Chapter 16:

One Tale, A Thousand Sorrows

AR:maggeddon — Bounded by Will and Ashes


“The greatest of beauties awes us through silence.”


His mother used to say that.

She believed whenever someone stumbled upon true beauty, no words could be uttered. For it would steal one’s breath away, make all the words in their hearts meaningless.


I can see it now, mother…

There, in such an isolated place, resolute to stay whole and sacred, Yuushin found beauty.


How right you were.

And it left him speechless.


As if it belonged to a different era—a different world—the circular chamber told a story. Through intrinsic paintings and carved symbols, its walls stood in defiance against Time, as if daring the stones to crack and the images to lose their luster.

Right in the middle, a pond shimmered with faint lights, a luminescent blue and purple blending together with their glow reflecting in their eyes. And on the far end, covered in vines and small flowers, a statue. One with delicate features, a gentle smile, and confident eyes—the portrayal of a person draped in regal fabrics, holding a crown in one hand and a spear in the other.


“What are you two waiting for? Don’t you wish to read these?”

Kez called them from a spot right behind the statue, waving a scroll. Jay glanced around the space for a few more seconds before marching inside, his feet not deviating once from the path ahead. Yet as Yuushin wandered into the chamber…his body grew cold.


Because his eyes couldn’t stop looking at those paintings. And something about them…

Felt off.


“Is this your God?”

More than surprised, Lyr’s ears flinched with his question, the priest averting his eyes from the walls.


“Our Hallowed Hero, yes. The Blessed One who fought for our salvation...the God who created the ritual which became your plight.”

Yuushin could see.


That world’s God, their figure radiant and mighty as it drove creatures surrounded by shadows and taints away. Then, a few paintings ahead, the Hero clashed blades against something Yuushin could only define as Darkness itself. Something hideous, deformed, indescribable—a figure whose vile gaze sent shivers down his spine.

“So? Do you understand any of it?” Kez's voice flowed across the chamber, and with one quick glance, Yuushin could tell Jay did not look happy.


“…is there no one in this world who can interpret this?”

Her laughter shook the air, dripping with irony and amusement. “There were, once. They’re all dead, now.”


“Which is exactly what I told you both, thousands of times…” Lyr mumbled under his breath, his voice almost like a lament.

“Yet this can’t be the only place related to that ritual. These scrolls can’t be all the information you have about it.” Though there was no anger in the man’s voice, its tone was fierce. Unyielding.


“Oh, there are plenty! Yet those Veritux fellows—”

“Kez'vethra, don’t—!”


“—made sure to claim every single one, including the dungeons. Anything related to the ‘Hallowed Hero’ is considered a holy relic, after all.”

Silence.

One followed by the priest’s sigh, and Jay’s soft mumbles. Words too faint to reach Yuushin.


Especially when he was so focused on the paintings.

“These murals—they are telling something, right?”


Lyr shifted in his place, his tail wagging in a nervous pace, and as he opened his mouth—

“The Tale of the Great Purge,” Kez spoke, resting her back against the statue. “The day God prevented the end of our world.”


So it’s the day the ritual was created…

Yuushin met Kez’s eyes, then. She looked so nonchalant, so unbothered. Yet her gaze…It was daring.


Burning.

As if she were waiting.


He continued to follow the paintings. Their story. He saw the Hero being pushed back, saw their moment of grandeur, saw ritual circles surrounding everything. Yet when he reached the “ending”, with the darkness defeated and that world safe, the paintings were not done yet.

The next ones, showed a different world. One being connected with the Hero’s by glowing threads.

In the following scenes, there were “souls”. Traveling through those threads, being pulled to that world without their acknowledgment. And as he walked through those walls, Yuushin saw one by one the “souls” losing their lives.


By monsters.

Sickness.


Their own hands.

And when the last soul died…


“…is that it, then?”

His voice was faint, yet the priest heard him well. And more than anything, Lyr knew exactly what Yuushin was talking about.


“Y-you see, Yuushin…due to the nature of the ritual, this is…well…”

“What is it?”


Yuushin didn’t even hear Jay approaching, only the man’s question. He still couldn’t stop staring at that last painting. Yet the one who explained wasn’t Yuushin, not even Lyr.

“This ritual is a very nasty one. So nasty, it even made Veritux lower their heads in shame.”


As both men turned toward the female dragon, they saw flames licking her arms as she spoke. Then, as she moved her hands, two balls of fire appeared in front of her—connected by a flaming band.

“Though the ritual connects the worlds, once the souls are transported here, they become the 'anchor'—the thing connecting the energies and keeping things together. But whenever a soul perishes, the anchor weakens.”


Little by little, the band connecting the two balls started shaking—as if it were a rubber band being stressed and pulled, more and more by the second.

“So the second the last soul connecting the two worlds vanishes, destroying the anchor…”


As if it was releasing all the build-up tension at once, the flame band bounced back—hitting the ball straight in its center.

“All the energy is sent back, all at once. Which causes—”


“The end of that world…” Yuushin finished her sentence. And as the fire ball burst and dissolved in the air, he glanced back at the painting.

One that depicted an entire planet imploding into nothingness.


Leaving not a single dust in its place

                                                                   ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ


Almost eight days later, and neither Jay nor Yuushin had broken the news to the rest of the group—for different reasons.

While Yuushin struggled with the how and when, Jay was concentrating on his new plan.


“It’s clear now the only way for us to get more information is to infiltrate the Church. Get not only into higher ranks, but also conquer their trust.”

If Jay was shaken by the truth about the ritual, he didn’t show. Instead, the man seemed even more determined about their next steps.


“…I know we talked about this before, but Yuushin… I don’t want you to feel obligated to help me. My motives are my own, and you have your own goals. So if you don’t feel comfortable about—”

“Didn’t I say it already? I will help you. I want to.”


That day, Jay hugged him for the first time.

"Thank you..."

It was brief, and caught him completely by surprise, yet in that small interaction he was able to tell just how much his support meant to Jay—making Yuushin even more eager to help.

He simply didn’t expect to be able to do that so soon.


“Don’t look him in the eyes. Only speak when addressed to. A-and don’t raise your head too high.”

By his side, Lyr was on the brink of a meltdown.


“Will do…”

And Yuushin was not exactly calm.


I really didn’t want to see that guy again…

The day before, he received an official summons from the Arch Bishop himself. And to Lyr’s surprise, Yuushin was happy to oblige. But while standing by the ornamented door, waiting to be called, his heart kept racing.


When the door finally opened, he saw people wearing the same armor and robes from their first meeting, eying him with unfiltered gazes—following his every step. And sitting in an elevated chair, so ostentatious it could very much be a throne, was the Arch Bishop.

And this time, he seemed interested in Yuushin enough to address him directly.


“Thank you for coming despite the short notice. Although I don’t believe you had any previous arrangements that could be hindered by my invitation.”

Yuushin forced a smile.


I really dislike him, after all.

“It’s the least I could do, really. Y-Your Excellency.” He added a second later, seeing Lyr’s desperate stare. “May I know the reason you’ve called for me?”


As he replied, the man’s voice carried a cool softness.

“Veritux is planning an excursion—one to purge an ancient wickedness from our land. We want you to be part of it.”


He definitely didn’t expect that.

Still, can’t miss the opportunity now, can I?


“Is it a monster? This ‘old evil’?”

As the wall behind the chair started to move, Yuushin realized it was actually a mirror—a shape forming within. The Arch Bishop’s face twisted into a grimace.


“The last descendant of its kind. A demon.”

At that moment, Yuushin lost his breath. For staring back at him from the mirror—


Was the person from his dream.

Sota
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