As Nick fell from the platform, he grabbed the black worm from the neck of Prophetia and ripped it off, blood spilling everywhere as he landed on the ground feet first, the ground breaking from the impact. He stood up as the worm landed on the ground, crawling towards Prophetia and he walked up to it, crushing it under his foot. He scraped his foot on the dirt as he heard screaming, Stella landing on top of him. He looked at her as she sat up, directly on top of him. She blushed as Nick pushed her off of him, standing up to look around. He was in a sewer, water pooling in the bottom of it before it disappeared into the abyss. They heard running to see Mahdi and Hati next to him, them gasping for air.
"This place is like a maze," Hati said, breathing heavily as he made his way towards Prophetia, who coughed blood. He looked around until he saw the staff, busted up and mangled, but the amulet was still intact. He ripped the amulet off of the staff and looked at it closely, it pulsed green and the eye seemed to follow him. Stella looked at it and frowned, taking it from him.
"The amulet of Prophetia. This is what was giving you all the trouble," She said, when he took it from her, frowning. He walked over to Prophetia and pointed the amulet at her, when she grabbed it, shaking her head.
"The amulet works only on inanimate objects, it has no effect on me," She said, coughing more blood. He sighed and knelt to her height.
"Then I feel like we don't have much time," He said. She nodded and coughed when Stella ran up to him.
"Maybe I can heal you. I have the magic to-" SHe started when Prophetia cut her off.
"No. Your soul is weakening. You do anymore magic, your soul will be snuffed out," She said, coughing. She tilted her head at him and nodded.
"There is a way to defeat the Totoribus, but the path ahead is difficult," She said, blood spilling out of her mouth. He crossed his arms, standing up on his feet.
"You tried to kill me, now you want to help me? What has brought this change?" He asked, frowning at her. She grinned, her teeth stained with blood as she pulled her bandages off. His jaw dropped, while Stella gagged, Mahdi threw up, and Hati looked away. Prophetia's eyes, which were hidden behind the bandages, were ripped out, dried blood coating the fleshy sockets.
"Those bastards ripped out my eyes, because I saw the truth," She said. He looked at her eyes, then at Stella, who nodded.
"How do I defeat them?" He whispered softly, looking at her. She coughed and grabbed his hands.
"In order to defeat them, you must know their reason, and for that, you must know your reason," She said, blood spilling out of her mouth. He pulled his hand away, sweat beading on his forehead, before he sighed, putting his head on her hand. Then, he closed his eyes as visions appeared above his head. In it, it showed him breaking into a house, a girl looking at him before he killed her with his Kusaris, blood spilling all over the floor as three shadows stood above her, the lead one grabbing his face.
"You will be a worthy specimen," She said, smiling. Then, the visions faded, making him open his eyes, tears in them.
"Your sins are there, but they can be cured. You have to accept that you committed a wrong, then you can find their weakness," She said. He looked at the three of them, who looked at him in shock, before he sighed, looking back at her.
"I killed my sister, I should be dead. But it was all Bellum's fault. I want these nightmares to end, I want my oath gone. I want the Totoribus dead," He said, anger flashing through his eyes. Prophetia closed her eyes and her breathing stopped when a green light escaped her sockets and mouth. A voice echoed through the chamber as Prophetia's soul spoke.
"When I was young, the Totoribus were fair. They showed the difference between right and wrong. But the three Totoribus, Sangius, Sudore, and Lacrimae, had a dark prophecy they were willing to complete. All they needed was a perfect warrior. The leader of the Totoribus, Sudore, consulted Bellum and he revealed everything about you, and how you can topple all of Arogia. She found this perfect and after you gained the cursed Blades of Bellum, and after your murder. I tried to warn the gods of Arogia, but the Totoribus were quick to take action. They hunted me down and ripped out my eyes, knowing that I only tell the truth. I became a prisoner of my own temple, and the Totoribus continued to scheme. The only way to kill them is to find my eyes. It's in a statue, north of here. It holds the key to their defeat," She said, and then, glowing stopped, leaving him with a sense of dread. He stayed silent as he stood up, grabbing the amulet from Prophetia, ignoring Stella's eyes which were filled with fear, and tossed it to her.
"Do you know how to use this?" He asked. Stella looked at the amulet and grabbed a piece of rope, tying it around the snake's neck, making a crude necklace. She then slung it over her neck and looked at the amulet.
"I know how it works, but I'm not an expert," She said, setting the amulet down.
"Good enough. We need to find a way out of here," He said, looking down the tunnels.
"Good luck with that. We went down half of these tunnels, no way out," Mahdi said, sitting on a piece of destroyed floor. Nick sighed and looked up, seeing the torches burning at the top. Suddenly, he had an idea.
"Stella, what can that amulet do?" He asked, making her jump slightly.
"Well, it can decay the lifespan of an object, why?" She said, questioning him.
"Can it also heal?" He asked.
"Yeah," She said, confused.
"Can you heal the floor? That way, it can bring us up to the throne room," He said, pointing at the ruined floor.
"What? Only the most skilled magicians can wield this amulet. I can't even make it decay a whole floor, let alone rebuild it," She said, gripping her staff tightly. He took a deep breath and let it out, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Can you try, please?" He asked. She gulped and walked to the center of then room, taking the amulet off of her neck, pointing it in the air.
"Sana!" She yelled. He looked around to see if anything changed, waiting for something.
Nothing.
She opened her eyes, looking around before she sighed, sitting down on the floor. Hati clapped her hands together as she looked around.
"Well, that was anticlimactic," She said, when a rumble shook the temple. Nick watched as the chunk that Mahdi was sitting on flew out from underneath them, making him fall on the floor. They watched as chunks of stone and dust gathered together to form the floor, them standing on it. Then, it shot into the sky, fitting back into place. Then, the amulet stopped glowing and Stella looked around, smiling.
"It worked!" She yelled happily.
***
When they arrived at the docks, the sailor looked at him, smiling.
"Where to next, mate?" He asked. Nick walked onto the ship and pointed north.
"North. We need to find a statue," He said. The sailor looked at him shocked.
"You're kidding, right? You want me to go to the statue of Solis?" He asked, baffled. Nick looked at him, anger in his eyes.
"Did I stutter?" He said. The sailor gulped and made his way to the helm, steering the ship off the dock.
"Hasn't Prophetia told you that the statue is cursed? It was built by Sovalis, y'know, that famous architect that built Arogia. He never completed it due to the Totoribus. If you go there, there is no turning back," The sailor said, looking north. Nick thought for a second before he nodded, pointing north.
"I need those eyes. Now take me to them," He said.