In a room illuminated by rays of radiant sunshine, Kieran stood beside Veradin. A large mass rose from the flooring a few feet away.
Upon closer inspection, Kieran discovered the object was a colossal coffer with exquisite inscriptions engraved in riveting patterns. The inscriptions formed a motif of apparent familiarity, leading Kieran to glance in Veradin's direction.
"Before you ask, the answer is yes. This storage device is the culmination of runic technology wrested away from the Wykins. A shameful act, but the privilege is determined by the victor in the end," Veradin said, his tone even and his expression stoic.
Even now, after having experienced the tempering of the Immemorial Gladiator Trial, Kieran could not read Veradin's emotions. How many battles had he fought in it compared to Adeia, who appeared incapable of perfectly managing her emotions?
"Don't worry. I'm not denouncing or looking down upon the council. It's just a question I had to ask given my… connections," Kieran said in an insouciant tone.
Maybe the question was unfair, given Adeia was condemned to a tortuous and will-eroding punishment. On the other hand, Veradin lived amicably and without much conflict inside the walls of the War Deity Council.
Their struggle was not the same.
Nevertheless, intrigued by it all, Kieran couldn't help but ask questions.
"Inside the War Phantasmagoria… I met someone. Someone that seems exhausted and lifeless. Not physically, but emotionally and mentally."
Underneath his large sleeves, Veradin's finger twitched but relaxed soon after.
"Ah, yes. Adeia. An exceptional warrior. Her demise was lamentable. A grave misfortune for the fledgling War Deity Council."
"Was she someone you're familiar with?"
"I was. She was a first-generation General, after all. Once her blade was drawn, thousands, if not tens and hundreds of thousands, would be condemned to die. Strong and merciless didn't even begin to define her strength and presence."
"If even you praised her strength, how did she die?"
Rather than answer immediately, Veradin finally showed some emotion, glancing at the collection of large stained windows in the distance.
The shades and colors of the stained glass depicted the portrait of a withdrawn beauty, whose features hid a chilling loneliness.
Looking at this portrait, Kieran noticed some resemblances. With that, he thought it must have been Adeia when she was alive and not a Fallen reconstructed by the War Phantasmagoria. Though, what surprised Kieran about this was the emotions captured in the depiction.
'Did she carry those emotions before her death? Or… is there a connection between these stained glass images and the Bloodied Fountain?'
Adeia wasn't the only individual gifted a remembrance—a memorial to immortalize her valor. These images served as a memorial for many of the illustrious members of the War Deity Council that fell.
Given its lengthy history, it wasn't surprising that a number of high-level figures fell over the course of the War Deity Council's existence.
"How did she die, you ask? The Council was her killer," Veradin answered. His somber eyes regained their earlier stoicism as he averted his gaze, swiftly looking elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Kieran continued looking at the image, recalling his words. 'She must feel that I broke my promise to her. After all that I claimed, I couldn't even withstand a fraction of her true power. False hope—that's what I gave her.'
All of a sudden, Kieran let out a weak chuckle filled with ridicule, as well as a medley of other negative emotions all aimed at him. "Such an indulgent fool."
Veradin could tell that Kieran aimed these words at himself simply because of the distant and reflective look in his eyes. Not to mention, Kieran subconsciously tightened his fists.
"What did you indulge in?" Veradin asked.
"Lies. I indulged in lies. To myself and to Adeia. I made empty promises that I shouldn't have," Kieran said.
Frustration swelled in his thoughts as vexation manifested in his actions.
"Ah. Could it be that you promised to free Adeia from her prison? Then, you're not as indulgent as you believe. If you become strong enough, your promise could potentially regain its value."
In an instant, Veradin's words pulled Kieran out of his moment of low spirits. Because of Veradin's initial warning, Kieran believed that the ironclad restrictions of the Immemorial Gladiator Trial were absolute.
But now, Kieran looked at it from a different perspective.
What if one's purpose for entering the trial grounds was not to partake in the trial's refinement? Would the restriction then apply? Could Kieran forcibly step foot back inside that space?
Noting Kieran's invested expression, Veradin clarified further.
"There have been instances where individuals have overpowered Relics. Granted, that requires a special kind of Will—nuanced and extremely honed Aspects, to be exact. Once you achieve that, there'd be no reason for you to torment yourself like this."
Veradin had evaluated Kieran's Aspect once before. Given the unique properties and the combination of formidable origin powers, its future was simply unfathomable.
"More importantly, though, you may choose from the items that you so desperately and impatiently reminded me of," Veradin said.
After waving his hand, the top of the colossal coffer glimmered with a bright light, opening with a subtle rumbling. The inside was vacant, but the interior wasn't technically the focus of Kieran's attention.
Once the coffer was opened, Kieran and Veradin's consciousness was soon transported into a vast space, where all of the items were logged and accounted for.
Kieran wasn't exactly sure how this space was created, but there was surprisingly a collection of information that denoted every item's worth.
"Remember, you have a budget of 10 million points. I won't allow you to exceed that number, so choose wisely," Veradin reminded him.
Afterward, he stepped back to adopt an inconspicuous presence.
"10 million…"
Parroting the budget, Kieran frowned.
Everything within the War Deity Council's Exchange was quite pricey and that much was understandable. Why would an organization of their renown collect, appraise and display worthless trinkets and valueless items?
Anything they showed interest in had to surpass a certain level of value.
Generally, Kieran would consider the interest of his guild when searching through the items of an organization like the War Deity Council. However, Kieran changed his mind.
For two reasons, actually.
One, the War Deity Council didn't specialize in helping individuals cultivate their own forces. Most of their benefits were tailored for their official members and catered to their individual needs.
That was understandable.
After all, why would they provide the tools necessary to have an underling usurp their illustrious position in the end?
It wasn't worth it.
The risks were far too high. Plus, at that point, the longevity, survival and condition of the human race didn't mean much to them. It was all superficial drivel sprouted to gain the support of some "righteous" factions.
Fortunately, Kieran saw the truth for what it was, thanks to his cynical and borderline misanthropic views.
The second reason Kieran decided to focus on his individual strength was his experiences inside the War Phantasmagoria. He felt it was all too anti-climatic despite how eye-opening it was.
Worrying about his allies wouldn't do much when pinned against an enemy that only he could combat.
What he needed was ways to secure power to increase the odds of his finding avenues to glory for his teammates and now… friends.
With that, Kieran perused the Exchange's inventory, making excellent use of his True Unveiling Eyes. There were a lot of armor and weapons present, but their designs—forging methods—were nowhere to be found.
After giving it some thought, Kieran felt that weapons were too far out of his price range.
One of the Epic Rank zweihanders he noticed had a price tag of 8 million points. If Kieran chose that, he would be losing out immensely in the end.
After all, he had an assortment of materials in his inventory that could be used to forge a remarkable weapon.
Granted, he needed to find a forger capable of handling it.
Ignoring the items themselves, Kieran eventually stumbled upon an archaic scroll. Upon closer inspection, he learned it was exceptional. However, it was also a tad problematic, lacking the simplicity Kieran initially thought it possessed.
As it turned out, this particular scroll was an Equipment Repair Method Scroll, but it was strange that not even he could glean much from it. What he did learn, though, was a hint of its origins.
〈System: To learn more about this damaged «Equipment Repair Method», bring it to someone proficient in the ancient language of the Dwarves.〉
It was odd to Kieran, seeing as his eyes could unveil things. The only matters he couldn't unveil was knowledge far beyond his current understanding. That, and things completely foreign.
For his True Unveiling Eyes to work, he needed preexisting knowledge to serve as a baseline.
Because he had no interaction with the Dwarves' most ancient language, he couldn't decrypt its meaning by translating it with modern runic letters. If he wished to, he had to perhaps visit an old Dwarf, like Grandar, who was responsible for forging Crimson Ashrune.
Luckily, the scroll was only valued at 100,000 points, so Kieran instantly claimed it.
After placing the scrolls in his inventory, Kieran's attention was soon drawn to another item, one he was familiar with, but it was naturally in a dormant state.
Kieran picked up and analyzed a dull shard. It appeared as a collection of disparate igneous rock, but that wasn't its true nature.
Kieran's Eyes of Profound Discerning and True Unveiling Eyes swiftly went into overdrive, soon revealing information on this particular stone.
Though, without breaking the seal, gleaning its exact effects was impossible. For now, all he could manage was its name.
〈System: Your eyes' proficiency and maturity have improved slightly. You have identified the item: «Imprint of Tenacity».〉
'Aha! As I suspected, it was truly a runic design. That means I will soon bear a body of Might and Tenacity. I wonder how these designs will interact with this Indomitable Vessel ability.'
Unfortunately, because the War Deity Council was aware of the value items related to the Ancient Lineage of Wisdom, its price tag was hefty—two million points, in fact.
Despite the sizable dent in his remaining point, Kieran approached another item that seemed to call out to him—a fragmented tome.
