An Abundance of Wealth
The people bowed deeply their heads went down together at the sa ti. They lowered their heads in unison. The people showed a lot of respect when they bowed like that.
"Sir " one of them said quietly their voice was rough "the gate is open now. Please you can go in now the gate is open."
Leon stepped forward. Then he just stopped.
A weird feeling crept into the back of his mind. It was like sothing was pulling at him. He felt curious really curious. It was not a good feeling. This kind of curiosity always bothered him until he figured out what was going on. He turned his head a little enough so that the two n could see his eyes. The curiosity, about what these n wanted was still bothering him.
"Tell sothing first."
The effect was imdiate. The two guards suddenly beca still like a string had been pulled tight around their backs. They stood up a bit straighter looked at each other for a quick mont and seed really uneasy. Then they nodded at him to go on with what he was doing.
Leon folded his arms across his chest in a casual way but it was weird because it actually made everything feel more serious. The way Leon did this made the mont feel heavier like Leon was really thinking deeply about sothing.
You two are the ones who know how to open this treasury door right? You two are the people who have the information to open the treasury door.
The guard, on the left said "Yes sire" away and his words ca out really fast.
The man on the right said "the knowledge was passed to us by the gatekeepers". He spoke in a low voice. It was so quiet, in the room that you could barely hear him. The knowledge was sothing that the previous gatekeepers had given to the people who were there now.
Leon watched them without saying a word. He did not look at their faces. Instead he looked at the way they breathed their hands and how they would not look him in the eye. Leon let the silence go on for a while until it started to feel weird.
Then he spoke, he was not being an he was not being unfriendly. He was just really calm and curious, like when you ask soone how their day is going.
If you two know how to unlock the treasury then why have you never taken anything from the treasury?. Maybe you have taken sothing from the treasury. I just do not know about it. You two must know the treasury well if you can unlock it so why not take sothing from the treasury?
His eyes got really sharp. You could see sothing bad lurking in them sothing that made you feel uneasy.
You are asking if I did sothing. I do not know what you are talking about. Did I do what you are asking about?
The reaction was instant.
The guards turned completely white, like snow. Their eyes were really wide. You could see the panic in them. The pupils, in their eyes were shaking over the place showing just how scared they were.
Before Leon could even blink the people were on their knees. The armor made a lot of noise as it clattered. The sound of bone hitting stone was really loud, in the corridor as the people slamd their foreheads down hard that it made Leons jaw tighten. The people hitting their heads on the stone floor made a noise. Leon saw the people. He heard the sound of bone eting stone.
They all shouted "SIRE" at the ti. Their voices sounded loud and were shaking a lot.
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We have never thought about doing sothing to this kingdom. This kingdom is very important to us. We would never do anything to hurt this kingdom. The idea of betraying this kingdom has never even crossed our minds. We are completely loyal, to this kingdom.
We would really rather die than take one coin that does not belong to us. The idea of stealing one coin is just not sothing we can do. We will not steal a coin no matter what happens to us. Stealing a coin is not an option, for us.
Their hands were flat, against the floor. The fingers of their hands were shaking badly. They could hardly hold themselves up. Sweat was forming at their temples. This was not the fear of being put to death. The fear they were feeling was sothing. It was the fear of sothing that was related to the execution but it was not the execution itself that scared them. Their hands the hands of the person were still. They were still feeling this fear.
The people were really scared of being thought of as traitors by the man they worked for. They did not want the man they served to see them as traitors. This fear was a deal to them because they did not want to be seen as traitors, by the man they served.
Leon felt it hit him in the chest it was sharp. It was unexpected. For a split sothing ugly flared inside Leon, a bad feeling that did not even belong to these n. Then this bad feeling turned into sothing Leon felt irritated but not at these n Leon was irritated, at Leon himself.
He let out a breath and he tried to get that thought out of his mind. The thought was really bothering him so he wanted to force it. He did not want to think about it.
The man said it was just because he was curious. He spoke in a voice now the sharpness was gone from it.
The guards looked up a little. You could see they were not sure what to do. They looked at his face to see how he was feeling. The guards were still a bit stiff. They relaxed just a bit so the air did not feel so tight. The guards and the man were in a spot and this tiny bit of relaxation helped the situation, with the guards and the man.
Leon went on. "This is a question. I do not think you have done anything I just want to know sothing."
The guards took a breath. The kind of breath people take when they find out they are not, in trouble after all. And then they nodded at each other. The older guard moved his weight from one foot to the other his lips opening before he was able to say sothing.
Sire I want to tell you sothing we did not say before. When we were opening it we found out that there is another way to get in. We should talk about the way to enter. The other way to enter is important.
Leon raised a brow. He said "Is there another way?"
The man said yes his voice was really low. He was being very careful. He was talking about a key of sorts. Maybe it was a ring that he had in mind a ring.
The other guard nodded fast like he was scared that the truth would get away from him if he did not move. "The ring that the old King Gary used to wear. If you have that ring you can open this door by yourself. The snakes will do what you want because of the blood that is, in the ring worn by King Gary."
Leon thought about that for a mont. He considered what had been said to him. Leon took a ti to think it over.
A hidden failsafe.
The first king would definitely think that ahead and make his plans. He was the king so he had to think about what would happen in the future. The first king was very smart to plan things out like that.
A little smile played on Leons lips. It was not that he was amused. He knew what it ant. He understood that this was a mind that had always been unsure of itself. Leon gave a nod. "I see."
The two guards stopped for a mont before they said anything. They looked down for a second. Then back at him. When they started talking their voices were a lot softer. They did not sound as formal as they did before. This ti they sounded like they really cared about what they were saying. The guards sounded concerned, about him.
The man on the left said to the person, in charge "You told us you were just curious. But let us say one thing " he said in a voice.
The right guard took a breath like he was getting ready, for sothing bad to happen. "We are stuck with this kingdom because of a blood contract. If the right guard or the other person ever tried to take sothing from this treasury that does not belong to them..." The guards jaw got tight. "The right guard would die and not just the body the soul would get torn apart too."
The words settled between them like a weight, thick and undeniable.
Leon blinked once then he let out a breath. He rubbed his forehead with two fingers. He said "I see. Then my apologies. I never ant to cast doubt on the loyalty of Leons friend."
One of them said to the king "You did nothing king." He said this away. The man sounded like he really needed the king to listen. "A king should always ask questions, about what’s happening " the man said. "If a king is curious he will keep his kingdom safe."
The other person managed an uneasy smile. "It is your right, more, than anything "
Leons lips curved, a little bit. He let out a laugh. "Very well."
He turned back to the door. The door had carvings of serpents on it. These serpents were shining a bit as the last of the sunlight moved over them. It was, like the serpents were watching him too. The serpents seed to be looking at him. The massive door and its carved serpents were still.
I am able to enter yes?
The guards stood up straight all of a sudden their backs getting very stiff. You could hear a soft scratching sound as their tal things rubbed against each other when they bowed at the ti.
"Yes, sire," one of them said, voice steady but edged with reverence. "We will stand watch here."
Leon gave a short nod, already drifting past them. The world behind him—voices, footsteps, the living pulse of the palace—began to fade as he stepped closer to the door. The sheer size of it lood, ancient and heavy, like a boundary between eras.
He lifted his hand and pressed his palm against the cool stone.
It wasn’t just cold. It was... aware.
A faint vibration ran beneath his skin, a low, almost inaudible hum that traveled up his arm and settled in his chest. The carvings responded, etched serpents stirring as if waking from a long sleep. His mana flowed instinctively, slipping into the grooves and symbols, and sothing old answered back—asured, deliberate, curious.
For a heartbeat, it felt like the door was studying him.
Then the serpents began to move.
Stone scales slid apart with a sound like distant grinding rock, their intertwined forms slowly uncoiling. The massive door split down the center, opening inward.
A deep, resonant groan rolled through the chamber, vibrating in Leon’s bones, echoing off the vaulted ceiling and down corridors that hadn’t heard a living voice in years.
Cold air spilled out.
Not the chill of night, but sothing preserved, untouched—air that carried the weight of ti itself. It brushed against his face and neck, raising goosebumps, slling faintly of stone, old magic, and sothing else... sothing solemn.
Leon stepped forward.
The mont his boot crossed the threshold, the world shifted.
The light changed. The sound changed. Even the air felt heavier, like he had walked into a place that did not belong to the present.
And the mont he stepped inside, his eyes widened.
Shock.
Real, raw, unguarded shock.
His breath caught.
The sight before him—
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