บท 38: 38. Saving the People
The burly young man almost got up from his seat to teach Kairav a lesson, but Arkana's sudden voice stopped him in his tracks.
"If there really is a stepped pyramid buried inside this mountain, and it holds something important, why is that person making our journey easier instead of keeping its existence secret? What is their real goal?" The young prince thought hard.
"In fact, if we consider all the oddities, it seems that person is actually leading us to the stepped pyramid on purpose," Baron chimed in.
From the corner of the room, the nameless young man spoke again, "If that person is truly Ardika, he must have some sinister purpose. We need to be careful not to fall into his trap."
"Are you sure it's really him? Not Gala or Chandra?" Arkana asked.
"The only Darkconian I know with those traits is him. The large black sword I mentioned earlier—that's Uraga, Ardika's sword," he replied.
Casildo frowned immediately. "But how is he back? You didn't give him your Phoenix blood, did you?" he asked, puzzled.
The nameless young man slowly shook his head. Kairav, not understanding their conversation, could only sit in silence, listening from where he sat.
"When did you finish him off?" Arkana asked the nameless young man.
"If I remember correctly, it was in 1542," he answered.
Arkana started thinking. "Someone using Phoenix blood would need 450 years to resurrect. So, if he used your Phoenix blood in the same year he died, he should have come back to life in 1992."
"Then why did he only return to this mountain 10 years ago?" Kairav jumped in, joining the conversation.
"Maybe he was recovering his condition and strength, or perhaps preparing some plans," Arkana suggested.
"And one of those plans might be turning Danyang into an evil being, like what's happening now," Kairav said, resting his chin on his hand and thinking deeply.
From a distance, Casildo let out a heavy sigh. "Enough, Failed Product, don't add to my headache. Maybe that guy was just bored and wanted to experiment on the Doomshade Guardians," he grumbled, exhausted and too fed up to think any further.
Kairav immediately turned his head and asked the person next to him, "What are Doomshade Guardians?"
Arkana answered, "In the world of Astral Conjurers, we deal with three types of monsters. The first are the Depths Abominations, creatures from the underworld, also known as the Deepshadow Realm. They're ferocious and attack humans. Centuries ago, they were subdued by the first emperor of the Darkconian Empire and locked in their own realm, but recently they've started wandering our world again."
"The second type are the Shadowrift Abominations. They come from outer space, appearing in our world along with the opening of black holes. They're dangerous for Astral Conjurers because their bodies contain the Crimson Sphere Essence, which is essentially their soul."
"Why is their soul dangerous?" Kairav asked, confused.
"Because within every Astral Conjurer is a core of power called the Stellar Essence, and it's connected to a red star in the constellation each Conjurer has, known as the Luminous Remnants."
"The problem is that the souls of these monsters carry high energy. Every time an Astral Conjurer kills a Shadowrift Abomination, the monster's soul flies to the Luminous Remnants of the Conjurer who killed it, causing a massive accumulation of energy within the Conjurer's stellar essence."
"That's dangerous. The more an Astral Conjurer kills Shadowrift Abominations, the more energy piles up inside their stellar essence. Once it reaches its limit, the stellar essence can explode, killing the conjurer instantly," Arkana explained. "Several Astral Conjurers have already experienced this."
"Don't forget to explain the third type of monster too. Satisfy your curiosity, Failed Product, because tomorrow I don't want to hear your ramblings again," Casildo muttered, lying down on a rock, trying to fall asleep despite his growing irritation.
Arkana just shook his head at him but continued explaining patiently, "The third type are the Doomshade Guardians. These are native monsters of our world. They aren't particularly aggressive; they only attack when their territory is disturbed."
"They're also called guardian monsters because, typically, if one is found guarding a place, it's likely that there's something valuable there."
The almond-eyed young man nodded after hearing this long explanation. At the same time, the nameless young man spoke again from his place, "It's time."
Everyone turned toward the root-covered door, where orange light filtered in through the gaps between the roots, replacing the moonlight. It was a sign that dawn had arrived.
Casildo suddenly cursed, enraged. "Damn it! I just closed my eyes!"
The drizzle of the orange-gold evening brought a shroud of mist, while the purple-red glow of dawn and the cold frost released the mystical grip, signaling the time for the young men who had spent a quiet night underground to take action.
One by one, they began emerging from the earth mound, and the stifling air dissipated as their senses took in the fresh scent of the leaves around them.
The mysterious aura that had once surrounded them was gone as the thick fog lifted, revealing the beauty of the forest. Birds flew by, chirping melodiously, while the sunrise cast golden hues on the trees and wild grasses it touched.
However, this serene sight did nothing to quell the unease that had plagued their hearts since the night before. "Will our plan even work?" Gavin asked nervously.
"Just pray this forest doesn't become our grave," Baron replied, standing beside him.
"Only the nameless young man's Phoenix animal spirit techniques were able to damage that tree. So I think the pure natural energy Danyang mentioned might actually be animal spirits. After all, animal spirits are also a type of supernatural energy connected to the universe," Arkana said.
Casildo nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. Besides, it's the most logical plan we can try right now," he replied, stretching his stiff muscles. "Let's do this! Even if I die here, I won't regret it because I'm a nature lover!" he shouted enthusiastically.
"Go die alone. No need to invite others," Kairav shot back, killing Casildo's excitement with his sarcasm.
"The hanging roots should have released those people by now, since dawn has come," the nameless young man said, staring at the reddish horizon in the east. He had taken off the silver mask he always carried. "We need to find them before they wander too far."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"We'll split up in case they've gone in different directions." The nameless young man pointed at Casildo. "You go west with Arkana, while the rest of you come with me to the east. We'll meet back here," he decided.
After saying that, he turned and quickly headed east. "Let's go," he said to Kairav, who was still standing awkwardly.
The curly-haired young man snapped out of his thoughts and spontaneously grabbed his two friends, following the nameless young man.
At first, everyone walked in silence until Gavin suddenly nudged Kairav as if to signal something. "Compared to Prince Arkana or Casildo, this guy seems to know more," he whispered. "Why don't you try asking him about your past? He might know something."
"Based on what Casildo said earlier, this guy has probably been around for a long time. So, he should at least know a little about your real family's bloodline, Bro," Baron whispered, adding to Gavin's comment.
Kairav's almond eyes furrowed, considering their words. He quickened his pace until he was walking side by side with the nameless young man. His hazel eyes glanced at the person walking next to him, who still maintained a stern expression.
Trying to ignore the nameless young man's unfriendly face, Kairav decided to open up with a wide smile, his dimples showing. "You're not wearing that mask anymore?" he asked, pointing to the silver mask hanging at the nameless young man's waist.
He was waiting for a response, but there was none. Not a single word came from the young man's mouth. Kairav figured he must not be one for small talk, so he decided to get straight to the point. "I want to ask you something. It's about—"
"Don't waste your breath on trivial things," the young man cut him off in a flat tone.
"I haven't even said anything yet!" Kairav's steps came to a sudden halt, his face turning annoyed.
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