章 8: Chapter 8: Amon Family
"Maybe I should just leave," Astella thought sincerely.
She finally understood why she had gotten herself involved with a group of high school students, despite her initial reluctance, and ended up standing in front of the main burial chamber of a Quaternary tomb in this desolate wilderness.
—Damn it, it's the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence!
Astella knew about the Amon family. According to records left by her mother, this mysterious Fourth Epoch family mastered the "Thief" pathway and was infamous as a "Blasphemers" family!
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"The Amon family were great nobles of the Tudor Empire during the Fourth Epoch. Their ancestors were once granted the title of Duke, making them one of the five major ducal families of the empire," Astella carefully shared what she "might be allowed to know."
"The Fourth Epoch is called the 'Era of Gods,' and it is said that during that time, gods walked the earth instead of remaining in their divine realms. As major nobles of that era, it's likely the Amon family had many Beyonder above Sequence 4, beings who were demigod."
"Does this emblem symbolize anything?" Andrew asked.
"It symbolizes... the shadow of time..." Astella suddenly realized something.
Of course! The Amon family mastered the "Thief" pathway, which is related to the "Apprentice" pathway. Their family crest pointed toward the "shadow of time." Astella had a revelation—at higher sequences, the "Thief" pathway might very well grant control over time itself!
"This corresponds to the Apprentice pathway's authority over space… Either way, my mother warned me to be cautious of high-ranking individuals on the same or adjacent pathways. They might harbor malicious intent, and we, being lower-ranked, would have no way to resist..."
As Astella pondered, Gerald forcefully pushed open the stone door.
Astella grimaced in pain.
She wanted to stop him, but when she noticed everyone looking inside, she couldn't help but sneak a glance herself.
The teenagers' gazes froze.
The dim light flickered across the tomb chamber, casting eerie shadows. The floor was littered with twisted, decayed skeletons that had long since turned to bone, exuding an indescribable stench, as if they had been rotting here for thousands of years. The corpses were dressed in clothes that were modern, as if they had entered this place not too long ago.
Around the walls, candles had long since burned out, white wax drippings overflowed from black iron candlesticks, spilling onto the floor.
At the base of the black platform that held the sarcophagus, directly opposite the doorway, was a refined portrait in an old-fashioned frame. The painting depicted a young man.
He had a broad forehead, a gaunt face, and a head of curly black hair. His dark eyes gleamed with amusement. He wore a black pointed wizard's hat, and a crystal-carved monocle dangled from his right eye.
"Is this the owner of the tomb, a member of the Amon family?" Astella tiptoed, peeking over the shoulders of the two boys.
Andrew, the more cautious of the group, hesitantly suggested, "Shouldn't we avoid going any further... for now?"
Even Gerald, who was usually bold and reckless, nervously gulped as he looked at the bizarre, gruesome corpses. The high school students exchanged glances, all seeing the shock and fear in each other's eyes.
Astella moved to the front and signaled for Gerald to raise the lantern. She stood on her tiptoes and scanned the surroundings. Her gaze fell on the grand dome above, marked by patches of dust and crumbling stone. The surrounding walls showed traces of once-vibrant murals, now faded and eroded into blurred patches of dirt and rust.
"There are remnants of murals here..." Astella's voice was soft. "But due to severe weathering and erosion, they can no longer be made out."
"Are you out of your mind? Who cares what was once painted here?" Gerald couldn't help but retort. "How did these people end up like this?"
Astella glanced at Gerald, then at Andrew, whose expression had grown serious, and offered, "Remember what I said earlier about the nobles of the Fourth Epoch likely being powerful extraordinaries, and the Amon family's crest symbolizing the 'shadow of time'? Any thoughts?"
"From the looks of their clothes, these people lived in the same era as us—maybe they only entered this place recently. But now their bones are already showing signs of decay," Andrew speculated. "Could it be that the owner of the tomb caused this? Anything that gets too close to his sarcophagus experiences accelerated time, aging, dying, and decaying?"
"The candles around the walls also seem like they burned out in a very short time," Lena observed.
"Maybe before the church dealt with it, many adventurers or tomb robbers tried to explore this tomb, but they aged rapidly as soon as they got near the sarcophagus, dying right here," Cohen added.
"I think that's plausible," Astella nodded slightly. "Since the place wasn't sealed or destroyed, the Steam Church must have already dealt with the anomalies. Otherwise, ordinary people might stumble in and lose their lives."
"So, we're safe then?" Gerald concluded.
"...I never said that," Astella replied. "My suggestion is that we stop for today. You're not thinking of opening the sarcophagus, are you?"
"But you just said there's probably nothing wrong..." Lena hesitated, still feeling a bit reluctant.
Today's adventure had excited Lena, who was drawn to the Beyonder and loved thrills. Although Andrew and Gerald were also extraordinaries, they weren't all that different from ordinary people. However, the eerie and mysterious scene before them felt like a glimpse of true "Beyonder" power. Once safety was confirmed, curiosity—one of the hardest emotions for humans to suppress—set in.
As for Astella...
Despite her proud nature, she wasn't oblivious. In the past, Lena hadn't liked how Astella often acted superior, but after today's events, Astella's calm demeanor and vast knowledge had earned Lena's respect—and even a bit of admiration.
"She's probably already an Beyonder, keeping it a secret even from her friends. How stingy," Lena thought. "But if she's willing to teach me what she knows, I'd happily keep her secret..."
In response to Lena's words, Astella replied helplessly, "My guesses aren't one hundred percent accurate. But what if I told you that this powerful Beyonder might still be alive, lying in the sarcophagus, stealing the time of those who come near? The explorers age rapidly and die, while he rejuvenates, indistinguishable from you or me. How would you handle that?"
Astella deeply regretted blurting out her theory to these reckless teenagers. She should have spun it into a proper horror story instead.
"That's... scary," Lena said with a weak smile, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms.
"I'm just pointing out other possibilities," Astella calmly stated. "People believe what they want to believe."
"Come on, you're such a coward," Gerald muttered, scowling.
He didn't really want to leave, and with Lena showing some hesitation, he felt even more emboldened.
Still, life only comes once. He wanted to keep exploring but didn't dare risk his life. His eyes landed on Cohen, who looked ordinary, timid, and quite useless.
"Cohen," Gerald's lips curled into a smile, "you're the one who brought us this information, so you must want to show us that it's actually safe, right?"
"You..." Astella's brows finally furrowed.
Just as she thought Gerald was going too far and was about to intervene, she heard a soft laugh from beside her.
Without hesitation, the young man stepped into the main burial chamber.
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