Statues

Once the hour ended, Nuya people knew it was time to go, so they gathered themselves and pressed onward. The group moved slowly through the narrow rocky tunnel, shifting into a single line as they step over the stones. Their footsteps echoed through the cavern while some glance at the walls that that were pressing close.

Fortunately, the passaged was gradually widening. They saw a faint after a bit and then that glow grew brighter and brighter every step. The kids became restless after seeing this, and so they urged the Unicol to a bit faster as the end of the cavern closed in. 

The children and elders shielded their eyes as they stepped outside. The teenagers followed behind with their hands together and then the adults with faint smiles. whispering to one another, then the adults. Lorian followed arms over his eyes against the brightness and the others followed, one by one emerging out of the cavern. 

Then he took it in, overlooking a breathtaking sight: a collapsed city of stone and metal, half-swallowed by the sands. Statues standing in crumbled poses, half-buried in the sand, and their expressions serene. Pillars leaning to the side, and stairways descended into sand with some parts of it being crushed.

The sand had trails over the ruins, weaving across cracked walkways and collapsed halls. Lorian watched the children's hopping off the Unicol before running ahead, delighted by the ruin. The children hopped from stone to stone while the Unicols began descending slowly.

Roy allowed himself a smile as he watched the children. "Let them run," he said to the nearby adults. "They need it. This will help keep their optimism and cheer going for longer."

Adults reluctantly nodded, as they made their way forward. 

"This one has wings!" shrieked a girl, her laughter echoing, as she threw herself at the base of a statue. It was a woman with a single set of vast wings, her arms thrown wide as if in invitation or surrender.

Three boys chased each other through sand alleys, trailing clouds of dust and squeals of delight. While others formed teams, challenging each other to climb statues or scale half-buried buildings.

As the Unicols were passing by, several elders lingered at the avenue, running trembling fingers along the stone, their faces displaying awe.

Ema and Kali crept up to a squat, bird-headed statue and began whispering to it. As if it might answer back, which Boris pointed out to them, and leading some kids to throw sand at him. 

"These ruins… Could they be from the Itasya Empire?" Lorian muttered to himself as he touched the winged statue's ankle and feeling its smoothness.

Louise, striding up beside Lorian, peered over. "Itasya? Is that one of those cities born after Activia and the other Utopia Cities came into being?"

Lorian shook his head, brushing the sand from his palm. "No, Itasya came long before Activia. It was founded during the peak of the Nussa Empire. A time long ago that even the oldest records in the library are more legend than fact. They say the entire city was built deep underground."

"Underground…" Louise muttered in shock before shaking his head. "So, it's not just legend these ruins might be the real thing?"

Lorian's mouth curled in a half-smile. "The architecture lines up. And there's the wings, only Itasya was said to have creations with wings tied to them. I'm guessing it was buried under the sand all this time."

Louise tilted his head. "Why wings?"

A silence stretched, filled by the distant calls of the children, noise of the teenagers and wind.

Lorian then replied. "It's because of a difference in belief. The Itasya crafted their culture around the belief of one day rising up into the skies and towards the stars." 

Lorian gestured upwards, leading Louise gaze to the sky and then his face softening with something like longing. "They wanted to leave the planet?"

"Can you blame them? The glittering stars, the rising moon and the planets on top of each other. I'm sure you had once had the urge or the wish to leave Cosmo and explore their mystery." Lorian words made Louise fall silent before nodding with a chuckle. 

Louise's eyes softened. "Back when I was a kid, me and my friends would climb the bone rooftops of our house. And then stare at the glittering stars and rising moon when it is six o clock." A smile appeared on Louise's face. "I recall the feeling of reaching out my hands and wishing to grab one of those stars. Or one day placing my feet on their surface and exploring it all."

Lorian nodded with a smile. "The Itasya Empire recruited people with the same motivation and goal into their city. Even those from other continents, the most receptive being Ark Empire and Freedom Empire.

"Ark Empire I can understand because those fellows love learning and creating records… But the Freedom Empire as well?" Louise says in surprise. 

"Many of them joined for different reasons, some to find stuff to help with Freedom Continent storms. Others joined to find a new land for the Freedom Empire to move to and others because of the adventure and tales they can tell to help motivate everyone. Overall, they all did it with their empire in mind." Lorian says lightly.

"No wonder… But seeing as how they are destroyed, I'm guessing they got ended by the demons?" Louise asked softly.

Lorian nodded. "The story says the demon dragged them up from underground. Another story says they were flooded and most drowned and another says they were invaded before being slaughtered."

A gust of wind stirred thin veils of sand across the ruined plaza. The adults, weary from travel yet cheered by the children's laughter, broke into small groups to explore. The elders recited the history they believed they remembered to the young. Then one elder spotted a cluster of statues half-buried beside a building's entrance.

These figures were smaller, more intimately arranged as if caught mid-discussion or storytelling. Their carved faces were expressive: some grinning, others weeping, still others listening in silence. Hily reached out to brush sand from a child's stone cheek and for a second, its likeness to a living child was unsettling.

Lorian wandered among the statues, listening attentively to the elders as they shared stories with trembling voices. Each one telling expanding the mystery of this place and making Lorin ponder the way it collapsed.

And just how did they feel at the time. 

He then observed Ema and Kali as they collected moss and wildflowers from the cracks in the stone, arranging them as a farewell gesture for the statues.

Meanwhile, the teenagers were conducting a mock council in the ruins, playfully debating who among them would become the "Winged Emperor." This activity was a blend of play and a means to process the unfamiliarity of their new surroundings.

The adults navigated cautiously through the fallen columns and uneven steps, all the while keeping an eye on the children. Lorian felt a quiet amusement as he noticed their eyes shifting from the toppled pillars to broken statues and cracked doorways. He stopped in front of a winged statue. Despite it being deteriorated, its face still exuded serenity instead of defeat.

Lorian pondered what had inspired its creators to carve such an expression in these statues. 

Behind him Selene appeared, her dark-purple hair catching the sunlight. She watched the children playing before looking at the statue and neither of them said anything, simply staring at the statue with faint smiles.

Ten minutes later after navigating, they finally spotted the exit and made their way toward it. The Nuya people exited in a single file line, carefully moving through the debris. As they walked past the statues, the children stretched out their hands to touch them, whispering names they imagined for the figures.

Lorian and Selene were the last to leave, but Selene hesitated. "Do you think anyone will ever reach the stars?" she asked gently.

"Someday someone will. Hopefully, it'll be us, but if not, then someone in the future," Lorian replied softly, prompting a light laugh from Selene.

With that, they turned away, joining the procession moving toward the horizon. The ruins faded into the horizon behind them, swallowed once again by memory and golden sand.

…

The desert stretched open again after thirty minutes, but now the sand had taken on a deeper color filled with hills and bones. An hour slipped by as they continued their journey. 

We should be approaching one of the beast graveyards. Once passed, we will reach Silica Town. Lorian thought, casting his gaze ahead, where the horizon shimmered with a hazy amber glow, promising their destination.

Then it loomed into view.

A skull colossal and enormous figure lay upon the sand, its jaws agape in an eternal roar. Its teeth reached skyward like jagged mountain peaks. The horns twisted in impossible arcs, and its eye sockets stretched open like caverns. The ribs that surrounded the skull stood like towering monuments the size of buildings. 

"Another dead Great Beast." Lorian muttered as they approached the skull. He noticed the children's trembling, their eyes sparkling in glee while darting between the adults. 

Lorian waved them off with a reassuring gesture. "Go on ahead, no beasts will approach-"

The children paid no heed to the rest of his words and surged forward, emboldened by Lorian's assurance. 

"...They sure can run fast," Lorian muttered, watching them scramble into the gaping mouth of the beast. Their laughter reverberated through the hollow bones, ringing across the desolate flats. Once everyone gathered around the skull, Roy announced a much-needed break.

Teenagers settled down, resting against the cool, shaded surface of the skull. Some traced the menacing fangs with curious fingers. One girl, seated with her back against the empty eye socket, was lost in silence and wonder, gazing into its depths. The adults gratefully gathered under the ribcage, enjoying the relief of the shade. It was blissfully refreshing, and once again, they removed their shoes and boots to cool their tired feet.

"I wonder if we can use this as a-" Riley began.

"Don't even think about it. This would just slow us down," Roy interrupted with a dry look, prompting Riley to sigh. "And no, taking a piece won't help since the deterrence range will decrease as well."

"But we would be safe from the beasts," a Silvian outlaw pointed out.

Anna shook her head as she stretched her arms. "This is a race against time for survival. The longer we take, the higher the chance supplies run out and someone dies. They're not equipped for this type of travel or the pressure it brings."

The other Silvian outlaws sighed, Louise chuckled, and Anna watched them with amusement. Silis rested quietly against the bones, letting out a sigh and staring thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Lorian lay sprawled on the floor, enjoying the cool surface and breeze. Selene was wiping sweat from his forehead, and Uro wandered around, inspecting the area.

Everyone's spirits were lifted slightly, knowing that Silica Town was near.