Chapter 290 - The Well

'So..., that was a conversation and a half.'

Rynold thought to himself as he roamed along the castle hallways, all by his lonesome. He had left the man by himself in his study. The guy had urged Rynold to take a stroll around the castle. But, Rynold could see through the silhouette. The man was hurting or, at the very least, bothered by Rynold's last question. Either way, he was adamant for Rynold to leave him alone. At least, for a little while.

Now, though, Rynold was free to take in whatever sights this place offered. Although, by the look of things, it really wasn't much. The whole thing reeked of degradation as if no human being ever stepped foot in here. The place was in shambles, and Rynold wouldn't blame anyone for thinking worse.

That said, Rynold kept his reservations to himself. No one was going to listen to him, anyway. He was alone in the dark, empty hallway. There was nothing of note around him, not even the decorations that would've made a fortune if preserved.

'I should probably make my way down, huh?'

Wiping away the thick layer of dust on the windows, Rynold purposely looked over. He had only now gotten a view of the outside following his arrival in the castle. And, naturally, he came to realize that he was at the very top of the building. Rynold would have to make his way down to get a good grasp of what this place holds. Hopefully, doing so would shed some light on the situation. Finding out why the guy was here was near the top of Rynold's priorities. Of course, finding the ring still took precedence.

With that in mind, Rynold didn't bother staying on the top floor any longer than he already had. Granted, he peeked through every open room as he made his way to the stairs. But, other than that, Rynold didn't linger at one place for too long.

The castle wasn't small by any means. Hell, it might've been as tall as it was wide. Rynold didn't really want to waste time unturning every stone he found, making his pace fast and consistent. But, as Rynold made his way down, he didn't come across anything noteworthy. Although, as he made his way through the place, one thing became abundantly clear:

This place was a dump!

It could've been great. It definitely would cost a fortune for someone to live here. The upkeep alone would probably cost a middle-class wage earner his entire life's work to pay for it. Rynold couldn't imagine what this place would have looked like back in the day. Whatever he'd think about probably wouldn't do it much justice. And, even if he did spend the brain cells to think it up, it would be for nothing. Rynold was looking at a dump, and nothing could change that.

Rolling with it, Rynold kept going until he soon reached a stairway leading to the outside. The foyer had high ceilings, with a pair of doors twice as tall as Rynold was. Despite its run-down appearance, Rynold could tell that this place was grand.

Despite what he saw, Rynold focused on heading out the door for the meantime. He wanted to look out the courtyard, wondering what its current state was. And at the same time, Rynold might as well take a look at how things were outside.

Skipping right past the foyer, Rynold pushed open the doors. They were heavy, but with Rynold's strength, it didn't raise any problems. All he had in his head were thoughts of what the courtyard would look like, adjusted in spite of the degradation of the environment.

Unfortunately, not even doing something like that would prepare Rynold for the disappointment that followed.

The courtyard was empty. There wasn't a single blade of grass as far as Rynold could see. Barren like the desert, Rynold could only spot a single object throughout the entirety of the courtyard. And, the strange part about it was the fact that what he saw was a well. A strange brick-and-mortar well that would have theoretically provided some water to the barren land. But, seeing as how it didn't, Rynold had reason to believe that the well served a different purpose.

Leaving the doors wide open, Rynold calmly walked over to the well. He soon stood over it, peering over to what the well had. If it wasn't water, Rynold thought it was something else. After all, there was no reason for a well to be here, not especially since there was nothing to water.

'What am I looking at here?'

Rynold didn't know how to describe it. He knew it wasn't water. Far from it, actually. He could hear whispers coming from the bottom of the well. And, judging by how it looks, Rynold knew it wasn't anything Rynold had seen before. It was dark, swirling, pulsating in an ominous storm of thick, black-colored liquid. Whatever it was, Rynold had no idea. However, as he spent two seconds looking down to the bottom of the well, every ounce of Rynold's body told him to run.

That said, Rynold took a step back and away from the well. He didn't run away and chose to stand there to think. At that moment, Rynold started to come up with theories. He thought about why this well stood at this exact spot. Perhaps, it was because of this well that the castle stood here. Consequently, it might also be the reason why the guy was here.

"What is this thing?"

As Rynold asked, he turned around, seeing the man come up from behind. Rynold could sense the man's unfathomable aura just as well as he could see. Rynold didn't even have to turn around to know the guy was there.

"I take it you didn't find what you were looking for inside the castle, yes?" the man responded, soon standing next to where Rynold was.

"Yeah, well. It's not exactly the easiest thing to find," Rynold nodded before crossing his arms, "Can you tell me what this thing is? Or is it one of those things that you can't remember either?"

"That thing, you are so crudely referring to, is the reason why I am needed here. It isn't strange for you not to be able to recognize it. The previous owner took extensive steps to remove it from any record. He made sure of it, only making it known to me and no one else."

"So, I'm guessing you can't tell me about it either," Rynold said, not at all disappointed. He completely understood if that were the case, knowing full well that it wasn't in his place to know about something as archaic as this. He was a trespasser, after all. Well, now more of a passerby.

"That's not necessarily the case, young one. While my predecessor withheld that information, I am not him. I do not see any reason barring me from speaking of its purpose. That is, if you are willing to answer a simple question. Honestly, of course."

"And if I don't?"

"I would understand. No harm done. My telling you are entirely reliant on your response."

"You're suggesting a deal?" Rynold asked, to which the man nodded. He already knew what the guy was going to ask of him, which gave all the more reason for Rynold to hesitate. Although, it wasn't like it was a done deal. "Alright, shoot."

"I'm well aware you already know what I am going to ask. Please, enlighten me."

"Heh. Nothing is getting past you, huh? Fine, then," Rynold sighed then took a moment to think. He needed to choose his words carefully before meeting the man in the eye and opening his mouth, "I'm here because I need to be. A lot of personal reasons for that, so I'll just go straight to the point. I'm here for a ring. I don't really know what it does, but it's supposed to help. I came here to find it because, last I heard, it was somewhere in this damn castle. But..."

"I don't suppose you have a description of this ring?"

"Before that, tell me what that thing is first," Rynold's tone suddenly turned serious, glaring at the man all the same. Rynold wanted answers, answers to questions he didn't want to forgo.

"Right, of course," the old man turned to the well, looking to what was at the bottom, "I'm sure you see the darkness of this well, yes? I suggest you use your Mana to see what it truly is."

Following the man's directions, Rynold infused his vision with Mana. He then looked over to the bottom of the well, only to reel back as soon as he saw what it really was.

"What the hell?!" Rynold shut his eyes and retreated back a few steps, "What the hell was that?!"

"Ah. I believe I should have told you what to expect, yes? No matter. You saw it, didn't you?"

"Hell yeah, I did! What the hell was that, man? You trying to blind me?!"

"Please, calm down. While I cannot sympathize with what you are feeling right now, I understand. When I first saw it, I was... mesmerized as well. You asked what it is, yes? Allow me to enlighten you. That is the gates to the realm of demons. In simplified terms, that is hell. Or, what we in the Magic Users community commonly refer to as 'The Nevermore."