Seeing the bright source of light, Selene, Crystalia, Flintor, Merida, Maya, Olivia, Ralais, Jadues, and the Crystalforge elite warriors felt their bodies shiver in excitement as they walked forward, eager to finally see the outside world that had been kept from them for over several millennia.
As they made their way towards the light, they raised their hands over their eyes to protect them from the rays of sunlight.
Their eyes had already grown accustomed to the bright light that emanated from the multicoloured crystals below the mountain.
It took them a few minutes to properly adjust to the intense sun rays, fighting off the stinging sensations that threatened to pierce through their eyes.
"We are here," Orion said.
As Orion's voice rang out in the air, their eyes were wide open, no longer hindered by the sunlight, allowing them to take in the breathtaking view before them.
"What is this?" Selene asked, voicing the question that lingered on everybody's mind. She snapped her head from side to side, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar surroundings before focusing back on Orion.
"Where are the beasts? Where are the trees? Where are the rest of the other races?" Selene anxiously fired off questions, her thoughts racing in all directions as if she were experiencing a mental breakdown while trying to understand the situation.
Crystalia, Flintor, and everyone else turned their attention to Orion, awaiting an answer.
Even Merida and Maya couldn't help but tighten their grip around his arm anxiously as they stared at him.
However, the response they received only deepened their despair and shattered whatever reasoning they had left.
"They are all gone," Orion responded, shaking his head with a sigh escaping his lips.
He felt Merida and Maya's slight tremble, acknowledging the weight of the revelation.
"...All Gone," Ralias repeated as he collapsed to his knees, staring at the scene below with disbelief.
All around him were blackish small, alongside large thorny vines slithering in every direction, with no signs of life except for the dead trees and the ash-like soil.
He couldn't fathom what his eyes were witnessing, but it was undeniably real no matter how he looked at it. This was the supposed world outside the mountain, the world they had longed for and sacrificed everything to return to. According to the 'Ancient Codex,' the land was meant to flourish with greens, trees, and fruits, while various beasts overflowed, occupying both the land and the sky.
That was what the Ancient Codex had promised, yet this...
This was a dead world!
"But... But what about what you had said? Runaway Cities, individuals aspiring to become legends, creatures capable of battling against the Vylkr vines… What about it?" Selene asked anxiously, staring at Orion as she tried to cling to the last remaining hope within her heart.
After all, this couldn't be the world they fought so hard to return to!
This couldn't be the world they sacrificed everything just to catch a glimpse of!
This couldn't...
"That information was given to us by another race. As for its authenticity, it's something that even I haven't confirmed yet," Orion responded, sighing for the umpteenth time.
Selene felt her mind instantly shattering into pieces, causing her to continue staring at the scene in front of her in a daze.
Witnessing her behaviour, Orion exhaled deeply as he continued, "That was why I was hesitant about telling you anything about the outside world. If I had told you that this was all that remained, you wouldn't have believed me and would have been convinced that I was making up things. However, even if what I told you hasn't been confirmed yet, that doesn't mean it might not be true."
The light regained within Selene's eyes. She immediately turned her head and focused her gaze on Orion's figure.
"You mean…" Selene said before she swallowed back her words, not daring to complete her sentence.
Orion nodded in response.
"I know someone who sacrificed everything he had just for those few pieces of words. He left everything behind, not even bothering to look back in search of those pieces of words because he believed with his heart that they existed. However, if it doesn't exist, then it would only mean that he would die a fool's death, in regret as his life flashes before his eyes."
"And… if it exists, then…" Selene said, finally having the courage to voice her thoughts as she stared at Orion.
The rest of the Prismerion race besides her also had hopeful expressions as they listened in on their conversation.
"Then it only means that he gets to live without regret as he found what he was searching for, which means that we will have to explore on our own in search of it," Orion said, with a chilling glint flashing past within his eyes.
"…So that I can find him and kill him myself."
…....…...
Far east
On a vast, desolate sandy plain stretching as far as the eye could see, a man, emaciated and appearing as though he hadn't eaten for days, pressed forward through a light sandstorm.
He tightly gripped a cutlass, swinging it with determination as he mercilessly cut through the one-star Vylkr vines surrounding him.
At this juncture, his swings were so fierce and rapid that his arms moved almost instinctively, slicing apart the Vylkr vines before they could draw near.
BOOOMM!! BOOOMM!!
Suddenly, the ground shook, sending ripples of vibration across the hard sandy plain, as if a colossal pestle were striking heavily against the earth.
The intense vibrations prompted Drakar to scan his surroundings, attempting to pinpoint the source of the disturbance.
However, his hands continued their relentless swinging of the cutlass, almost instinctively.
BOOOMM!! BOOOMM!!
Drakar's gaze halted abruptly, fixing his eyes forward as he squinted in a particular direction, attempting to discern the sight within the light sandy storm.
Unexpectedly, the sandy storm started to subside, unveiling a more transparent view ahead.
Drakar peered into the distance, and as the ground vibrations intensified, the scene before him gradually became clear.
Finally, as he discerned the view before him...
Drakar's eyes widened, his heart quickened, and the rhythmic swinging of the cutlass in his hands gradually slowed down.
