Chapter 42: A Secret Sight... Lord Troma
Ruthar was dressed in the finest attire he had ever worn in his life, clothing that made him feel like a thousand coins.
"Well, as I said before, taxes do a lot in the clothing section."
Just as Lady Taraha promised, she and Ruthar left the inner halls of the castle and ventured into areas he could barely recognize.
They were still on their way, and this adventure gave Ruthar greater insight into the enormous castle as they traveled from hallway to hallway, passing exotic fountains, large gardens, weapon halls, and even multiple kitchens. To Ruthar, this was like an excursion, a visit to a novel world he had come to love.
"Authors really try. I should have supported the author more. Luckily, he never gave up on his work until he eventually finished it."
Ruthar would momentarily turn his head from left to right whenever he saw the same tapestry over and over again. This was a confusing pattern he did not understand.
"Why have more than a copy or two of an old confusing tapestry?" Ruthar asked in an absurd tone.
"Uhm? Let's not say the painting is old and confusing," Taraha placed a hand on her chin and thought for a while before replying. "It's the painting that signifies our ancestor, the first Darkdawn, and his adventure to become the greatest Exorcist, or so the history books claim."
"Journey of the first Darkdawn? All I see are smudged-up paint. Art still has the same taste in both worlds, confusing."
Ruthar shook his head slowly and kept silent without further argument.
"So, Ruthar, what do you think about the Spade Kingdom?"
Ruthar gasped, unable to answer the question. Or more appropriately, he did not know what she really meant. So he asked, "What do you mean? I'm not sure in what way you want your answer."
Taraha was amused by his consideration. The usual Darkdawn would blurt out his mouth and criticize without completely understanding the question.
"I mean, have you ever been to the city to see its beautiful sights and criminalized alleys?"
Ruthar shook his head to indicate a no. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen the city before. All he knew was how the novel described it.
Taraha nodded with a pained expression. "Sheesh! Ruds, you should stop being cooped up in the castle all your life. The Spade Kingdom's cities are the most wondrous things ever. Too bad we are going somewhere else today. I would have really loved to take you to my favorite taverns."
Ruthar made a wrinkled smile. "She does realize I am a mere child, right?"
They continued down many paths in the very large castle before reaching a thick, crystal-like door. From the looks of it, its expensiveness was beyond compare to everything else Ruthar had set his eyes upon. He could even sense the door held a large quantity of outstanding Mana.
"The door is oozing out Mana?" he spoke in total awe.
Taraha nodded, glad to see how keen he was before explaining. "This door is a Mana-imbued artifact that absorbs and stores Mana. You can also absorb the Mana from the door if you want, but what's more important is behind the door."
"Behind the door? What can be more fascinating than a door that could be used to cultivate high Mana levels just by drawing from it?"
Ruthar needed more answers and decided to ask, "What's behind the doors? Can you tell me beforehand?"
It was a stupid way to put it, considering they were just before the door anyway. Why even bother to ask?
"You are pretty jumpy, aren't you, Ruthar?" Taraha's statement dampened his emotions a bit. "But I can tell you. This is the most ancient beauty in the Spade Kingdom, created in the Astral Era and the heart of the Darkdawns."
"What the hell is she saying? Did she really take me to the heart of the Darkdawns? And what really is the Astral Era?"
So many questions began to form in Ruthar's head.
"Uhm, I don't understand what you mean by the Astral Era. It sounds familiar, but I think I am short on information here," Ruthar shrugged a bit.
Taraha heaved a sigh, her expression darkening. "I really don't want to say it because of the Darkdawn's curse. I would prefer you read about it from my own personal library back in my quarters. But the only thing I can tell you is the Astral Era is the doom that started this world and it's what will end it."
Ruthar got shivers from hearing her say this. Now he had information he never learned about in the novel. The original story idea never mentioned anything about the Astral Era, but he was sure he must have read some information about it that he could vaguely remember. Another thing was the curse of the Darkdawns.
"I never knew we were cursed. If so, this can point out many reasons for some of my behaviors? Maybe I should take a look at the library later."
Ruthar's mind shot back to reality as Lady Taraha pushed open the door, letting out a loud creak. She grabbed Ruthar softly by the wrist, pulling him past the door and into a wondrous sight.
A large expanse of land underneath the ground, buried so far that the sun's light could not penetrate, was a cave-like hall. The cave had thousands of plants on the roofing, glowing down different varieties of lights that became the sun of the cave, albeit with a lower glow of rainbow-like colors.
There was also a garden of glowing leaves on the ground, making the cave more colorful and magnificent than it already was.
Ruthar's heart skipped a beat, and goosebumps began to appear on his skin. "It's beautiful."
"That's not just everything here, Ruthar. It's not just a beautiful sight or a Mana garden. This is the burial ground for all Darkdawns," Lady Taraha said compassionately.
Ruthar was a little shaken about this being a burial ground, but as he felt the Mana overflow from the garden, he was in awe again.
"I can't process the information, but this is really insane, Lady Taraha!" Ruthar couldn't help but yell in excitement. Anyone would after experiencing this sight.
Taraha, too, was amazed by how the garden kept her interest up no matter how many times she had seen it. "Us being here is not appropriate, though. If we were caught, we would be punished, and if we go further, the spirits of our ancestors might actually punish us, but…"
Ruthar turned his gaze to her as she let go of his arm and began to clap strangely for no reason. Although Ruthar's curiosity was soon answered by what he heard past his ears.
"Singing?" He shifted his gaze back to the garden to see many golden lights like flies soar up into the air, magically making it seem like a thousand stars or a Japanese festival he used to adore back in his former life.
"Awesome!" His mouth fell agape as he watched fervently.
"Sprites and fairies are the guardians of every soul and spirit of the royal houses of every family. This is an old lesson that teaches us not every spirit should be exorcized…" Taraha explained shortly. She wanted to explain more, although as Ruthar rested his head upon her arm, holding it tightly, she decided to hold it all in and allow him to witness the sight and savor it.
***Author's Note***
Too much school has got me releasing one chapter per day. I have made up my mind to release more today! I hope you liked this chapter. We are digging deeper into the Darkdawns. Let's keep digging.