"Master, I finally completed Wyvern's armor. If only you were here to appreciate it. Doppel."
Zenon stared at the Runes beside the armor.
His mind couldn't help but to wonder - firstly - who was exactly Doppel, and what kind of relationship he had with Kthali.
The pain written between the lines was too obvious to ignore, since the Runes were poorly carved.
From what the Fire Keeper said, Doppel was Kthali's Familiar. What form did he have? It was something unknown and also raised some extra questions.
Did the civilizations inside the Layers carry Familiars as well? Did they awaken these Familiars the same way the human race did?
"That's pretty depressing. Knowing that he returned to a burnt home doesn't make it any easier." Zenon said.
Aurea however, remained silent while analyzing the beauty and masterwork in front of her.
The armor made of the Wyvern was truly a sight to behold. Each scale was intricately crafted, shimmering in the violet light with reflecting scales that caught the eye.
They were arranged in overlapping patterns, creating a protective layer that seemed almost impenetrable. Not a single gap was seen between the scales, wondering what kind of precision Doppel had to use to achieve such a result.
The armor was divided into two pieces, upper protection, and lower protection.
The chest plate and arms protection were positioned in a regular pattern. A green scale transformed into a white scale and so on. The violet light made them even more mesmerizing.
The arms protection started as scales from the shoulder yet ended in some sort of fluffy fur by the gauntlets - which were lacking the fingers. Same with the lower protection, they started as scales from the thighs and ended in two comfortable boots made of fur.
"It's a piece of art. A charming wonder. I have never seen something as refined as this, something as beautiful…" Aurea muttered.
She slowly moved her hand, touching the chest plate as carefully as she could.
The moment she did so, the armor disappeared in white waves.
"It's a Carapace?!" Zenon widened his eyes, "Did they also use Carapaces in that era?!"
Aurea remained visibly stunned, but nonetheless summoned her personal Runes and searched for the Carapace. Once she found it, she said,
"Want me to read out loud?"
"What kind of question is that? Please do."
"The Carapace is called Wyvern's Fate, it's a Tier-IV Mindful. The description is something interesting, to say the least. It's a poem to say the least."
Zenon's mind though, was focused on one thing only. 'A Tier-IV?! That's… that's an overkill for the First Layer!'
Aurea remained silent for a minute, reading by herself the description of the Carapace. Zenon tried to last for as long as he could, but curiosity was burning inside of him.
Eventually, he said, "Please read it already, I feel I'm about to faint."
Aurea took a deep breath, and began narrating,
"In ages past, the Dragon's Era met its fall; By seven gods who vanquished one and all. Yet, from their grasp, a Wyvern did elude; In slumber deep, his spirit did exude.
In solitude, he dreamed of waking days; As a cosmic seed traversed the starry haze. It sensed his spirit, indomitable and strong; Bestowing him new purpose, all along.
To lift the bridge, the questing hearts must dare; For hidden there, the sacred key they'll snare. And in the tangled vines, the heart awaits; A treasure, bound by nature's verdant gates.
Present these gifts to guardians of the past; Their blessings, then, upon the seeker cast."
Zenon blinked twice, not expecting it to be so poetic. For a moment, he forgot he was listening to the description of an armor given how long it was. Perhaps it was written by Doppel?
Nonetheless, there were some interesting facts inside of it…
The first of them all, it's implying that the Layers' history dates back to long, long ago. The fact that a Dragon's era is mentioned shows how deep the pit of history is.
The seven gods… Zenon instantly recognized them to be the Seven Angels. The number seven is something interesting, as it's repeated multiple times - literally or proportional.
Seven Layers, seven Soul Tiers, fourteen Ranks, fourteen Carapaces Tiers, Seven Angels.
Would it have any significant impact overall? He didn't believe so.
"A Wyvern did elude… What difference does this Wyvern have? I mean, it's just another dragon, isn't it?" Zenon pondered.
"It is a dragon, so I don't know why he is referred to as a name rather than a species." Aurea said.
Then once again, the seed from the stars is mentioned, this time as cosmic seed. The Solis Tree appears once again in the story of this Layer. Firstly it appeared inside his Solis Vines… then inside a book. And now?
Relating to a Wyvern.
Maybe the reason why the tree was able to bring light to the island… was because of the Wyvern's power? But the book he read also talked about two guardians… who were they exactly?
'Too many questions are appearing…'
And the final fragment was a nice gift. A gift that helped Zenon understand what these keys were.
Firstly, vines. Zenon could throw a guess blindfolded and say they were his Solis Vines since they matched in name with the seed of the stars. But the heart?
The heart was truly a mystery.
Was it the Wyvern's heart? Perhaps the tree heart's? Another one's heart? They had to find more information about it before trying to seek it.
"This Layer sure has some secrets… I think I get why Layers' history is so complex. Can't believe this is just from one of them." Zenon sighed.
"Isn't it thrilling though? At least we have a slim idea of places to go, perhaps in search of a Rift to get out. That's the main objective you know."
Aurea chuckled. She then coughed twice and said,
"There's also an Attribute, which I'm looking forward to using as well. It says…
Growing Strike. Receive energy until the scales are saturated and your next strike will be devastating."
Zenon remained still for a moment while looking at Aurea. After some wondering he said,
"I wonder what energy it talks about… and what strike as well."
"I'll summon it, let's see if the Carapace lives up to its description."
Aurea dismissed her usual low-Tier armor and instantly summoned the Wyvern's Fate. When it finished materializing, Zenon had to put a hand in front of his eyes due to the sudden blindness.
"What's up with that light?!"
After the intense brightness died down, Zenon could finally see the Carapace. His first reaction was to drop his jaw in astonishment.
As he has never seen something so beautiful before in his entire life.