Chisel-like footsteps began to sound throughout the building making it difficult to tell from which direction the high-pitched sound was coming from.
Lindel, the little old man shouted...HERE I AM...DAMMIT...YOU AND I HAVE SOMETHING UNKNOWN...! Lindel's hands began to tremble as they slowly lit up with an intense glow transforming the light into two short swords, his skin began to crack until it was completely torn causing him to grow in size taking the form he once had as a guardian.
"Boys, it's time for you to leave this place... it is essential that he gets to the grand entrance, don't even think of returning" said Lindel as his gaze radiated fury and power."
Why, why are you doing this... you don't have to sacrifice yourself! Liria said.
Lindel knelt down, however, Liria did not understand why he did such a thing at that very moment, and even more confusing to her was the fact that he had now regained his youth. The guardian with a respectful posture said: My lord, the kingdom he entrusted to me... I could not protect it, the betrayal of Tarantil was always out of my imagination, and I who should be the guardian of this place witnessed everything without being able to do anything but feel helpless to see my weakness without even being able to leave this world with my lady! I could only flee like a coward licking my wounds... I would have gladly committed suicide that same day, the red day where everything was taken away from me. I could only remain silent in this desolate place bearing my dishonor, but here lies the murderer of my wife, the cause for which I have lived all this time and for which I have exceeded my mortal limits... I have unfinished business with this creature and his mistress, I beg your forgiveness my lord, but I do not believe that our paths will ever cross again.
The old man got to his feet, and only receiving from Liria a pat on the shoulder, he let himself fall into the darkness, his swords barely visible as faint torches in the darkness.
Run, my lord! shouted the little ones as they pointed upwards pointing in the direction they had to go.
They hurriedly ran upwards, barely holding their breath, and as they advanced they began to see destruction all over the place as the light emanating from Liria's shield intensified and was reflected in crimson crystals that began to appear embedded in the walls more and more frequently.
They continued to climb, until they stopped abruptly as they were overwhelmed by the spiral that ascended above them to the door, the ruby color that was reflected in the place no longer came from Liria's shield, this glow flickered on and off intermittently. She approached one of the crystals and touched them out of curiosity.
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! She screamed in pain as the gloves and part of the armor covering her arm began to fall off burning, the little ones ran to grab her pulling her hard, without managing to let go. Her eyes began to glow crimson, until by herself she stopped touching him and fell over the little ones falling silent for a moment.
Tears began to flow inside the helmet that hid the feelings that arose from within her at that moment, memories of a past history entered her mind taking root in her own soul and conscience, what happened that day with the battle in the great Fortress, was now in her being. SHE IS ALIVE!" shouted Liria, but her voice was lost in the darkness of the structure.
Hurry! shouted one of the little ones who were practically pulling Liria, until they presented her in front of the huge door that was full of scratches. She presented the glowing shield, but nothing happened, just as she feared, the door would not open, the magic with which it was sealed was much more powerful than that contained in the shield.
Liria in her desperation to get to the other side touched the crystals again, even when the others were against and tried to stop her, as the burns on her hands were quite severe, but still she did it standing still as if she was in a deep trance this time without receiving damage from the crystals.
Soon the silence was broken in a flash of lights coming up from the background between blows that sounded all over the place and dust coming off the structures that were being destroyed that to the naked eye could not be seen in the darkness. Deafening screams were heard with such power that made the little ones' ears bleed. And out of the darkness appeared that beast with Lindel on his head making multiple cuts, the arachnid monster with its multiple limbs threw blows against the guardian without reaching him while he was cut with an unprecedented fury, that frustration of two thousand years was falling on the beast as an unstoppable flood. In an act of desperation, the monster rotated on its own axis, hearing how its body was breaking, driving one of its protrusions into Lindel's abdomen, making him spit blood and pushing him against the door, making a lot of debris fall on the entrance, leaving Lindel buried.
The little ones rushed at the monster in an attempt to protect Liria who was helpless as her mind wandered in the crystals.
Liria ignorant of what was happening outside her consciousness made connection again with that presence in the crystals, but saw only darkness, her sense of time distorted as she felt she walked for hours and even days without going anywhere. Little by little in the darkness, in Liria was growing a feeling of guilt and resignation, this led her to wonder if what she was doing was the best, or if she had gotten into something out of her reach, she no longer believed she was capable of saving her friends in the village and much less of getting out of that place alive, the fear like an icy breeze began to take hold of her being. Liria, more and more confused and feeling exhausted and about to get lost in the darkness in the distance, saw a familiar silhouette that she immediately recognized now with her new memories.
ANNETTE! Y-Y-Y-YOU ARE SHE TRULY!" said Liria as she ran towards the girl until she managed to grab her arm.
IT'S NOT YOU! Annette said staring into her eyes, -YOU'RE NOT HIM, YOU'RE NOT WHO I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?
Come with me, it's time for you to leave this place, don't keep suffering here alone said Liria.
She is not alone whispered a voice with a kind tone, it was Lili, Liria without being able to realize it was being hugged from one moment to another next to Annette.
I appreciate the sentiment very much, but he must be the one to free us from this place, we are his guardians and I am sure that sooner or later he will call us to our duty, to fulfill our oath!
BUT LINDEL IS OUT THERE FIGHTING THAT CREATURE, ARE YOU GOING TO LET HIM DIE! Liria shouted angrily.
My beloved is not so weak as to lose against that creature, he will rise with victory, he promised, listen to him, every echo, every cry, every regret, and even every lunge behind those gates blessed by the Goddesses themselves, he will succeed. Now go on your way young man, our time must come, go ahead, fulfill the duty my beloved has entrusted to you, even without being the chosen one you must do it, I can feel it, he wanders still in this world, the lord of the great city, his duty is to put the concept to safety.
A river of skulls began to flow taking Liria in its wake, for she was not obliged to share the weight of the lives that were claimed that day.
When she opened her eyes, she got a great surprise because she was lying outside that place, and she could immediately recognize it, she was outside the catacomb, just in front of the immense doors that lay with hundreds, perhaps much more than thousands of cuts and innumerable blood stains that made nuance with the deteriorated surrounding structures that were barely rubble.
The little ones had disappeared and he wondered if it was all a hallucination, for he could not understand how he had reached that place through the colossal and impenetrable doors.
After taking a look at the immense gates, she tried to open them without success, and had no choice but to continue alone.
In the center of the fortress was what was causing that column of green energy, and the power became so dense that it caused a green drizzle over the whole place. Liria with shield held high began to advance cautiously in the darkness.
Rattling armor and shouts made her suddenly upset, she thought she had been discovered, so she quickly hid in a nearby fortification to see what was happening. In the distance, next to the entrance where the gates that would lead from the path to the city were located, she could see Rosinante's personal elite knights who, together with their master, were fighting against the creatures that were rising unceasingly from their fallen comrades. His heart told him that he should help them, but reason and the words of those locked in the crypt made him reconsider and turn to his mission because something in his chest told him that this was far from over.
With her sights set on her goal and sorrow in her heart she headed towards the source of the green light, as those memories showed her, the origin of the singularity was probably in the center of the city, where the royal palace once stood, it had been a long time, the structures were covered by vegetation and the streets were barely recognizable, the little light that radiated from the shield could barely give her an indication of where she was going. Determined to finish her task she arrived there, and the truth is that she did not know what the "CONCEPT" was.
He appeared on the steps having noticed that the closer he got, the temperature began to rise more and more, until, having climbed up, there where once the resounding battle took place, he recognized what he was looking for instantly. Great was her surprise when she saw that barely something so minuscule that it looked like a hair was radiating energy and heat that scorched her armor.
Liria approached cautiously wondering as she went step by step how was it that something so tiny was giving off such power approaching her hand in good condition and breaking the armor of her whole arm when she tried to touch it shooting backwards making her scream in immense pain, her arm had broken!
A small noise was heard, and the dazed girl soon stood up putting herself on guard holding her shield battered and barely lifting her sword off the ground, thinking how could she have so much misfortune
"It's quite amazing that you touched it and didn't fade away, the last time I saw a mortal touch the concept, it blew into a thousand pieces."
Step between steps, in a silence that was only contrasted by the armor plates clanging to the sound of them someone familiar appeared, or...maybe not.
Liria looked at him and although quite changed she recognized him instantly saying just with a little force T...T...YOU ARE TARANTIL! Instantly he appeared in front of her, lifting her easily with one hand from the ground and placing her at eye level.
Very observant, but I must ask how you know my name, if no one after so long should remember a fallen king, and less when the world as I knew it ceased to exist long ago, said Tarantil who gave off like the concept a green aura.
Tarantil removed Liria's helmet revealing that she was a girl and letting her fall back to the ground. She then proceeded to sit down removing her crown and prostrating it on her knee. "You know, I thought for a moment you were him, my friend, my brother, my brother, my lord... MY KING, though obviously that would be impossible, his presence is as imposing as the dawn peeking over the highest peak of our world."
Liria slumped, and had no idea what Tarantil was saying to her as she subtly twirled the crown on her index finger. Her interest was little in what was happening, as if she was waiting for something.
The Lord looked at her and said in a firm voice; tell me little one, why did you come to this place, I think you have no idea what your eyes are witnessing, and since I am spending time I guess I can tell you a little about the miracle we are witnessing.
I DON'T WANT TO KNOW, I JUST WANT IT TO STOP, my friends, the village, they are dying, this energy is falling all over this place destroying everything in its path and awakening these abominations.
-It can't be stopped, at least I can't stop it," Tarantil took off her glove and showed her hand with some tissue pulverized to the bone.
Such an impression made Liria turn her face away while he covered his hand again.
-Then how did that get here," said Liria in disbelief of Tarantil's words, for even without having witnessed it she was sure he was to blame for what was happening.
Liria...Liria, shouted a voice inside her, YOU MUST LET ME TALK TO MY FATHER!
Liria approached as if she was in a trance towards Tarantil and took his hand that he had in good condition and took off his glove, transporting both of their consciousness to that dark plane where he had been before.
Tarantil was stunned, instantly letting go of Liria's hand and pushing it aside, but in vain because he could not leave that place. Tarantil was sure that he had not gone anywhere, so where were they was the question that kept repeating in his head as he seemed desperate to go outside immediately.
FATHER, IS THAT YOU? It was heard in the darkness, and instantly the whole place was illuminated and the gloomy atmosphere disappeared. The king could not believe his eyes.
Before them stood the royal palace, and in its surroundings the great fortress city shone in all its splendor as it had not done since two thousand years in the past, even Liria could recognize it instantly.
Y.... Y... Y... I KNOW WELL THAT THIS IS NOT REAL FOR IT WAS DESTROYED BEFORE MY EYES, BUT THIS NOSTALGIA... ANNETTE... MY DAUGHTER!
I did not want to see you in such a pitiful and dark place, forgive me if it is not perfect," said Annette.
Tarantil ran and took the young girl in his arms as if she were a baby, saying: you have grown my princess, but I would recognize you even in the deepest darkness, it doesn't matter that this place is an illusion, if you are the only real thing here that's what matters to me. I have come to pick you up, even after so long, in the abyss, I never forgot the promise I made to your mother!
-There's something wrong with you father, you should be... I know it's you, but that aura you emanate, your soul... it's gone!
Liria only witnessed how father and daughter embraced each other with great fervor, she could understand it despite not remembering the face of theirs, maybe it had been a few moments in which she saw all their history, but for them thousands of years had passed until that moment.
Annette began to shed tears, saying: you must stop this, your essence, your being will be lost forever if you do not.
-Daughter, you are the only thing I have kept my conscience for all this time.
The nostalgic conversation was interrupted when Tarantil began to bleed from her abdomen, interrupting the bridge that Liria was making between father and daughter and both came back to herself abruptly, causing the girl to fall to the ground with her eyesight blurred and a shocking dizziness that made her vomit uncontrollably without having any idea of what was happening around her.