Hasty footsteps resounded throughout the long hallways of the Aether Vaults. Groups of mages and sentinels didn't even try to conceal their excitent and lower their voices. Walking behind the sentinel-mage inquirers, Jagra glanced at the people in curiosity. His slender brows furrowed. Being too busy with the seal deciphering made him too ignorant of whatever events occurred within the fortress. However, this ti, it seed sothing bigger was happening.
"I wonder what the occasion is?" Jagra spoke to the Arcan mage walking beside him.
Unfortunately, not even the man knew what was going on. The other shrugged, releasing a deep sigh as they rubbed their weary eyes. Just as Jagra was about to give up, the head mage-sentinel inquisitor, Kerien, spoke.
"Today, Lord Hadrian Hercullio will return Falowright."
Gasps and looks of surprise were exchanged as they walked. Lord Hercullio? The famous Golden Knight? Ah, how did they miss such news?!
"Today of all days!" One mage cried, dramatically burying his face in his hands.
Jagra sighed in understanding. Indeed, today was the day they would finally break through the final seal and finish the deciphering processes of the runes. It would take several hours, so it would make sense that none of them would be able to witness Lord Hadrian's return from the fortress gates.
"Hush, the faster we finish this, the quicker we get to enjoy the banquet." The head inquisitor declared as she opened the door.
Determination filled the eyes of the mages the mont her words fell. Of course, they must finish everything at once and finally get so food and, at last, a good night's rest!
The sentinel-mages quickly went to their station and began preparations. Their speed was quicker than normal, which almost made Kerien's eyes shed a tear. Ah, she couldn't wait to spend a whole day asleep in her bed.
Creak!
Everyone was too busy to notice another person entering the hall... except Jagra. His eyes lit up when he recognized the person who had just arrived. Shaking their heads helplessly at his reaction, the others continued with their work.
Gaile's tall stature imdiately looked out of place among the crouching busybodies that filled the entire hall. However, unlike before, the obvious estrangent and dislike had been replaced with indifference and a bit of generosity. Perhaps it was because of Jagra's kind nature that influenced the rest to stop treating him like a prisoner.
"You're here. Good. Sit here for a mont, we will be ready shortly." Jagra pushed the elf to a nearby chair before hurriedly informing the head inquisitor. Gaile's eyes sat silently and watched Jagra's every move. Honestly, others could not help but think he looked like a pitiful, clingy child. The elf's eyes followed Jagra wherever he went.
The other mages: ...
A few minutes later, the preparations were finished and the several mages with their pairs filed into the room where the seal-breaker rites are held. Gaile was also needed during this significant part of the last step.
The air within the chamber was brimming with potent mana that one could almost feel brushing against their skin. At the center of the chamber, the table where the red rune stone was placed was replaced with a stone pedestal to allow more space for movent. There has been much progress during the previous week. The hundreds of runes were now limited to only twelve, making this their final step to finish dissolving the protective seals.
"Let's begin. The first batch, go to your positions." Announced Kerien, who took a place before one of the runes with her own partner.
Jagra and the other imdiately complied, positioning themselves before a rune. All twelve pairs comnced the process of dissolving the seals. The primary mage dissolves the protective seals after casting a numbing spell upon themselves, while the secondary mage aids in amplifying the mana of the forr, ensuring the corruption does not infect them.
Standing at a corner, Gaile watched the process intently. Every session lasted for three hours, where another batch of mages continued the process after each session. Sweat dripped from Jagra's forehead as his arms shook from exhaustion. He sat at a nearby bench, trying to steady his breathing as he waited for his mana to replenish. It was already the beginning of the third session, and from what he could see, there was major progress.
Almost half of the protective seals have been removed! Everyone's eyes burned with determination.
A hand offering a towel appeared before Jagra's vision. "..?"
"Take it..." Gaile stood beside him while wearing an awkward-looking expression.
A smile filled the artisan's face. "Thank you..."
For Gaile, it was brighter than every glowing rune that existed within the chamber.
Everyone:...
After several more hours, all the mages within the chambers already looked half-dead. But their expression appeared more excited. Why is that? Because the process of breaking the last seal was almost finished. Sohow, the process felt as though it was the slowest of all. Everyone watched in anticipation as the last pair finally finished breaking the protective seal.
The rune curse condensed into its final form, a small glowing ball of light.
Kerien and the Arcan Mages hastily expended the last of their depleting mana to gather all the hundreds of runes, gathering them towards the center of the pedestal. "Jagra!"
Jagra, followed by a pair of arcan mages, hurried to his place before the stone pedestal. A brief mont of hesitation caused him to stop his movent as he stared at the growing ball of light. To face the cursed knowledge alone, was it right for him to proceed?
Unable to think clearly, he was about to reach for the glowing red orb when a hand swiftly stopped him. Jagra's eyes widened as he turned to the interrupter.
"The mory will consu you whole, and a human vessel cannot handle the weight of Uldher's magic," Gaile spoke calmly as his eyes softened towards Jagra. "A vessel made by his own hands will be a much suitable vessel..."
"Gaile-"
"Trust ..." The elf spoke, lowering Jagra's hand before taking his place. He turned to Kerien. "Head inquisitor..."
Kerien furrowed her brows in hesitation before conceding. She turned towards the Arcan Mages with Jagra, "Support him and make sure his inner core and spirit remain intact throughout the process."
Nodding, the arcan mages carefully pushed Jagra out of the circle before surrounding Gaile. Pressing his lips together, Jagra watched nervously as Gaile took the orb into his hand. Malevolent energy imdiately spreads throughout the room, almost knocking down most of the mages. However, Gaile calmly took it into his hand like it was natural. Although one could see his jaw clench and hand shake but he took the onslaught of evil quite well. If it were other, they would have collapsed in a minute.
While the energy slowly decreased, the arcan mages felt more comfortable as they tried to lessen the corruption seeping into Gaile's body.
"It's stabilizing..." Gaile spoke through gritted teeth. The nerves of his neck bulged, showing how strained he was in maintaining the orb's energy. "The mory... is intact."
"Jagra..." Kerien quickly called. Her eyes deepened as she looked at him. "The curse sealed by Gaile and Uldher's curse within Gaile shares the sa arcane structure. Thus, there is no one more suitable to sift through the mories and acquire the map from both your and his mind."
Jagra already knew what she was implying.
Steeling his resolve, he approached the circle and passed through the thick barrier of miasma surrounding Gaile. The elf's eyes widened, but before he could protest, Jagra already wrapped his hands around the elf's.
"You... don't need to claim this burden alone," Jagra spoke. His voice cracked as he felt the malevolence piercing into his flesh. Ignoring the arcan mages hastily surrounding them, Jagra lifted his gaze and stared into Gaile's eyes. "I still haven't forgiven you for all those years of suffering... So if you must atone... then do not dare hinder ."
The elf's blood-red eyes reflected the person's determined expression. His heart pounded against his chest as his spirit conceded. Long fingers, in turn, tightened around Jagra's hands.
And in silence, they delved together into the depths of secrets trapped within both souls. Like a tidal wave violently crashing into them, the uniquely sinister mana surged inside them. With hands held together, the pair let it consu them as the mages within the room used everything to prevent them from madness.
.....
It only took a second or two for Jagra to start seeing visions. First, he saw the dark tempestuous skies hovering over a vast desert. Then, like a bird, he flew past the endless yellow sand, reaching the dark shores of a pitch black sea. It went on and on until he felt like he'd been flying forever. Jagra's souls trembled as a terrifying feeling crept inside him.
Whoosh!
He saw a speck of land. As he grew closer at full speed, it grew and grew before his eyes. Finally, he saw it. A dark island.
The earth seed alive; sothing writhed underneath its crust. Sotis the cracks glowed as though magma was about to burst out from it, other tis, it looked as though sothing was crawling underneath.
Then the noise, loud and incoherent. Beasts, malibreeds, crying in hunger as they road the lands. The sounds filled the air, almost deafening. The scent, potent and rotten as though the islands were filled with a thousand corpses. Withered and bare.
A gigantic mountain. Black miasma, coating every side of it. But if one would take a closer look, they could see lights, a fire? No, flas. Torches. Ah, he was wrong. It didn't seem like a mountain. But a fortress of dark stone and earth.
He flew into one of the illuminated holes, windows, into the dim cave-like corridors of rock and ash. It seed elegant. He rushed into one enormous doorway. Arches of obsidian welcod his eyes. A long chamber, or a hall?
Jagra swallowed. At the end of it, he saw a carved-out wall where a giant statue of a three-headed snake sat upon a stone platform. The lightning flashed, and the statue's petrifying features looked more intricate. Its eyes glowed bloody red like vibrant rubies.
That was not the strangest thing he witnessed...
At the bottom of the stepped platform, there were three shadows. The one in between was kneeling while the other two stood behind. Jagra's speed slowed as he grew closer. Now everything seed to grow quieter.
Who... are they?...
.....
Suddenly, the one in the middle turned its head. Hair-raising blood-red eyes t Jagra's startled gaze. At the sa instant, the other two abruptly turned to him. One, half-horned, and the other with a grotesquely wide smile.
Everything seed to stop as he was held frozen in their gazes. His heartbeat quickened. Fear, rising from his guts.
The smiling one spoke. 'How... delightful..."
"Haah!"
Jagra took in a lungful of air as his eyes snapped open. All of a sudden, he found himself surrounded by an anxious crowd. The once suffocating chamber returned to its original state.
"Jagra!" Gaile's voice pierced his ears. The elf had him in his arms, worry embellished his face.
Kerien knelt before the pair as the mages continued to provide healing mana. Relief broke through her concerned expression. "Are you alright?"
Jagra was about to nod before he felt sothing drip from his eyes and nose. Was he crying? He embarrassingly used his fingers to wipe his face, then froze.
His hands were stained with blood.
Trembling, he turned to Gaile, who, aside from having a line of red dripping from his nose, looked mostly well. Relief filled Jagra's chest.
"I'm fine..." He spoke to reassure those around him. The others looked relieved, but he knew they were anticipating another thing from him...
The man's eyes narrowed, and with a resolute voice, he continued.
"We found it..."
His eyes, deep and determined. "...Gohtel."
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