He also saw glimpses of the ancient civilization that once thrived in the Desolate Land, a civilization dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. That broke his initial perception about no civilization existing in this world.
These beings had been guardians of the Heart of Eternity, entrusted with the task of protecting the fragments and ensuring their secrets remained hidden from those who sought to misuse their power.
The vision also revealed that the Desolate Land was not originally desolate; it was once a lush paradise, a sanctuary where beings from different realms sought wisdom and enlightenment.
He found out that the Heart of Eternity had been scattered across different realms, but he didn't know that two of its fragments were already in the hands of the young gods who he thought to be loyal to him.
Some suspicions started rising in his mind. The previous Temple whose rubble he had discovered...it was clear that the Young Gods were there. He couldn't help but wonder if the Temple was destroyed by the Young Gods intentionally because they also found a similar fragment.
He wasn't sure how true that possibility was, but for their sake, he thought it wasn't true. If they really found a fragment and didn't return it to him, that meant that they were planning to keep it a secret from him. This could also explain to him the reason behind their disappearance.
"I really hope it's not true, because if it is..."
His fist tightened. Not only did they not return to him while he was injured, they completely disappeared. He was already humiliated by Ryder, but this was even worse if it was true.
These Young Gods were the people for whom he even went against his own family, trusting their words. The thought of their betrayal was infuriating, because it could prove that his uncle wasn't entirely wrong.
It could prove that Caen wasn't as wise as he thought, which was a possibility that he hated the most. He didn't want him to be in the wrong in his judgment of people.
He kept the third fragment of the Gem in his storage before leaving the place.
After searching for a short time, Ceen finally discovered the Young Gods. He saw them all inside a small cave where they were all seemingly in meditation for some reason.
As Caen found the Young Gods using his Divine Sense, the Young Gods also sensed it. They opened their eyes. Most of them revealed fear on their faces.
Since Caen's Divine Sense was covering them, it was clear that he had healed. Moreover, he wasn't far either. Most of them wondered if they were caught as they started panicking.
On the other hand, Fortunay and Elysia looked at each other.
"Stop panicking. His Divine Sense saw us, but it didn't see the Heart of Eternity. There's no way for him to know. So unless you make it too obvious and make him suspicious, he will never know! Just act normal and let me handle everything else!" Fortunay reminded them, while also feeling relieved.
If it wasn't for Elysia to tell them to meditate and stay away from the Heart of Eternity Fragment, he would've had that out in the open and Caen would've sensed it. Fortunately, the worst was avoided.
All his Young Gods stood up and stepped out of the Cave with Fortunay and Elysia in the lead. In the distance, they saw Caen walking towards them, albeit very slowly.
Caen's eyes locked onto Fortunay's, and a tense silence fell over the group as they faced each other. Fortunay tried to maintain a composed facade, but he couldn't help the unease creeping into his heart.
He didn't know why, but Caen's gaze was making him nervous, as if he knew something.
As Caen finally approached the Young Gods, he managed a faint smile, concealing the inner turmoil he felt.
"It seems you've all been using your time well ," he said, trying to sound casual. "I'm glad to see you're improving."
The Young Gods exchanged glances, not knowing how much Caen really knew. Elysia, feeling a mix of anxiety and guilt, decided to take the lead in the conversation. "Caen, your injuries... are they fully healed now?"
"Yes," Caen replied with a nod, his voice calm and steady.
"Thanks to your help, I'm back to full strength," he stated, with clear sarcasm. "But I must say, I didn't expect to find you all in this remote part of the Desolate Land. Looks like you've been taking your search really seriously, even searching a single cave for hours."
Fortunay took a deep breath, trying to sound nonchalant. "We were curious about this place and thought exploring it might lead us to some interesting discoveries. You know how eager we are to learn more about the world and its history."
"After finishing our search, we decided to rest a little and we were just about to return to you."
"Is that so?" Caen asked.
Caen studied them for a moment, his gaze seemingly piercing through their words to search for any signs of deception. The tension in the air was palpable, and Eris couldn't help but fidget nervously.
"You worked hard. It's not easy to search a single lower world for weeks," Caen remarked.
His words were sharp, and everyone could feel it. He was clearly suspicious since there was no way searching a Single word for a place to temporarily stay was going to take this long.
Eris swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to find the right words.
"We...we encountered unexpected obstacles along the way, Caen," she stammered, desperately trying to meet his probing gaze without flinching.
"Obstacles like the Heart of Eternity?" Caen asked, observing the reaction of the people before him. Almost all of them were stunned, taken aback.
Fortunay and Elysia still pretended to be ignorant, but the others failed. It was clear from their expressions that they knew about this
"I must say, I don't expect this from you all," Caen let out a sigh. "I feel like laughing at myself. You've made a fool out of me. You did what you wanted to do, and now I'll do what I want to!"
A dark sword appeared in Caen's hands, made from the Abyssal Energy.
