Before them sprawled a vast alleyway, flanked by several wooden stalls.
These once vibrant stalls, now mere skeletons of their former selves, displayed remnants of a bygone era.
The setting was unmistakably that of a once bustling market place.
Asa noticed an obelisk with the height of an adult female, crowned by a small wick. "What is this?" she questioned, drawing the attention of her three companions.
Joan approached the obelisk, bringing his small light close to the wall. His fingers worked to rub away the accumulated dust on its surface.
"There's something written here," Joan announced, capturing the attention of the others.
Indeed, on the base of the obelisk, characters were engraved. Asa attempted to read them but couldn't make sense of the foreign language. "It's in a language I don't recognize," she stated.
Beside her, Madelyn stared at the engraved words in amazement. "This is the long-lost language of The Blood Drops clan."
"Blood Drops?" Joan questioned in disbelief. "The guardian of The Night's Edge?"
Madelyn nodded, a sense of pride and excitement shimmering in her eyes.
"What's the Night's Edge?" Asa inquired, her lack of historical knowledge leaving her clueless about such information.
"It's an ancient weapon that's said to have been sealed for hundreds of years," Madelyn explained. "According to ancient scriptures, the Night's Edge is known as a weapon that helped the father of the land bring peace to Antara, which initially encompassed a vast territory, including this forest, the mountains near the east region, and even the ocean area near the south region. However, greed overcame humanity, leading to a war over territory. In response, the father created the powerful weapon known as the Night's Edge, which he used to end the war and defend most of the territory of Antara. The weapon was so potent that he sealed it and buried it underground. He dispatched guards to watch over it, and over time, this small group of guards formed a family, establishing a clan called the Blood Drops."
After the lengthy explanation, Dunn chuckled, "Nice history lecture, Miss Dillon."
Asa nudged her elbow into Dunn's side, signaling him to be quiet, while Madelyn just hissed at him.
"Then, do you know what's written here?" Asa asked.
Madelyn shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. It's called a lost language for a reason, big sis. I believe no one will know what it says."
"It is said to light the wick on top of the obelisk," Dunn suggested suddenly.
Joan shot his head to Dunn in surprise. "You can understand the language?"
"Not at all," Dunn admitted, straightening up his posture and reaching out to touch the wick on top of the obelisk. "But, this is a wick. What else is the use of a wick other than to light it? It's not hard to figure that out."
Dunn's logic resonated with the group, and Asa nodded in agreement. "Well, let's see what happens when we light it."
As Dunn applied a small flame to the wick, a gentle glow spread from the top of the obelisk. The alleyway was bathed in a warm light as the wick ignited, revealing more details of the underground town.
The obelisk served as a central point, and its light unveiled intricate carvings on the walls of the surrounding buildings. The alleyway, once cloaked in darkness, now displayed the remnants of the vibrant past the place once held.
"This is astonishing," Madelyn whispered, her eyes wide with awe. "It's like we've stepped back in time."
"This isn't just an underground room," Dunn gasped in awe as he gazed at what stood before him. "This is more like an underground town."
With the newfound light source, the group extinguished their small lighters and returned the goods to Madelyn. The light they now had was more than sufficient for them to see their surroundings.
"I can't believe such technology exists underground," Madelyn said under her breath as she walked with the group through the alley.
The alley opened up into a vast field, dotted with what seemed like hundreds of buildings—presumably the old houses of former residents.
"This must be where The Blood Drops clan was hiding before," Dunn stated.
"Would that mean the Night's Edge is still here somewhere?" Asa asked in curiosity.
Joan shook his head, surveying his surroundings. "I doubt that. Given that this place has been abandoned for a long time, there's a possibility the Night's Edge has been stolen, and the former residents have been annihilated in the process."
Madelyn sighed, "How cruel."
As they explored, they noticed remnants of daily life scattered about — cracked pottery, weathered wooden chairs, and remnants of long-forgotten belongings.
The atmosphere was heavy with the weight of the past, the air filled with a sense of loss and the remnants of a once-thriving community.
"It's heartbreaking to think that such a vibrant community met such a fate," Madelyn whispered, her eyes scanning the dilapidated structures.
Asa nodded in agreement. It was always heartbreaking to witness something that had once been filled with so much life and history. Deep inside her heart, a question arose: *Would the upper north one day become a forgotten land like this one?*
"It won't," Joan suddenly whispered to Asa, walking beside her as if he could read her mind. "A place, a person, can only be truly dead if no one remembers them anymore. As long as you remember the upper north region, the land will never die and become a forgotten abandoned place like this one," he assured.
Though surprised at how accurately he seemed to grasp her thoughts, she looked up to offer him a small smile. "Thank you."
Dunn, pragmatic as ever, pointed towards a structure that seemed slightly more intact than the others. "Maybe there's something of significance in that building. It looks less damaged than the rest."
They shifted their attention to the said building and it is, indeed, look much more intact than the rest of the other buildings.
The group walked towards the buildings, but something halted Madelyn's steps midway. "Uh," she hesitated, her eyes fixed on an almost collapsed house. "Is that a drawing of the Royal Garden Flower?"
"It is," Dunn confirmed.
"And you don't think it's weird? These people are living in a buried underground town. How did they know of a Royal Garden Tower? And what business do they have to have a painting of it in their house?" Madelyn questioned.
Dunn scrunched his eyebrows. "What's so weird about that? There's no sign we found that shows that the people are imprisoned here and have never seen the light of the upper ground."
Madelyn's suspicion was not baseless, even if Dunn's answer seemed logical. "Let's just check that house to be safe," Joan suggested as he led the way to the said house. "Maybe we can find something important in there."
The group approached the house adorned with a painting of the Royal Garden Tower.
The door, hanging slightly off its hinges, creaked open as Joan pushed it gently. The air inside was stale, carrying the scent of aged wood and memories long forgotten.
As they stepped into the dimly lit space, their eyes were drawn to the walls covered in faded paintings and drawings.
Images of the Royal Garden Tower turned out to be not the only odd thing in the house; several drawings adorned the walls. From a map of the current Antara to a depiction of a Crystal Flower, even a sketch illustrating people fleeing from a grotesquely drawn monster similar to those of a Crys.
"Scary," Madelyn muttered. "Seeing the condition of the buildings, this place must have been unoccupied for around thirty years. How could they have drawn such things? Are they the ones who spread this plague?"
Joan seemed to ponder for a moment, but he couldn't find an answer himself. Instead, he headed to a bookcase filled with scriptures in the corner of the room.
Whoever owned this house appeared to be highly educated, judging by the drawings and scriptures scattered throughout the room.
One of the scriptures was written in Antara's language, and Joan frowned.
"They aren't the ones who spread the plague," Joan declared, showing the scriptures to his team. "They predicted it."
The scriptures foretold a catastrophe that transformed humans into bloodlust creatures, leading to the collapse of the government of a once-peaceful land.
Behold, the sole deliverers shall be those who wield the Night's Edge, unraveling the darkness that shrouds. Once more, they shall restore harmony to a tranquil realm, uniting the realms of forest, mountain, and ocean.
Madelyn widened her eyes in surprise. "This...," she gasped, "This is the prophecy of the great sorcerer?"
Joan, equally astonished, nodded. "This must be the original copy of the prophecy."
Being the two less informed members of the group, Asa and Dunn only furrowed their brows and exchanged confused glances, having no idea about the prophecy of the great sorcerer or who the great sorcerer might be.
Deep inside their heart, they laughed and labelled themselves as those of the dumb duo in the group.