I returned to the bell.
"How beautifully this bas-relief depicts Miras' life," Katrina couldn't take her eyes off the window in the bell.
"Well, at least, it confirms the dragon's version of the world's creation. Besides... the excerpt on the bas-relief is very short, but it uses several key words that are not present in the language of other dragons: gold, matter, transformation, conversion..."
"Indeed, you're right," Ragni looked at the glowing inscriptions, "not that our language lacks words replacing these concepts, but there are no such words written in the language of the ancient gods. It's precisely this group of concepts that sets our languages apart."
"Hmm, let's see what words are hidden in the other bas-reliefs."
I swam to the second bas-relief, where two dragons were fighting against a backdrop of raging flames.
[
The Scarlet Lord Saraz - divine inferno's might,
A master of form and blazing flame's embrace.
He altered the world, transforming day to night,
From solid ground to seas and mountains' grace.
Yet wrath and pride consumed the once divine,
His own creation now engaged in strife.
Within the fiery abyss, a battle's line,
The ruler of fury, Ultras wild, claimed his life.
]
A red light flashed on the bas-relief. If the golden light was soft and calming, the glow of this stone, on the contrary, stirred the blood. Two dragons with spiked scales fought in the flames of a massive volcano. One could see features of Ultras and the dragon whose form Seleria had taken in the battle against the Lord.
"Oh, it sends shivers down my spine," Katrina involuntarily shivered, although the bas-relief emitted warmth that heated the water in the cave.
"Here are the following key words: form, transformation, fire, fury, pride, anger. Perhaps the blood is stirring in you precisely because of these words," I commented.
"Although, other words could have been used here," Ragni scratched her chin thoughtfully, "but it seems as if the author deliberately wrote this message, replacing some words with key words from the language of the red dragons."
"It appears so. Well, let's move on to the white goddess. I hope we won't freeze from her epitaph."
[
I swam to the next bas-relief.
The goddess Azura, fair and bright -
Time's ruler and the ice's might.
She froze the world in stillness deep,
For brothers to restore and keep.
The murderer, with seal, she bound,
In eternal peace, he's found.
]
A pure white light began to stream from the bas-relief, cooling the water in the cave, but not to the extent that it made it difficult for us to stay in it. On the bas-relief, there was an image of a dragon curled up at the top of a volcano, and the raging flames frozen in ice below it.
"Hmm, now we have ice, time, to halt, renew, to restrain, and peace. No, someone deliberately chose this set of words. I would have used 'rebirth' instead of 'renew'," I remarked.
"Indeed, that would make more sense," Katrina mused, looking thoughtfully at the bas-relief, then turned to Ragni. "And who created them?"
"I have no idea."
"What? I thought it might have been someone among the great dragons, like your mother," I was as astonished as the others.
"No, it definitely wasn't her, and she would have told me if she knew. The truth is, these bas-reliefs have always been here, that's it," Ragni shrugged.
"And you've never been curious about who made them?!"
"Not particularly. For us, this is a sacred place, and besides, it only opens once a month. We visit it only to tell the story of our people to our children. Here," Ragni gestured to the rim surrounding the bas-reliefs, where writings in the dragon language were also visible, but they didn't emit any glow like the writings on the bas-relief. "Here, once every few centuries, the rulers of each race record all the important events in the clan's life. If a ruler changes, if we enter or exit a war, if an ancient lineage disappears or a new one emerges, we record all of it around the bas-relief, but we never touch it."
"So, this place is simply a history archive... You read the inscription on the bas-relief as an introduction, and then, from its glow, you can read everything else. Quite pragmatic," I commented.
"Hey, don't belittle our sanctuary, read on already."
"Alright, alright."
[
The Blue Lord Sephris,
Master of water and life.
He breathed life into his creations,
But unable to recover, he faced strife.
When from the darkness came the god of death,
Only he could stand against him strong.
Dagon fell in that battle's breath,
And the god's revival could not prolong.
]
A smooth blue glow illuminated the scene, where a dragon was battling a huge monster with a human torso, half of its body submerged in water. The monster had webbed appendages and tentacles around its head, holding a long serrated blade. The bas-relief captured the moment when the god was placing some kind of seal or spell on the monster, but at the same time, he was impaled by its blade. At the bottom of the bas-relief, there was an image resembling a massive volcano hidden beneath the sea.
"Restoration, rebirth, water, life, and death. It seems this is the very monster we encountered, but there's nothing about him here!" I scanned the inscriptions around the bas-relief, but they contained nothing about the god, only dates and events from the lives of the blue dragons, whose lives seemed to be teeming with activity compared to other races.
"Unfortunately, very little is known about the lives of the ancient gods. Perhaps their children can tell us something useful."
"Do you suggest we seek the blue dragons' help?"
"Why not. They live not far from here. Fifty kilometers east and two down."
"Um... down, as in underwater?" I asked for clarification.
"Well, yes, do you think water dragons would live on land?"
"I doubt my bell could dive to such depths."
"Pfft, you humans and your perpetual problems. I, for instance, have no issues holding my breath for an hour or two," Ragni smirked disdainfully. "Will you read the last epitaph?"
I looked at the final bas-relief dedicated to Nihelim.
[
The Black God, Nihelim,
Dark lord of ruin, master's whim.
He harnessed great and mighty might,
From void, he formed the world of light.
But fear subdued his mighty soul,
Betrayed by servants, he lost control.
]
The bas-relief began to shimmer with a dark purple glow, barely lighting up the room. It depicted a person with black wings and horns fighting against a warrior with two blades, similar in shape to mine. They were battling on scorched earth torn apart by black flames.
"Darkness, destruction, creation, fear, and void. This seems to be the worst set of words among those presented," I remarked.
"Well, what can you do? That was the power of the black god. Although he wasn't evil, he made many mistakes before his death," Ragni sighed sadly, lowering her gaze. "This last bas-relief is somewhat symbolic. A human killed the last god, and since then, the era of dragons came to an end. Now there are so few of us compared to humans that you could wipe us out whenever you wish."
"But that's precisely why the treaty exists – to prevent such a tragedy."
"Yes, it's just a pity that so much time passed before it was signed. I think it's time for us to leave." Ragni began pushing the bell towards the exit of the cave.
Finally, we were able to breathe freely on the deck. The little dragons helped Ragni pull the heavy bell out of the water, and we pondered what we had learned.
"It seems this is not just some monster who fancies himself a god," I said.
"Judging by everything, he is the one who killed the dragon god Sephris," Katrina sighed heavily, "we're so lucky to encounter such creatures."
"If he drank Sephris' blood directly in that battle, it could explain his incredible regeneration," Ragni mused, looking thoughtfully at the cave's vault, "Sephris' blood is known as the best medicine capable of healing any wounds. After his death, several crystals of his coagulated blood were found in this cave, and the blue dragons keep them as their most precious relic."
"Ragni, all this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence that we can defeat him," a weary Seleria lay down on the deck, "he must have some weakness, and we just need to find it."
"Well, then we should ask those who know more about him, the blue dragons."
"But we can hardly sail far from the island without being sunk, so that option is off the table."
"Hmm, how about asking her?" Seleria, still lying on the deck, pointed to the cliff's edge. Above us, a middle-aged woman with thick chestnut hair observed us. She was dressed in light gray attire and a white headscarf, the typical garb of village healers. "I wonder how long she's been standing there."
"She appeared as soon as you went underwater," Kurone replied, trying not to look up at the woman, "we didn't dare ask her what she wanted."
"Hmm, that's Alira, the local healer. I told you that I occasionally helped her gather herbs. She has a lot of books in her house; perhaps she knows something about Dagon."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Ragni shrugged, "but it's still better than nothing."
Seeing that we noticed her, the woman vanished, and we followed her back up.