Chapter 105: The Sanctuary of Kings
Darius stepped from the starry portal, its endless expanse closing behind him with a soft hum. The room stretched out before him, silent and empty.
'He should know I'm here.'
Moving towards the table, his fingers brushed across the surface, scooping up a handful of sand. As he let the grains slip through his fingers, his eyes began to glow, the faint azure within them flickering like starlight. "The runes... they're different," he squinted, studying the intricate symbols.
"How much do you know about them?"
Darius casually brushed the remaining sand from his hand and turned. "Not as much as I thought. I've never seen earth mana composed of such an intricate runic language before."
Barrond emerged from the wall, his massive frame lumbering over to the table. With a casual wave of his paw, the scattered sands shifted, forming a single intricate rune that pulsed with life. "That's because the mana within my domain is different," Barrond rumbled. "What you see is the language of creation—the original runic language from the primordial age."
Darius's brows furrowed as he considered the weight of that. "If the mana produced from the chaotic mana regions is the same as back then, why hasn't the world reverted?"
The sands on the table swirled again, this time reshaping into the familiar outline of Gaia's supercontinent. Fifteen distinct areas glowed softly, each pulsing with elemental energy. "Each chaotic mana region functions differently," Barrond explained, his voice low and steady. "They not only generate but filter mana. Only once stabilized does it leave the central zones, allowing Gaia to remain balanced."
Darius's eyes narrowed, his focus sharpening as he studied the grains of sand. Slowly, he tried to decipher the complex symbols etched into each tiny particle. "These are universal-grade runes..."
Darius withdrew his gaze, mentally noting to study the ancient runes further in the future. 'If I can master this language, it might help me with my own and those in the Vault.'
"But I doubt you're here for a lesson on Runes. I assume you're here for your first request, are you ready?"
"Not quite, before we depart I need mana-beast bones—preferably aged... and third grade."
"Bones?" Barrond rumbled, pondering for a moment before motioning to the ground beside him. A mound of roots rose, twisting together to reveal a twelve meter long, aged spine. "Will this suffice?"
Darius nodded, "perfectly. Give me a moment."
Without hesitation, he grabbed the spine and returned to the Vault. A short while later, he returned through the portal, nodding to Barrond. "Thank you for waiting. Now, I'm ready."
The world-bear shook his head. Turning to the wall, he lumbered forward, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly. As he neared, the wood cracked and twisted, splitting apart to reveal a dark tunnel that stretched into unseen depths. "Follow me."
"Where exactly are we going?"
"To the most secure place on Gaia… well, technically, within Gaia." His voice boomed through the narrow passage, as if the walls themselves carried his words. "We're heading to Agarttha..."
Darius waited, expecting more explanation. When none came, he sighed and followed. "And what, exactly, is Agarttha?"
Barrond's silhouette shifted slightly, as if he were smiling, though the darkness concealed his expression. "Agarttha is a sanctuary—a refuge for Elemental Kings and others who've earned its protection. It's one of Gaia's most potent convergence sites, untouched by the surface's decay."
Darius's eyebrows lifted at the mention of a convergence site. His curiosity piqued, "How many ley lines?"
"Fifteen," Barrond replied with a note of reverence. "Three of each element, equal in size and in perfect balance." He let out a heavy sigh, as if the very mention stirred something deep within.
Darius stopped in his tracks, letting the world-bear's shadowed form drift ahead. 'Something's off. They call me a possibility, yet offer this? Why such effort?' Shaking off the suspicion, he quickly caught up.
Noticing the hesitation, Barrond smirked, "your reaction is expected. Nowhere on the surface rivals Agarttha's beauty or power. And you will be one of the few mortals to have set foot there. Consider this a gesture of our sincerity."
Darius's tone remained cautious. "Privacy is my main requirement for this breakthrough, so Agarttha sounds ideal. But why not provide a secluded space within your domain? I'm aware that it wasn't just luck that kept my first breakthrough hidden from the towers."
Barrond's laughter rumbled through the tunnel, the sound echoing like shifting rocks. "Oh, we did cover your tracks, but not in the way you're thinking. Your breakthrough wasn't hidden—they felt it, all right. The whole world did."
Darius halted mid-step for the second time, his brows furrowing. "I didn't realize it caused such a stir."
Barrond stopped too, turning to meet Darius's gaze. "It's not every day that Gaia herself speaks, you know. That's probably why Agni has a bit of a… heated reaction to you."
Darius squinted, recalling his initial encounter with Agni—the massive fireball aimed directly at him. "Wait, you're saying Gaia spoke? What did... she say?"
Barrond resumed his lumbering stride, the tunnel widening before them. "It's hard to translate directly, but the closest word in your language would be… Ascend."
'Ascend?' Darius frowned, the weight of the word, and the memory of the boy he met while breaking through, settled heavily on his shoulders. "Are you telling me Gaia itself actually helped me?"
Barrond let out a gravelly chuckle, shaking his massive head. "Ah, who can say? Like I mentioned, Gaia's language doesn't translate neatly. It's spoken through vibrations, through the land itself. And when you broke through, the world trembled. No way to hide that."
As they continued, the damp walls of the tunnel gave way to veins of glowing stones embedded within the earth. Darius's eyes sharpened, recognizing them instantly. 'Mana-crystals, and all of them high-grade.'
"We managed to redirect the attention, though," Barrond continued, his tone lightening. "The sight of five Elemental Kings flexing their power is quite a spectacle, after all. With help from a few others, we made sure they couldn't trace your location."
A surge of bitterness rose within Darius, and he couldn't hold back the familiar voice that whispered from deep within. 'Then how did Ramman happen? Where were they when Rainslif murdered our father?' Daemen's anger reverberated, the question sharp and raw.
Darius hesitated, his jaw tightening. But he couldn't let it go unanswered, for Daemen's sake. "It's obvious you were watching me, so how did Ramman nearly kill me? Why was Crowley allowed to murder my father?"
Pausing for a moment, Barrond seemed to weigh his thoughts before answering. "We might be powerful—powerful enough to be unmatched within our domains—but beyond them, we face strict limitations."
"Outside our Chaotic Mana Regions, our influence wanes, and we can only manifest under specific conditions," Barrond explained, his voice heavy. "For now, that answer will have to suffice. Just know that if we could have intervened, we—I would've. As I was the one tasked with observing you."
'Bullshit! Ask him why—'
'Enough, Daemen,' Darius cut in mentally, his tone sharp yet controlled. 'He's not going to reveal anything now, even if there is fault. Don't lose sight of who's truly to blame. Calm yourself before you disrupt your cultivation.'
Pretending to take a steadying breath, Darius kept his expression neutral. "I understand."
Inside his dantian, Daemen's soul remained tense, seated cross-legged in agitation. 'If we find out they could have done something...'
'Don't worry,' Darius's thoughts echoed back firmly. 'If there's a debt to settle, I will settle it.'
Daemen's agitation eased, a faint smile flickering across his face at the unmistakable killing intent in Darius's thoughts.
They continued walking in silence, the air growing warmer and more humid as they descended further into the depths. Darius's body, conditioned by his cultivation, adapted seamlessly to the rising heat and moisture.
Clearing his throat, he glanced toward Barrond, who turned his massive head in acknowledgment. "How deep are we going?"
"If we were walking at a natural pace, it would take us a year to reach our destination. We're heading about thirteen-thousand kilometers down. To be exact, twelve-thousand seven-hundred and fourty-two."
Darius nodded thoughtfully, feeling a constant pulse of mana shifting around them. "I thought I sensed a strange flow around us." Looking around approvingly, he asked, "So, how much longer will this take?"
With a broad grin, Barrond stopped abruptly, his amusement clear. "Not much longer." Then, with a heavy stomp of his paw, the darkness ahead rippled like a disturbed surface of water, distorting the air into a shimmering, almost fluid barrier.
With another stomp, Barrond sent a surge of mana through the ground, triggering the distorted air to crack. Multicolored fissures snaked upward from the floor, reaching the ceiling. As the final crack formed, a deafening shatter made Darius flinch, even Daemen instinctively withdrew his senses.
"Welcome to Agarttha, the Sanctuary of Kings," Barrond declared with a rumbling laugh as light flooded the tunnel, momentarily blinding Darius until he engaged his Arcane Gaze.
Darius's breath hitched. "I think you're right, Barrond. It's truly beautiful."
His bones hummed as they automatically began absorbing the ambient mana. His muscles relaxed, his blood surged, and his body felt as though it had been infused with the essence of a mystical pill.
'If I could cultivate here, my cultivation would grow wings—at least tenfold faster than in the farm. I need to secure permanent access to it somehow.'
Standing genuinely awestruck, Darius was exposed to a colossal underground expanse, its distant ceiling swallowed by darkness. Above, feint clusters of light resembled stars, but he soon recognized them as massive mana-crystals embedded in the cavern's roof, twinkling faintly like a hidden night sky.
Below, crystalline trees with stone-like trunks stretched upward, their branches heavy with molten-glass leaves that shimmered softly in the ambient light. Rivers meandered through the cavern, glowing with bioluminescent algae that covered the rugged banks.
But the most striking sight dominating Darius's attention, were the massive rivers of raw mana surging through the cavern's sky.
The elemental ley-lines blazed through the air like winding dragons, their bodies twisting and coiling overhead. Their vibrant colors pulsed with energy, casting an otherworldly glow over the landscape. Yet, despite the sheer magnitude of power at play, there was no overwhelming roar or chaotic pressure—only a profound serenity. Only the occasional caw or eerie cackle hinted at life hidden within the stillness.
Darius extended his senses to their limit, searching for the edges of the cavern but finding none. Then, a curious realization struck him: there were no mana-beasts. "The wildlife here—"
"The first curse never reached this place, so no mana-beasts naturally exist here."
"Naturally?"
"You'll learn more when necessary," Barrond replied, his tone almost dismissive. "Right now, your focus should be on why you came."
Barrond stepped fully into Agarttha, inhaling deeply, as if savoring the cavern's mana-rich air. "Come along. I know the perfect spot—my favorite rock in all of Gaia. I'm eager to hear your thoughts on it."
'On a rock? You were right, these guys are nuts.'
Darius suppressed a grin and matched Barrond's pace. "What's it composed of?" he asked absently, while inwardly focusing on Daemen. 'Ignore him. Did you memorize the seals?'
'Don't worry, I've got it. As soon as he's gone, I'll make it happen.' Daemen, identical in appearance to Darius, ran a hand through his long white hair. 'I'm kinda scared, but it feels amazing. We're both getting closer.'
Darius's expression remained neutral, though his brow tightened slightly. 'Don't celebrate yet.' He nodded as Barrond glanced back. "Diorite, huh? I've always found it fascinating."
Barrond chuckled heartily, continuing his enthusiastic rock talk. They rounded a grove of crystal-studded trees, following a glowing stream, until the massive stone came into view.
Darius genuinely admired it. "You undersold it, Barrond. It's quite impressive."
The boulder rose three stories high, its rough surface marked by swirling patterns of black and white, naturally forming intricate circles.
"It's nothing particularly special," Barrond admitted. "But it offers a sturdy foundation for your breakthrough. Agarttha will act as a natural shield; not even all of us Kings combined could dent its defenses." The world-bear then sniffed the stone and, to Darius's surprise, licked it with his root-like tongue.
Darius blinked, choosing to ignore the odd behavior. He leapt to the top of the boulder, landing smoothly. "This is perfect. It's flat and spacious up here. Thank you."
Barrond beamed, nodding as he began to turn away. "Of course, of course, good luck. I'll be waiting where we entered."
Darius inclined his head.
With a grunt, Barrond's form melted into the ground, vanishing into the distance.
'Like we're gonna trust you. You're gonna set—'
'Already on it.' Darius's finger flared with light, tracing an array in the air before him. 'Just need to tweak some runes... run a few tests... and that should do.' He waved the glowing array away, then began forcefully engraving it into the top of the stone with his finger. 'Let's hope Barrond doesn't take this personally.'
'Who cares? It's just a rock. If he's got a problem, he should blame himself for being nosy.'
After a few moments of focused work, Darius completed the array, forming a perfect circle around him. 'That should do it. Ready?'
'Do it.'
Darius pressed his palm against the array, activating it. The world around him seemed to pause—sound vanishing, the air growing still. Moments later, the array stabilized, and normality returned. 'Your turn.'
Inside Darius's core, Daemen sat cross-legged in the void, his face composed. With a deep breath, his hands blurred into rapid, complex seals, faster and faster, until finally, he slammed his palms together. "Release!"
Light burst forth from his form, flooding the darkness with blinding intensity before condensing into a soft, pulsating orb. 'Ha! Easy!' The orb bobbed and swirled around within Darius, Daemen's laughter echoing through their shared consciousness.
'Quit fooling around. Lock onto the mana signature.' Darius raised his signet ring slightly, his focus entirely on Daemen.
'Got it.' The orb twitched violently before suddenly expanding, its light pulsing outward in rapid waves.
Darius shifted his focus, watching intently as Daemen's soul emerged from within him, moving with purpose toward the signet ring. It hovered momentarily, then slipped into the newly formed glowing seal, vanishing inside.
'I'm in. Not as bad as I expected... a bit stuffy.'
Darius exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. 'I should've left you with Haku, just in case.'
'If you fail, I fail. Don't worry. Even if it takes centuries, I'll figure something out.'
"I'm sure you will." Darius replied aloud. He tapped his pouch, making the ring disappear.
Settling into a lotus position, Darius rested his hands on his knees, his eyes closing. He began to cycle his breathing patterns, regulating his inner flow. His Arcane Talisman Technique engaged smoothly, his consciousness flowing through the twelve major meridians. His crystal skeleton shimmered faintly, with intricate arrays etched into his organs and muscles, each sparking with energy. As his bones reached their mana capacity, the five elemental tattoos began to glow softly.
Centered and composed, he touched his pouch once more, retrieving the Gaia's Heart Diamond. The gem pulsed, the raw power of every element reflecting in his eyes.
"It's time."