Chapter 159 - Abandoned World.
[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV
Orario.
...
...
The sky was strangely dark, with black clouds, but at the same time, they seemed dry, as if made of pollution, regardless of the fact it was the middle of the day. The land matched the eerie atmosphere, as the ground was pitch black, with large cracked holes, some so immense they led to bottomless abysses, where only darkness could be seen.
The lands of the Abandoned World were far from a pleasant sight. As Lucius and Riveria continued walking through the region—vast as the Kaios Desert itself—they took in the desolation.
"There's nothing here. This place makes me uneasy," Riveria murmured beside Lucius.
Both wore dark cloaks, their armor concealed beneath, as they had arrived in the region recently and were investigating the land for the first time.
"Yes, the rumors claim there's something here. But we can't trust them; after all, they're just travelers' tales..." Lucius said, shrugging as he ventured deeper into the area before glancing back at Riveria.
"I think we should keep moving. Let's go by air—there's nothing nearby," Lucius suggested as he picked her up and began flying over the region. The emptiness below was striking; the entire place seemed lifeless, as if words alone couldn't capture its deadness.
"There's a city there, but it's practically in ruins," Riveria commented, looking down at a completely destroyed settlement.
"And people come here seeking treasure? Doesn't look like there's anything left," Lucius murmured. In the end, they continued further in for hours, finding nothing.
"We're nearing the central point of the region," Lucius said as they approached what appeared to be a city as large as Orario. At least, it must have been, as now it was nothing more than ruins, with numerous broken structures. However, it was undeniably vast, with towering remnants indicating that a great civilization once existed here.
"What do you know about this place?" Lucius asked as they drew closer, still flying.
"An ancient human civilization was built here. They had a very powerful energy source. However, one day it simply stopped providing energy and, instead, began consuming the life in this part of the world. At least 2,000 years have passed since then, or so they say. No one has been able to explain it—not even the gods—but it spread like a plague and became what we now know as the Abandoned World," Riveria explained as they approached.
"You said it spread… does it still?" Lucius asked, surprised.
"Yes, it still spreads. But it took 2,000 years to become what it is now. The people of that civilization fled north and built the city we know as Athena. Instead of using energy from the ground as they did before, in Athena they began using crystal energy purchased directly from Orario. Athena has since become the world's largest buyer of these crystals," Riveria explained before continuing.
"However, they've also been working for over 1,000 years to find a solution to this. You might even encounter some travelers from Athena around here, though they usually avoid this part—it's too far. Besides, since there's neither food nor water, survival is nearly impossible… except for you, someone who seems to defy the laws of logic," she finished with a slight smile.
"Is that how you define me?" Lucius raised an eyebrow, amused, but quickly returned to a serious expression. "But seriously, knowing this thing is spreading and that no one understands it… that's not exactly reassuring," he muttered, finding the situation increasingly strange.
"Well, it doesn't matter for now. Let's keep moving," Lucius said again, starting to descend toward the city while flying. Activating his magical eyes, he spotted a few points of interest within the large city.
"Looks like we're not alone. There's a group of three people here. Judging by their size, they're dwarves…" He quickly detected their vitality as Riveria also remained alert.
The city must have been stunning in its prime, but now only the broken towers and its overall state gave it a ghostly appearance. They landed on one of the deserted streets, with Lucius touching down at the city's center alongside Riveria. His gaze fixed on the tallest tower at the core of the city. The tower was cracked halfway up, with part of it collapsed among several other buildings.
"This was all metal, you know? But now it's just rust and decay," Riveria commented, leaning against the beams of a ruined structure.
"Well, I don't think we'll find any level 6 monsters here, but we should keep going and take a closer look at this place," Lucius said. Riveria nodded in agreement as they began heading toward the main tower. He was curious about the individuals they had sensed earlier and hoped to uncover more about the location. While Riveria had historical knowledge, practical exploration was another matter, as she had never been here before.
"They're underground. Are there chances of finding artifacts in a place like this?" Lucius asked, observing how everything around them was rusted.
"Some of the artifacts created here were designed for magical use, so they might have been preserved. But it's very rare to find anything like that," Riveria replied.
"Well, let's go," Lucius said. He was more direct and, instead of looking for an entrance, simply teleported himself and Riveria into a tunnel with a large, ancient staircase.
There were large sacks filled with supplies left behind, suggesting someone had abandoned them before venturing further. Lucius and Riveria began descending the staircase deeper into the earth.
It took some time, but eventually, voices echoed from below.
"I told you we shouldn't have come here! They're all dead! We don't know what's down here. It could be some kind of creature. I told you we shouldn't have started this!" one voice growled, frustrated.
"What do you expect? That thing is worth a lot of money," another voice retorted.
"It doesn't matter now. We're here, aren't we? Let's keep going."
"Are you crazy? I'm not going any further! Everyone's dead!" a third voice exclaimed, terrified.
"We could just take a look," the third insisted but was interrupted.
"Wait… someone's coming," one of them exclaimed, pointing toward the stairs as the sound of footsteps approached.
"Damn it, what now?" They sounded nervous as Lucius and Riveria appeared, cloaked in black.
"Who are you?" one of them murmured immediately. All three were dwarves, wielding hammers.
"We're here to investigate the place. Just passing through, so to speak. Can you tell us what you're discussing? Sounds like an interesting conversation," Lucius asked calmly.
The three dwarves frowned, and one replied, "Yeah, like we're gonna tell you anything, stranger."
"Well, if that's how you want to play it, fine. Just get out of the way," Lucius said. In the next moment, all three dwarves were frozen within glowing spheres of temporal magic.
"You really have no patience, do you?" Riveria muttered beside him, watching the three dwarves trapped by Lucius's spell.
"No. That's why I acted. I know their kind; they wouldn't have told us anything anyway. Let's move on," Lucius said with a shrug, walking past the three frozen spheres.
Riveria followed silently, leaving the dwarves behind. There were more stairs to descend as they continued deeper. Lucius scanned their surroundings carefully, but Riveria murmured, "Look over there."
A disheveled dwarf lay sprawled on the path ahead. Half of his body was destroyed, and even his blood had dried, leaving only a dark stain.
"I wouldn't call that a good death," Lucius murmured. "He must've been dead for months. Even the stench of decay is gone, though most of his body remains in decomposition. It's slow in a place like this—even bacteria seem limited in the Abandoned World," he said.
Lucius raised his hand, conjuring a ball of fire to incinerate the body. "I don't like this," he muttered. Riveria silently nodded in agreement but said nothing as they pressed onward.
They reached a more open area at the end of the stairs, with a large circle in the center. There was another layer below, connected by a staircase that spiraled around the entire structure, completely rusted or crumbling to dust.
There were two more bodies scattered across the hall and one lying near the edge of the stairs. Lucius simply incinerated them as they continued descending. He had no idea what they might find there, but both he and Riveria were high-level adventurers. It was unlikely anything could truly defeat them, and if something did, Lucius's powers would ensure their escape.
They descended to the very bottom. What they found was a blue crystal—or what should have been one. Now, it was lifeless, its surface dark and cracked, with cables or lines fallen to the floor, once connected upward to something above.
"This was the power source for this civilization," Lucius murmured, guessing.
"Yes," Riveria confirmed. "Records indicated there was a central crystal for this civilization. But they said it was overused to the point that, instead of providing energy, it began draining everything around it."
"That doesn't explain why the land is still dying," Lucius countered.
"No," Riveria agreed, unable to offer more of an explanation. Lucius turned his attention to a spot behind the crystal that seemed to have been excavated a few months ago—likely around the same time as the bodies were left, judging by the evidence of a desperate escape attempt.
"Lucius, can you detect anything? Whatever killed those people must have been monsters. Are they still here?" Riveria asked.
"It's strange… I can't sense anything here, Riveria," Lucius replied.
The broken entrance in the wall had dwarf tools scattered around the area.
"Let's go," Lucius urged. Riveria nodded, and they ventured into the cave. They descended further, noticing a faint light in the distance. Riveria frowned.
"That light…" Lucius murmured, narrowing his eyes.
There were more bodies, but their condition was far worse. After the initial corpses, they found only pieces: a hand, a severed head in one corner, an arm in another.
"They were all killed, and according to that dwarf from the group of three we overheard, no one survived..." Riveria murmured.
Finally, they arrived at the source. What they discovered was a glowing root.
"What is that?" Riveria murmured, staring at the root connected to an extremely rocky and luminous tree.
Lucius didn't respond immediately. He stepped forward, raised his hand, and activated his Mana Zone ability. Particles began to shimmer around him, concentrating on the strange root and flowing toward his hand. This process continued for a while as he absorbed the energy, but the sensation didn't sit well with Lucius.
"Do you know what it is?" Riveria asked.
Lucius turned to her, his expression grave.
"This energy… there's no doubt. I've felt it before inside the dungeon when I use Mana Zone. This root comes from the dungeon in Orario," he murmured.
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