章節 5: 5: The Mortal Reach World
It had been exactly two decades since Shivani left Eastern Hallow Vales. During this time, she was asleep. A tube in her mouth kept her alive and healthy.
Suddenly, she was finally awoken by the sound of a loud buzz. Slowly opening her eyes, she immediately took the tube off as she glanced towards the window. From there, she observed the exotic surroundings, enveloped in an ominous, brittle silence. The hollowed pool of subtle light had adorned itself with the diamonds of billions of stars, as well as millions of planets that weaved themselves into the galaxy's cosmic frame. Even the glistening musical notes of a serenade that emanated from nowhere did not escape her ears.
A magnificent display of creation. However, from her perspective, it appeared as a dark blanket, contrasting with black and yellow, occasionally punctuated by a sprinkling of white in the shape of a circle or a crescent. In an intricate pattern, there were countless stars dotting the blanket. A demure, but mesmerising surroundings as her space pod wafted ahead in that absolutely vast pool of divine creation.
"Warning. Warning. We're about to enter the Mortal Reach atmosphere. Please stay seated and fasten your seat belt."
Shivani encountered another breathtaking view as soon as she heard the robotic voice. It had never crossed her mind that a world with bright colours existed. She was well accustomed to the darkness but had never seen anything like this. The planet looked like a blue marble with white swirls. Some parts are brown, yellow, green, and white. She knew that the blue part was water, but she had never seen a body of water that vast. A middle line was also visible, but she understood nothing about it.
"Warning. Warning. We're about to enter the Mortal Reach atmosphere. Please stay seated and fasten your seat belt."
Not a minute later, her space pod suddenly descended at a rapid speed. As soon as it hit the atmosphere, the pod shook violently, but Shivani just sat there calmly.
Soon enough, she felt the pod drop to the ground. Looking forward, she saw the vast desert. There were many creatures that she did not recognised. Some were small, while some were tall.
The pod transported her to the middle of nowhere. There, it suddenly stopped, as if powerful magnetic energy were trying to pull it down. Shivani braced herself for the impact, knowing it would burrow in the ground.
There was a defeaning sound as soon as the pod hit the ground. Before Shivani knew it, she was welcomed by the growing darkness.
****************
The pod continued to descend into the depths for what felt like hours. Shivani was unaware of the current depth, yet she remained unfazed. In her mind, she treated it like some sort of new adventure. Soon enough, the pod came to a complete stop. Finally, the door opened with a sizzling sound.
The darkness was perfect—a sort of visual silence that gave a revered awe. Shivani watched as the pod's dim light crept through the floorboard joints and emerged from the dark corners and crevices. Closing her eyes, she let her senses explore the area. It extended far and wide.
Just as soon as she did, an evil grin suddenly crept on her face. Without any second thoughts, she ambled towards the place where she felt a lot of foreign energy.
****************
For the next few minutes, Shivani continued to walk in the darkness. Not long after, she finally reached a wide space. The first thing she noticed was the smelly, thick, and green liquids scattered everywhere, illuminated by the dim lights from the torches on the wall. There was also a revolting smell that lingered in the air.
Shivani knew that whatever this was had to be the blood of a vicious predator, but she just ignored the place as she continued her journey towards another long and dark corridor.
She soon found herself standing in front of a huge door. Looking up, she noticed the symbols on it. They looked ancient. A design like this ought to have a powerful meaning.
As she was about to touch the door, she heard a small ruckus from behind. Turning around, she saw a creature in raven colour just a few meters away from her.
Its saliva leaked out of its huge mouth as a loud growl escaped from it.
Instead of running, Shivani just stood there, observing the thing. It was a large hexapod creature with four main legs. Each leg featured four toe-like pads adorned with knife-like claws. The creature possessed two arms resembling locusts, adorned with spikes from the elbow joints, culminating in sharp claws that it utilised to seize or tear apart its prey. It also had a few spikes and sharp edges on its back.
However, the long tentacle-like limbs connected to its body attracted her attention the most. By her observations, the tentacle ended in four-digit tufts of knifelike claws. Furthermore, a thick area in the center of the tentacle spitted some kind of liquid.
It had a nose plate and a large mouth with sharp fangs. Its well-defined jaw could tear apart its prey, and its golden eyes, glowing in the darkness, provided it with a broad range of night vision. A visage that would definitely give anyone a nightmare.
As soon as it let out a thunderous hiss, it quickly crawled towards her.
Shivani narrowed her eyes and stretched her arms. Just then, a long, black sword suddenly appeared. She quickly grasped the hilt and disappeared. She met the creature at the center.
There was a loud blag as the object collided with the hard ground. Its head was already decapitated and was lying across the space.
Turning around, Shivani saw its body continue to ooze with green liquid.
Bewildered by the turn of events, she made her way towards its body. Looking down, she tried to observe what creature it was, but she failed. She had already seen countless species during her century of living, but not even the slightest detail went through her brain.
It was the first time that she encountered something like this. It looked like a robotic creature, but definitely not a demonic one. Turning her attention to the green liquid, she was about to touch it when a loud scream suddenly filled the area.
"No! Don't touch that thing."
Slightly glancing over her shoulder, Shivani saw a tall man running towards her. He also spoke of a language that she had never heard before.
"Stay away from that thing!" As soon as the mysterious man reached her, he immediately held her arms and dragged her away from the fallen creature.
Shivani then saw the man tear a piece of his tattered clothes and throw it towards the green liquid. Not a second later, the cloth melted. It became nothing but ashes.
"See that, Missy? That's what would have happened the moment your skin contacted that thing." Expecting to see fear, the man looked at the girl in front of him, only to see a blank face. He was unable to discern any emotion from her. He was about to say something when she suddenly turned around and started to walk away.
"Wait! I had no idea how you got here, but I could assure you that this place was perilous, especially for a girl like you. Do you understand what I mean?"
When she acted like she heard nothing, the man gritted his teeth as he hurried in front of her.
"I said wait, miss! Listen to me. There were hundreds of thousands of those things lurking in the darkness! Some were even bigger than the others."
When the girl remained silent, he sighed. Inhaling some air, he once again looked at her with determination in his eyes.
From the dim lights coming from the torches, he suddenly freeze as soon as he made contact with her blue eyes. It was devoid of any emotions. Not a single expression was visible. It felt like she was looking right through his soul.
He also took that chance to look at her fully. She appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. She wore her long, golden hair in a messy bun and a tattered black robe that hid her whole body, except for the visible pair of wooden sandals. A golden mask that covered half of her face, making it impossible to see her appearance.
He only came back to his senses after hearing a deafening noise coming from afar.
"We need to go. It's not safe here anymore. Come on, miss!" The man felt his whole body tremble, but he did his best to ignore it.
Quickly reaching the girl's hand, he began to run as fast as he could. He had no plan to die just yet.
****************
After a few minutes, they reached a dead end. The man hurriedly moved to the corner and pushed the wall. It gave way to a small entrance, which was nearly invisible due to the scattered debris and green moss.
"Come in, hurry!" The nervousness in his voice was apparent as he scanned the surroundings. It would pose a significant threat if they were caught.
As soon as they got in, Shivani immediately observed the wide space. There was nothing to see except for five large bags positioned in the corner. Besides them, there were some clothes that were already faded and dirty.
In the far corner, she saw seven skeletons. Additionally, numerous bones littered the area.
"Now, missy. Do tell me. How the hell did you end up in a place like this?"
The man waited for an answer as he ambled towards the bags but got nothing in return.
Turning around, he looked at her curiously. She looked relaxed at first glance, but the way she stood told a different story. There was also a mysterious and powerful aura that surrounded her. The way she held herself screamed that she was not an ordinary girl. To top it all off, her facial expression has remained unchanged since he found her. He recognised a warrior because he used to be one, but it was impossible. She's still too young.
'Was it just me?' Sighing, he decided to ignore it.
"Uhm, hello? Could you speak? Do you understand me?"
Instead of answering, Shivani turned around as though she heard nothing. She made her way towards the darkest side and leaned on the wall.
"Could you at least tell me your name? I can't keep calling you 'Miss' forever, you know? That was not right."
Shivani focused her gaze at the man. At first glance, he looked like a homeless beggar, with a moustache that almost covered his face. His back was covered in messy hair. Clothing that was too faded to distinguish their original color. It also had several holes. However, his caramel-coloured eyes, which looked even more dashing under the dim lights, caught her attention. Another thing was the language he spoke. This was new to her, and she wanted to know what it was.
Meanwhile, a cold chill ran down the man's spine as soon as their eyes met. He felt something odd. It felt as if something had taken hold of his mind at that moment. Somehow, he felt the connection, but he did not know what it was. He wanted to resist; however, an overwhelming force stopped him. As soon as it appeared, it disappeared without a trace.
"Shivani."
He snapped out of his trance as soon as he heard her voice. It was tantalising!
"What was that?" Shaking his head, he then focused his attention on the girl. He felt the urge to know everything about her.
"Shivani, eh? In other words, life and death?"
Receiving no reply from her, he continued, "I did not mean to scare you. I think the name suited you really well."
Seeing her with no reaction, the man sighed. Disappointed. This was his first conversation after a really long time, and he was excited. Nonetheless, it did not bother him that much. Without any words, he ambled towards her direction.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Shivani. I am Doctor Quinn Phillips. A retired archeologist. I once worked for the TOVP, otherwise known as the Order of the Viridian Phoenix." Phillip smiled as confidently as he could, as he reached out his hands. He made every effort to avoid frightening the girl.
Moments passed, but Shivani only stared at him. Despite the barrage of information from Phillip, Shivani remained oblivious to the peculiar gesture.
Shivani simply stood in front of him like a statue. She didn't even blink as she gaze directly into his eyes, not showing even the slightest movement.
Gulping, Phillip gave out an awkward smile before pulling back his arms. He caressed his nape as he gave out a laugh.
"Well, I guess you are not the cordial type of person, huh? But do tell me, please, how old are you and how did you get here? Are you alone? Do your parents know you are here?"
Another minute passed, but the girl remained silent. Sighing yet again in disappointment, Phillip was about to say something when she suddenly spoke.
"120 summers."
Phillip was taken aback by her response. He studied her for a few moments and laughed.
"You almost got me, Shivani. Over a century? Come on! You could not be serious. Physically, you only looked around sixteen or seventeen years old. Still a baby if you asked me."
'It can't be true. Maybe she's just joking with me?'
"Look..."
"Shriek!"
He was immediately cut off when an earsplitting shrill filled the surroundings. It was unlike anything he had ever heard before. The sounds of chains accompanied it. It seemed that whatever caused the screech wanted to break free.
"Oh, no! This is terrible! The Queen has awoken! Why now?" Phillip felt his whole body tremble. He suddenly felt a knife piercing his guts, slowly twisting his insides, and a hammer pounding his head.
He only snapped out of his trance when it stopped. Before looking at her, Phillip sighed a breath of relief. She was still looking straight at him. Her gaze sent shivers down his spine.
"Since we are both stuck here, would you like to hear a story?" Phillip asked in desperation. It had been several years since he had someone to talk to, and he definitely would not let this chance go.
He let out a deep breath before moving to sit beside her. Glancing at her, he continued.
"Roughly 30 years ago, our organization detected a mysterious heat beneath the desert of Grim Wasteland, which was later revealed through thermal imaging to be a pyramid buried 2000 feet beneath. Our superiors then attempted to claim it for our research, so they assembled a team to investigate. I was one of them. When we arrived, we immediately found a portal above the heat source and entered. It didn't take us long to locate this mysterious pyramid. We explored it immediately, finding evidence of prehistoric civilisations and what appeared to be a sacrificial chamber filled with human skeletons. Due to our hunger for knowledge as well as curiosity, we continued. It was only when my team died one by one that we realised there was no way out. It was already too late when we realised that we were dealing with something extremely dangerous and ancient, and that this place truly was. Through the translation of this pyramid's hieroglyphics, we learnt that the Tomlites were a species of vicious creatures that wrecked havoc in our world thousands of years ago. This place was their breeding ground. At the time we got here, the queen was resurrected. Those of us who remained fought, but in the end, we only managed to seal it up when it ran to our ultimate trap. The price was exorbitant, and I lost all my comrades, leaving me alone in this hellhole. When everything was over, I tried to find my way out; however, it was already too late. I tried to find another way, but eventually lost hope. I already accepted my fate long ago and was ready to die, but I found you instead."
As soon as Phillip finished his story, a small grin crept on Shivani's face. She now knew what kind of creatures they were.
"You see, I spent ten years inventing a type of bomb that would be strong enough to destroy the queen, but I only recently completed it due to a lack of equipment." Phillip's voice was full of pride as he held a rounded metal in front of her. As though it was a precious jewel.
It was his greatest invention, made out of scraps. However, when he saw the indifference of the child, he just sighed before putting the weapon back in the bag.
Before Phillip could say anything, he was startled when she suddenly moved and turned her back to him. In his rush to stop her, a piece of stone tablet flew out of the bag. It landed right in front of Shivani, but before he could get it back, she already picked it up.
"What is this?"
Phillip was startled again. This would be the second time she heard her speak.
"It was nothing. Just a stone tablet with some intricate symbols that I found years ago. Do not worry about it." Phillip held out his hand, but Shivani ignored him. She focused her attention on the symbols.
Not even a minute passed when she gave the stone back to Phillip, then walked away.
"Shivani! Where are you going?"
She stopped briefly, looking past her shoulder and toward the man.
"Sword."
Phillip raised his brows. He was about to ask her when realisation hit him like tons of rocks.
"Sword? What do you... Wait! Are you referring to the sword that was mentioned earlier? But that thing was just a myth. We don't even know if it existed!" When he saw that she was about to leave, he quickly ran towards her.
He quickly pulled her back without any second thoughts.
"Shivani, You still don't seem to completely get what was going on here?"
As soon as he held her gaze, Phillip automatically stepped back. At that moment, what he saw was not an ordinary girl but an extremely powerful being. It only lasted for a few seconds, though, before everything turned back to normal. Phillip blinked, but she was already out of his vision.
"Hold it right there! I am coming with you!"
Shivani heard him, but chose to ignore him. She continued walking slowly. She wanted to locate the legendary sword on the stone tablet as soon as possible.
****************
A few minutes later, Shivani heard the deafening shrills from a closed space near her, but before she could continue, she felt herself forcefully pulled into a corner.
"If you're seeking the sword, then it's this way. Follow me!"
With a glance, Phillip led her towards a narrow corridor. Soon enough, the duo reached a giant door made of pure gold. He opened it immediately with the key he had kept for almost three decades.
"This would be as far as I'll go. Do not worry, I'll wait for you here."
Without looking back, Shivani made her way in.
"Good luck!" Phillip shouted; however, before the door closed, the two heard multiple shrills. It came from all directions. Phillip's eyes widened as he frantically looked around.
"On second thoughts, maybe I'll go with you!" Without any second thoughts, he quickly sped inside and locked the door.
The shrills grew even louder. Even their movements shook the floor.
It did not last long when he heard the creatures finally leave. Sighing with relief, Phillip turned to see her. She now stood near a huge stone tablet with intricate symbols on it.
"What was that?" Raising his brows, Phillip walked forward and tried to translate the symbols.
It took him almost a few minutes before he actually understood.
"In here lies an ancient blade.
Wielded by a creature once treated like a god!
5 puzzles to complete.
5 Guardians to overcome, and 5 tests to be done.
Millennium passed by.
Still, the king's blade lies untouchable, until a champion worthy to carry it into battle emerges!"
Phillip's eyes widened in disbelief as soon as he finished his translation.
"I always thought that the blade was just a myth!" He could not take his eyes off the symbols. Scanning once again, he noticed a small blue button at the center.
"What is this?" As soon as he touched it, the entire stone tablet erupted in bright lights. Soon after, the surrounding environment began to change. However, before Phillip could react, he abruptly collapsed onto the hard floor, losing consciousness.
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