Chapter 21 - The Crystal

A few more minutes had passed. Tiberius had stopped throwing up but was still terrified of the scene. He was still looking at the bodies in the hole, not out of curiosity, but to understand. How and why would someone do this to others? What would induce them?

“It is normal to not understand it.” Rael finally broke the silence. When I first saw it, I found it hard to believe. I had assumed that plants, animals, or monsters were responsible for this, but dahas”

“But why?” Tiberius questioned, keeping his gaze fixed on the hole as though he might suffer a horrible fate if he did.

“Dark magic,” he answers. “The magic we use is very limited. Unless there is use of dark magic, you can hardly do things you wish to do. And it requires live sacrifice, most of the time live ones.”

After saying this, he started looking around as if he was looking for something. When he couldn't find what he was looking for on the ground, he approached a tree and snapped one of its long branches. Then he returned with the branch in his hand beside Tiberius.

After the bodies' shock, Tiberius observed his every action. Although Rael claimed that this was the work of the gods, he could always be lying and bring him here to carry out the same actions he took against children. This was to be expected, as he was a terrorist. Thus, he took a step back while keeping his eyes fixed on him.

“Don’t worry,” Rael said, sensing what Tiberius felt, “I am not a monster. I will use this to show you something. Come a bit closer.”

Tiberius did not want to, but he did not see any other way. So he took a few steps forward but was still a bit away from him, which Rael did not mind. All he did was to point the branch to one of the bodies.

“You see this?” He said, “Teeth gone, probably pulled one by one, an arm and a leg are amputated. Wings attached to its back; a sign of mutilation. Genitals destroyed. Could be the result of rape or another procedure. The stomach is split open. Can’t see well but probably a few organs are missing—”

“Why are you telling me all this? I can see them clearly, and I don't want to delve deeper into this," Tiberius interrupted him.

“I’m counting these to give you a general idea. As I said, dark magic required live sacrifice or sacrifice from a live one. Dead ones are nothing but trash to them.”

“So these all happened before their death?” Tiberius’s eyes widened in fear. “How much did these kids even go through?”

“Actual hell itself. The ones they call gods are nothing but freaks who would do anything to gain power.”

“Power for what? Aren’t they already gods?” Tiberius asked.

“That is something no one knows about. They are called gods and seemingly, they saved the world from its end. But this…” He showed the hole full of bodies: “...shouldn’t be how we should pay it back.”

“No, no, it doesn’t make sense. God is an all-powerful creator. Creator of creation itself. He can create you and the dark magic too, so why would he need a sacrifice for dark magic again?”

“That is a question we need to find an answer to but we can’t find it anywhere yet.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Tiberius said, then turned back to find a spot to sit and gather his mind. After finding a rock to sit on, he covered his face with his hands, trying to remove the scene from his mind, the one that will follow him till death.

…

Close to an hour had passed, but Tiberius was still sitting on the same rock, trying to clear his mind from disturbing images. He was regretting every second of following Rael here. Why did he even listen? Why did he need to see the hellhole?

“Why did you—” Tiberius lifted his head to ask why he brought him here, but he couldn’t see Rael around. “Rael!” he called.

“Yeah?” He heard a voice behind him, “What is it?”

Tiberius turned around, slightly alarmed, to see Rael sitting on the rock behind him, eating something.

“How can you be this calm in a place like this?” he asked, pointing at the hole.

Taking the last bite from the fruit, which looked like an apple but in purple, he threw what was left of it. “You get used to it after a few times,” he said, still chewing.

Tiberius looked at him frowning.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, swallowing. “I have been coming here multiple times a year. I am used to it.”

“Every year? Why would you even do that? Don't you feel disgusted?

“I don’t find saving someone’s life disgusting.” Rael replied, standing up and coming next to him.

“Saving?” Tiberius wondered, “Aren’t they all dead?”

“They are,” said Rael, “but not always. Do you remember Harald?”

“Yea,” he nodded, “the doctor who treated me. What about him?”

“He is the first person I found. There,” he pointed, “next to that stone. He was looking at the plants, not knowing if he should eat them or not. He wasn’t hurt too much. Just two teeth missing and a few scratches. He said he woke up here and doesn’t remember his past. No family or anything. Not even what the gods did to him.”

“He said he woke up in that pit.” Rael turned toward the hole and pointed to a spot: "There, right there in the corner, he opened his eyes and climbed up here. When I first saw him, he was quite thin. I wasn't sure what to do either. I mean, how could I? I was 15 years old at that time. I was slowly starting to question why gods do certain things. That day was the first time I saw this hole and my reaction was the same as yours; I threw up everything I ate that day.” He let out a giggle. “But seeing Harald scared and helpless, I picked some fruits for him and carried him to a safer spot, away from Gyoz and the pit. He was lucky that Gyoz was not near, or I couldn’t have saved him either.”

Tiberius was listening quietly and not interrupting him. Only now did he understand why Rael came here so often. In the hope of saving another child, he travels to this hellhole for days. Only to be able to save someone. And his voice… He was not speaking as a hero who had proudly saved a child. He was like a father who was tired of watching his children get hurt. Of course, Rael did not say anything like that, but his voice indicated that he was tired. Not physically but mentally.

“It’s been quiet since then, no live kids whatsoever. Maybe it is because I started to save them even before they reached the gods, so they use everything they can, ending these poor souls’ lives.”

After he finished speaking, there was a loud silence. The one that explained how Rael has been struggling all these years, taking the name ‘terrorist’ but still not stopping.

Tiberius took a deep breath. “Do any of them know?” he asked.

“In camp? No. In nations? I don’t know, but I don’t think someone would dare to step here, unless they are an anomaly like us.” Rael replied, looking at Tiberius.

“So then, gods themselves come here?”

“No, they don’t. I have seen it a few times. The angels bring the bodies and throw them here.”

Another silence. Since there were no animals, monsters, or even a bird (because of Gyoz), they stood there silently for a few minutes.

A question Tiberius was going to ask popped up in his mind again.

“Why did you bring me here? I don't think I am helpful the way I am,” he broke the silence by asking.

“You are not,” Rael said, “not yet.”

“Not yet?” Tiberius asked surprisedly.

“Yes, not yet. Gyoz and this hole were not the only reasons I brought you here.”

“What was the other reason then?” Tiberius asked out of curiosity.

“This,” he said, pulling out an almond-shaped crystal. “You said you can't use mana since you don't have it, right?”

“Yeah, but what about it?” Tiberius asked, frowning.

“Do you remember how to form mana?”

“I do. The teacher explained it at school, and I remember it well, but as you know, I got no mana.”

“Catch,” Rael said, throwing the crystal at him gently. “Try it while holding this.”

Tiberius caught it mid-air, then checked it out, turning it left and right. “What is this?”

“A myth.”

“A what?”

“A myth. But you probably haven’t heard of it. It is quite an old one, and only a few people can remember it, since it was basically forgotten as old folklore.”

“Old myth?” Tiberius repeated, holding it between two fingers, lifting and looking at it. “Then this is an important thing, right?”

“Well, not for most people. As I said, it is not well known, so most people would try to sell it. However, you will be able to use it unlike them.” Rael said with a confident tone.

“Me?” He questioned, “Is it because I am an anomaly?”

“Kind of,” Rael waved his head slightly to the sides. “I am also anomaly but I can't use it. But that’s another topic. Come on, try it. While holding it, try to gather a bit mana on your hand.”

Tiberius did not want to repeat what had happened before. “Let's get this over with,” he thought, looking at his hand. Then, taking deep breaths, he closed his eyes and imagined energy flowing from his body to his fingertips.

When he did this for the first time at school, he felt nothing different; it was just his imagination playing with him, convincing him that he was accomplishing something. But now things were different. He could feel something moving in his body. It wasn't something that bothered or hurt him, but it was noticeable.

A few seconds later, when he thought he had done enough, he opened his eyes to see his hand covered by something clear but still visible. It was the mana!

Tiberius, in shock, couldn't say anything but looked at his hand, turning it back and forth, making sure he was not seeing anything wrong.

“A quick learner we got here, huh?” Said Rael, coming closer to him.

“Did I really gather mana? But how? I didn't have any…”

Then he looked at his other hand, the one he was holding the crystal with. “Did this give me the mana? But how?”

“As I said, old myth, but as you can see, it is no longer a myth; it is real.”

“But then,” Tiberius shook his hand and mana disappeared, like dissolved in air, “why didn't you use it? Or didn't give someone you trust?”

Rael gave a smile and said, “I just did.”