Below the sand deep inside the earth, and the real ruins of Rabase extended before his eyes. Although the buildings were in better shape, there was no one here. They stepped outside and looked from a balcony when the elevator finally arrived at the platform. Not a single trace of people or even skeletons. Only silence and calm.
They moved to the interior of a nearby building. It looked like some type of reception or place to welcome visitors. After leaving the supply crates, Neo stayed with Kamil and Kit. Thanatos went to explore and make sure there was no one here besides them.
He was low on mana, but he could fight without too much trouble. He walked through the streets and on top of buildings. Unlike in the desert, the state of things here was much better. The walls were covered with some type of glyph. He could feel a vague magical power covering the whole city.
This is so familiar, but why? I have never been here. He struggled to think about the sensation until he finally recalled that memory. The first day he was summoned into this world, he was trapped inside a dark cave. He touched the barrier and broke some kind of spell. He was feeling the same with the glyphs around here.
This whole cave, Zek used the same type of magic to keep the city hidden. I could probably dispel it like the one before, but it wouldn't be a good idea. If this is the reason that no beats have attacked, then I need to keep working.
He kept exploring the city, entering people's houses; the furniture and objects were mostly intact but covered in dust, and all the food had rotted long ago. He also saw golems in the streets. They were smaller than the one he fought on the surface, and they were all out of power. Whatever magic made them function also stopped working.
There were only two places that caught his attention. One was a tower on the border; it looked like one could see the whole city from there. The other place was a big round structure in the center. If there was some type of beast, it probably took the center to make its nest. It's better to check that one first.
The structure was easy to open. He only had to push the gate with a bit of power for them to move. It looked like they were made to be only openable from the inside, but they weren't properly closed. As he stepped inside, the hall turned into a staircase.
Each step made sounds that broke the peace of this place. The floor was full of dust and sand. He found it hard to believe that a beast was living here, but he couldn't shake the foreboding feeling with each step. He began to sink lower and lower into a deep abyss. His chest hurt and his breath started to shake.
This feeling... Zek is your soul, isn't it? He ate Zek's soul to return to this world, using the last power the necromancer had. But maybe a small piece was still inside him. That was enough to make a chill run down his spine. Sadness and regret, a turmoil of emotions inside him. He wanted to go back.
A part of his soul screamed for him to go back and never touch this place again, but he knew it. It was Zek's fear. His hands began to sweat, but he couldn't turn back. You're dead, Zek. This is only an emotion you felt. It makes you sick, hateful, and filled with pain. But it is just an emotion. I'm not you. Even if I believe that I know what is down there, I still have to see it with my own eyes.
He shook the skeletal hand forcing him back and continuing to descend. A dark hall welcomed him, and the door at the end of the tunnel was slightly open. He knew exactly what was behind the door, and yet he pushed to confirm it. Zek called the battle in Selus his second biggest regret; this was the first one...
Thousands of skeletons filled the room. They were sitting hugging each other, with a few acting as guards. This was a shelter; no, it was the graveyard of Rabase, a mausoleum for the people of this country. He walked among the remains and skeletons, trying to find something useful, but only the dead were here.
Without noticing, a tear rolled down his cheek. It was Zek. He could hear the voices of the dead as he passed through them. He could see images of a long time in the past when these people looked at him with love and respect.
"Master Zek!" "Thank you for always helping us, Great wizard."
Men and women, elderly and children. Everyone looked up to him. Because he had a responsibility, as he walked in the streets, people started disappearing. One by one, everyone left until he was all alone. He ran looking for someone, but it was futile.
A small shadow came from behind a box. It had the silhouette of a little girl. He ran to her side and asked. "Where is everyone? Are you alone, little child?"
"No..." the shadow moved his head, denying she was alone. "I'm not here... because you didn't help me."
"What? Help you?"
"You don't remember, you promised to save all of us." Dozens of shadows appeared around him, but they didn't have faces.
"What happen I…" he choked on his own words. More tears started coming out of his eyes and his heart was pumping like it was about to explode from inside his chest.
"…" they didn't say anything. The silence was enough to make him mad with regret.
"Ahhh... ahhh... ahhh...Please don't go... I try, I try but..." The shadows were standing around him, only watching him in silence.
"Stop! Don't look at me like that!" He was hyperventilating, and his legs gave up. He couldn't stand back up. "Please stop! I didn't mean to do it. I tried to save you, PLEASE!"
He grabbed his head as he began to sob. "I'm sorry... snif... please forgive me…" He tried to touch the child in front of him, but she disappeared. All the shadows were gone, and he was all alone.
No redemption, no salvation, only regret and loneliness. This was his punishment. He could never atone for his failure. Sitting in the darkness, he was going to spend eternity wallowing in his misery for ever and ever...............
"AH! Ah, what the hell?" Thanatos was back in the present. He was kneeling among the skeletons. He touched his face. He could feel the warm tears. It wasn't real. That was only an illusion made by Zek's regret. "I-It was so powerful I lost myself for a moment... so cold."
He was shivering. He lost track of time and left the massive tomb. There was nothing useful, but he learned something about Zek. The only other place to explore was the tower.
Unlike the mausoleum, he didn't feel anything when he came inside the tower. It looked like it was the residence of the leaders or an equally important person. As he went up the floors, he saw several rooms. Some were for alchemy and potion making, others were for glyphs, and others for magic study with scrolls. This was Zek's home.
He reached the top of the tower and found one last room. It was his personal room. In the middle of the room, a stand with a book was waiting for someone to read it. Thanatos moved carefully, making sure there weren't any traps. After grabbing the book, he began to read it.
"Congratulations, you have the power to defeat the golem and some talent in the necromantic arts. Or maybe you made it through sheer luck. In any case, you made it here. These are the ruins of Rabase, and I'm Zek Trevelis Oron, the Great wizard of this doomed land. As a reward for being the first to get here, I give you all my knowledge and investigations. Do whatever you want with them. I don't have anything of value in this place anymore. There are no instructions or guides. The only thing this book contains is the real history of the fall of Rabase."
"The real history of the fall of Rabase?" Thanatos flipped the page and started to read. It was more like a biography. Zek explained his position as one of the three Great wizards of Rabase.
Thanks to their magical power, the nation has made a home in this cruel desert. They tamed the land and drove the beasts away with their power. They could create golems powered by mana and plants and harvest enough food with powerful spells. Rabase was a pioneer of magic and technology. The ones that made the most discoveries or had powers beyond other wizards were granted the title of "Great wizard."
These Great wizards were the leaders of the nation. Zek was born with enormous talent and he became a Great wizard at the age of 25. Thanatos began to skim the pages as he looked for something more concrete, until a name caught his attention.
"This..." A child came from a country far in the west. They sent her because she had extraordinary potential as a light magic user. Not only that, but the Faith already made her an apprentice to the current High Priestess, and she's only nine years old. Her name is... "Gina Adler."
***
Zek watched over Gina as she finished her writing. She was answering a test about the uses and properties of light magic. It has been two weeks since she arrived in Rabase. As a favor to the Faith, she came here to learn the basis of magic under one of the Great wizards. There were three people currently with that title, but Ladun and Fejin refused the offer as they were busy with their respective investigations.
Those two are always working and looking into the future, but the most effective method for building a bright future is looking at the present and the kids.
"Master, I'm finished." Gina raised her hand and gave him the test.
"Good work. I'll look at it right now. In the meantime, why don't you go play outside? Look, the sun is shining. Maybe you can find other kids to play with it."
"I would prefer to study more if that's okay."
"Mmm, overextending oneself is detrimental to learning. You should take time to relax."
"Understood." She went out of the room and took out his book about the teachings of the Faith. Even in those moments of free time, Gina chose to spend her time studying.
Zek could see the girl was under pressure to act in a certain way. She was going to be a potential successor to the High Priestess. They wanted to polish her talent to the maximum. But in doing that, Gina was losing her childhood.
He couldn't help but see himself in her. When he discovered his magic talent, he was enlisted in the magic academy and studied for years, a whole decade until he became a Great wizard. By that time, he had already missed the chance to have a normal adolescence, but Gina wasn't going to get even a normal childhood.
He wanted to tell her to go play with other kids, but that could backfire and end up with Gina thinking of other kids as a nuisance. There is no easy way to do this. I'm not a father, so...
"Gina, come here!"
"Did you finish evaluating my test Master?"
"No, I'll do that later. Let's play something. How about you hide, and I try to find you."
"Eh?" she looked at him with an awkward face. "I don't need to play. I can keep studying."
"Who said anything about you? This is also part of the study program. I like to keep my eyes sharp. I'm not young anymore. Go hide and help me with my exercises." She still looked at him with a dissatisfied expression.
Now you act like a kid. At least this way, you'll only hate me and not the other kids.
Those began the awkward and fun days of the two.