The evening of that day, Atrox got his core filled for the first time ever, and he brimmed with power. Fortunately, he'd previously asked Taiwo to teach him how to shield his core and aura from casual glances.
She told him anyone higher in advancement than him could see through it, but they'd have to try, and he'd know they were checking his core. That's good; at least no casual glance would be able to view his core.
He was thinking about it and adjusting the essence in his body as he made his way through camp. It was still calm, as most people hadn't returned from their daily work. 'At least the usual tension was lowered now, but a portion of that tension is directed at me'
People looked at him, and their eyes stayed longer compared to before. Atrox now wore black trousers and a shirt of the same color. He carried a small sword at his side and moved like a feline monster on a hunt, his eyes keeping track of everything around him.
He walked like danger, as if he could explode into action at any time. And in the Borderland, people were always wary of people like that. He ignored all of them as he left the camp behind and entered the ruins proper.
He arrived at the Nyxori building but used the back door to enter. This would be his first lesson, and he was excited. Usually, this was something his Order in the Knight Assembly would take care of. The thought made his mood sour as he pushed open the door to the office after a quick knock.
He found Kren sitting where he was on the day they first met, but unlike that day, there was no Arvas. Kren pushed his glasses up and glanced at him, gesturing for him to sit opposite him.
Atrox sat and glanced at the books in front of Kren.
The man smiled gently. "I don't even know where to start. There's simply so much that I think I should teach you."
"Why don't you start from the beginning? Maybe that ancient language?" Atrox said.
"Right!" Kren took a deep breath. "Karthaniss, the ancient language, was known as the fragments' language of the gods, broken down and mixed, of course! It was said that only those with the bloodline of the gods can say the real fragments."
"Have you ever seen anyone with the bloodline of the gods?" Atrox asked curiously.
Kren snorted. "No, I've not. I don't even believe in them. The majority of the people in the Eternal Skies don't believe in the gods. They're relics of the bygones. As you know, we believe in one's own strength.
"Some historians don't even believe the gods existed."
"So this ancient language, how did you come about it? And how do you know it's what it is on the door to that ruin?"
Kren tapped the books in front of him with his finger, smiling as he answered. "Whether it's from the gods or not, Karthaniss is a language of power. We use it to invoke techniques. And it's rare. Families and Orders guard it closely, as it's one of the foundations of their techniques. The ones on that ruin door were already copied and sold to us by the Steelclaw Alliance.
"Do you see how valuable it is now? No one has the complete Karthaniss language, but the pieces discovered in rifts and ruins are part of what some use in making techniques or enchanted tools."
Atrox nodded. 'So the language is valuable. I should look out for something like that in the future'
Kren continued. "Since I'm already on the language topic, I should tell you the accepted history."
"Accepted?"
"Yes, because every clan and organization has what they think is the 'true' history. Let me see… alright. Five ages have passed so far. The First Age, the Dawn of the Gods, was a time that we know very little about. The Second Age, the Time of the Arcane Wizards—they are said to be descendants of the gods who walked at the dawn.
"Now, it's generally accepted that this was the time the Knights were created. We were created to help the Arcane Wizards, to guard their important things while they focused on their experiments. They were known as demigods and were able to use all the power of an Order," Kren said excitedly.
Atrox sucked in a sharp breath. "How's that possible?"
"Exactly! But that's what they were capable of, and that was why it was possible to create Knights. That age was also known as the Golden Age, where we flourished under the Arcane Wizards, even though those demigods fought each other. They created extraordinary things: enchanted tools and artifacts of terrifying power.
"And then they made the Rifts, and everything changed. The Third Age began—the Age of Despair. It was a time when the Arcane Wizards left, and monsters roamed the lands. Ruins began to appear, twisting the land. The world split, and continents were made. Warlords ruled the lands together with High Monsters. The Third Age lasted for a long time and was the darkest yet."
Kren paused to rest his mouth and gather his thoughts. Atrox used the time to ask, "Why didn't the Arcane Wizards just close the Rifts? Or help?"
"Who knows? There are lots of opinions about this. Some said they did help but got killed. There's a version that says they got swallowed by a Rift and couldn't help. And then some agree that they simply abandoned us."
"What's your version?" Atrox asked.
Kren stared at him. "I think they got bored of their experiments here. I think they went to other realms."
"That's a bold one," Atrox said. For him, he didn't have any opinions. The Rifts were here, and they had to deal with them. What's there to talk about?
Kren shrugged. "The Fourth Age is the one where the Emperor rose up and united the Eternal Skies under his rule. He brought together the Orders and cleared the continent of monsters, pushing them into the Darklands."
"And here we are in the Fifth Age."