[F27-PP] <<The Mysterious Divide>>

[Etherial 0]

[Floor 27 | The Divide’s Edge]
Entry #42 – Etherial’s Journal

The air on this floor feels thinner like it’s been pulled taut between two halves of the same breath. Every step echoes longer than it should, fading into a silence that doesn’t want to end. The locals call this area The Divide, and I think I understand why. It’s not just a name it’s a feeling. Like the world itself was split open, and no one bothered to stitch it shut again.

Crystals line the cliffs here, glowing faintly in the dim light. Blue on one side, green on the other, the colors meet somewhere in the middle and fade into grey. It’s beautiful in a strange way haunting, but alive. The kind of place that makes you wonder if Aincrad is trying to say something.

I’ve been traveling for a few days now, following rumors of a forgotten passage between the two crystal valleys. Some adventurers claimed they saw figures wandering near the faultline flickers of movement that vanished when approached. Maybe it’s just the light playing tricks again. Or maybe this floor hides something deeper than anyone’s found yet.

Either way, I’m not leaving until I find out.

— Etherial

---

The crystal cliffs stretch endlessly ahead, their glow washing the path in soft hues of blue and green. I close my journal, tucking it beneath the strap of my pack before stepping forward. The air hums faintly, a vibration that feels alive like the entire floor is breathing beneath the surface.

Wind stirs the mist at my feet, carrying with it a low, hollow note that could almost pass for a voice. I pause, waiting, listening but it fades just as quickly as it came. The silence that follows is heavier, almost expectant.

Every few meters, the ground shifts. The crystalline surface cracks and reforms, glowing brighter for a heartbeat before dimming again. Aincrad’s code always had a strange beauty to it, but here it feels… different. Organic. Wild.

I reach the edge of the ridge, looking down into the Divide. It’s deeper than I imagined a wound carved straight through the land, filled with fog that swirls like smoke. For a moment, I could swear something moves within it, a faint shimmer of light, almost human in shape.

I tighten my grip on my weapon. “Guess it’s just you and me,” I murmur to the fog.

A shadow stirs in the mist below followed by the unmistakable crunch of footsteps. Not mine.

Looks like I won’t be exploring alone after all.

 

Etherial | HP: 200/200 | EN: 38/38 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 6 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 1 | PARA

 

@Winnie

Spoiler

General

Level: 10

HP: 200

Energy: 38

DMG: 5

ACC: 1

MIT: 6

EVA: 3

Para: 1

 

Equipped Items

Silberklinge (+1 ACC +2 Para)

Snow Loyal (+3 EVA)

-------------------------------------------

Snow Loyal (+3 EVA)

Silberklinge (+1 ACC +2 Para)

 

Skills: 

» Rapier (Rank 1)

» Light Armor (Rank 1)

Mods:

 

 

 

Extra/locked Skills: 

 

 

 

Mithril:   T1 = 16 <> T2  = 0 <> T3 = 0

 

Profession:  

 

Edited October 24 by Etherial

[Winnie 0]

It was cold today, more crisp than the days had been before. Was it simply the floor? Her eyes trailed around, drinking in the scenery, it was easy to admit that the higher she went the more beautiful things became. She hadn't ever intended to venture this high, this quickly, but Oscar had lingered here beforehand, she missed him, though she wouldn't admit it, not now. She drew in a small, short breath, releasing it with a soft sigh. She wasn't sure why she felt so empty today. It wasn't not for her to feel this way, yet the feeling remained, lingering, like the sting of pain after scraping your knee. She hadn't made much progress since entering the game, she had only found a few of the children, but had been disheartened to discover that many of the villagers elders had since passed, some young men and women, a few children. She felt like a failure. This wasn't at all how things were meant to be. 

The world moved around her as she walked outside paths, no real destination set. The ground was stiff, cold, univiting. Her feet led her where they willed, mind wandering left and right, eyes falling to the soil ahead, marking her next steps. She paused looking up, finding that she had traveled far too many paces than intended. Her head turned looking at her surrounding once more, she was surprised to find a young girl looking back at her. White hair, small stature. She offered a gentle smile. "Hello there. Fine day is it not?"

 

***

Winnie| HP: 20/20 | EN 20/20 | ACC 0 | EVA 0

Spoiler

Name: Winnie

True Tier: 1 

Level: 1 

HP: 20/20

EN: 20/20 

 

Stats-

Damage: 1

Mitigation: 0

Accuracy: 0

Evasion: 0

Recovery: 0

Bleed: 0

Battle Healing: 0

 

Inventory- 

(3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)

2,000 Col

(25) Material

 

Edited Saturday at 07:30 AM by Winnie

[Etherial 0]

The shadow she’d braced for didn't emerge as a monstrous NPC; instead, it solidified into a girl, small and pale-haired, rising out of the swirling fog. The air, which had been tight with an expectant hum, seemed to soften instantly, a bizarre contradiction to the unsettling nature of the Divide.

Winnie's voice was gentle, a simple, almost melancholy, observation that took Etherial by surprise. Hello there. Fine day is it not?

Etherial's hand instinctively eased the grip on her weapon, but the tension didn't fully leave her shoulders. She scanned the mist behind the girl, her mind already calculating the risk of an ambush. This place felt too wrong for such a casual encounter.

"Fine," Etherial's voice was lower, flat, and colder than Winnie's light greeting. Her gaze was direct, examining the other girl's appearance and the small stature that suggested she shouldn't be wandering this high up the floor. "Though I wouldn't call the day here fine so much as... unnerving."

She stepped away from the crystalline cliff's edge, letting the strange, dual light catch the white of her hair.

"You're far from the center of town for a stroll," she stated, making it less of a question and more of an observation. Her purpose, the search for a forgotten passage and the meaning of the Divide was still paramount. She needed to know if this girl was a complication, a target, or perhaps, another clue.

"What are you doing at the edge of the Divide?"

 

@Winnie

[Winnie 0]

The small girl was guarded, did she think ill of Winnies intentions? She didn't think she was that threatening. Oh well. If anything, the young girl looked out of place here, rather than herself. Winnie may not be strong yet, but she was grown, and on a quest of her own. She liked venturing far and wide, to places she would be expected to stray from. The beauty of this world was welcomed in her mind. It was true, yes, the world was a prison, but being the divine she had a duty to carry out. One that allowed her the bliss of finding goodness in every situation. 

Her replies were simple, guarded, yet attentive. "Though I wouldn't call the day here fine so much as... unnerving." She stepped away from the edge, the light catching her hair. Winnie smiled softly, trying not to alarm the girl. She stayed put, keeping a respectable distance. "What are you doing at the edge of the Divide?"

My, the girl was forward, Winnie took a moment to think about her reply. "I could ask you the same thing, though it's beyond me. If you must know, I'm here because I simply want to be. Nature calms me, gives me peace of mind to think. It can be energizing even, if you allow it." she replied simply. She turned looking out, "It may be that this place is meant to trap us, but there is much to discover, about this world, about others, about yourself." she turned back to the small girl. "In short, it can be as you wish." she paused, she would address it. "I'm not here to hurt you, nor steal from you, no need to be so tense. Choose what you will to believe, but I will pass you either way."