3.

"It seems I'm getting quite close now..."

The echoes of Rio's steps reverberated through the deathly quiet surroundings, and as each footfall propelled him onward, the oppressive weight pressing upon him intensified with every advance.

'This sensation... it's the Dragon's Aura. I've drawn within just a few hundred kilometers of that enigmatic plateau...'

After journeying for what felt like an eternity, Rio finally sensed his goal within reach, filling him with a surge of relief and joy.

'This has to be the longest trek I've ever undertaken in my entire existence, I believe...'

Even during his entrapment in the SS-rank Snake 'Karpil's' illusionary world, Rio hadn't covered such vast ground on foot.

In that ordeal, he'd trudged for days on end, yet this expedition involved not just walking but soaring through the skies too, spanning thousands of kilometers in total.

Given how the spirit realm's space-time structure is far more fragile and compact, one could surmise that Rio's travels have carried him well beyond the boundaries of his home solar system.

Should he rupture the space-time barrier to form a wormhole, he'd emerge in a location vastly distant from his starting solar system.

'The very thought of retracing all that distance back fills me with dread... good thing I packed a potent teleportation scroll...'

Such teleportation scrolls capable of functioning within the spirit realm are exceedingly rare, the pinnacle of their kind, once in the possession of Alverto.

The human empire possesses only a handful, yet for this crucial assignment, Ashtel supplied Rio with one to ease the challenges ahead.

It's this very scroll that banishes any fear of becoming stranded in the spirit realm or beyond; the instant he locates Liam and Ellie, he'll whisk them all back via teleportation!

'Regrettably, the scroll's power is confined to the current realm; it can't bridge different realms, or else I'd have leaped straight to the human empire...'

When activated in the spirit realm, it allows transit only to spots Rio has personally explored within it, extending at furthest to the entry wormhole he first used.

'Should I stumble upon another fragile node and wormhole close by, I could slip out through it, and no matter where it deposits me, I'd simply teleport from there back to the human empire...'

These teleportation scrolls truly stand as mighty artifacts; still, they fall short of enabling realm-spanning jumps.

Merely Alverto, bolstered by aid from a superior entity, managed such feats through fixed coordinates.

As Rio pressed on, he stepped onto a weathered path of bricks and smoothed stones, where a haunting tune drifted into his hearing.

Ruins, shattered structures, and fractured pathways abound throughout the spirit realm; following his initial brush with the temple of heavenly luck's remnants, Rio encountered numerous other decayed sites.

Over the span of his month-long odyssey, he'd witnessed countless dilapidated edifices and ruined trails, though most were too ravaged for close examination, yielding scant clues about their past.

Yet on this occasion, the pathway appeared far more preserved than the ones Rio had previously observed.

With the mounting pressure weighing heavier on him step by step, the profound hush shattered under the lilting strains of a lyre's melody.

Rio drew forth his flute, gripping it tightly as he continued ahead, his features locked in their customary stoic mask.

'This fellow once more...'

As the gap between them narrowed, Rio neared a partially crumbled statue perched atop a grand dais, where Raika lounged nearby, coaxing a tune from his lyre.

The colossal figure loomed nearly skyscraper-tall, despite lacking its full upper body and retaining only the intact lower portion.

This monument depicted a human-like form.

Rio discerned subtle carvings of dragons and serpents coiling upon the statue's boots, as though symbolizing how their wearer viewed such beasts as mere vermin to trample beneathfoot.

Sensing Rio's approach, Raika concluded his piece and turned with a soft smile toward him.

"Oh, you've arrived here... I figured it would take you far longer, but you've pierced this deep in merely a month..."

"You could well be the inaugural soul in a thousand years to venture so profoundly into the spirit realm and draw near the shadow dragons..."

A delighted grin lit Raika's handsome features as he caressed his gleaming lyre, then added,

"Ah, it's been ages... such a vast stretch of time since I could converse so 'freely' with another... Seldom do I escape that piercing 'gaze' that dictates my every action..."

"I'd much rather linger in this state... what say you, Rio Flash? Why is it that folks feel so 'liberated' in your presence?"

Rio's brow furrowed at Raika's query, offering no response.

'Does it stem from my status as an anomaly, subtly or overtly reshaping the destiny threads of those around me simply by being near?'

Though the truth dawned on him, Rio kept it sealed within, harboring no desire to engage this enigmatic figure in conversation.

'I've crossed paths with plenty of unknowns and placed faith in several before... yet something about this man stirs an instinctive aversion from the depths of my being...'

'As though my very soul recoils from trusting or heeding him... it's utterly peculiar... never before have I experienced such profound 'wariness' and 'aversion' toward anyone...'

Rio had encountered Kehrid and Kifrid but once, complete outsiders to him, and still he'd confided in them, spending a full night under their roof.

Kehrid, an SS-ranker, posed potential peril to Rio, but proximity to him never sparked the urge for excessive vigilance.

That ease, however, evades Rio around Raika.

In Raika's company, Rio senses an unyielding call to remain ever watchful, lest disaster strike.

"Just what are you, precisely? And what is it you seek from me?..."

A single meeting with Raika might pass as chance, but a second? That smacked of intent.

Raika had somehow managed to shadow him.

'Yet how could that be feasible... any tracking spell or method would activate 'True Immunity,' nullifying its hold on me...'

'Even glimpsing my destiny's threads proves impossible, given my 'Anomaly' nature... so how does this oddity manage to pursue me?'

Raika had no doubt manifested in the temple previously and at this statue now only upon verifying Rio's impending arrival.

He pursued Rio with purpose, and Rio grappled with the mystery of his effortless pursuit.

"What am I? Haven't I shared that already... I'm merely a wandering bard of humble means... as to what I desire from you?..."

"Hehe... you grasp it clearer than most, don't you... I seek your friendship, Rio... I yearn for you to tread the 'path' of a 'hero'!"