Ep 160. I’ve Been Here Before. (6)


    ‘…Didn’t this place take like, at least two hours to get through?’


    Aymeia bleakly thought to herself as she walked through the empty hall that was once filled with numerous twisting walls. Considering all the devices Letherien had devised to complicate the maze on certain turns, an oblivious thief may just as well end up a skeleton within the intricate structure.


    But for the first time since the temple was built, Aymeia had taken less than ten minutes to reach the maze’s end.


    Though, to be fair, the maze itself was quite literally erased from existence during the first minute.


    “Well…here we are.”


    Finally coming to a halt before the doorway to the final chamber, Aymeia glanced downwards. The lock and chains that should’ve been firmly bound around the handles were on the floor, shattered and lying in pieces.


    Serenis likewise made note of the breakage. But unlike Aymeia, it didn’t take the dragonlord long to walk past the former deity, holding a firm grip on the chamber’s entrance.


    Then, with a firm push, the chamber’s door creaked open.


    “…”


    Frankly, the chamber’s interior was nothing like the rest of the temple.


    It was hardly as grand in scale, and its black obsidian walls were hardly comparable to the marbled architecture they’d seen above. The runes and drawings engraved unto the walls were likewise nothing luxurious; rather, they seemed like they’d belong on a chapter of an old history book.


    Of course, none of them concerned the dragonlord.


    Serenis’ eyes simply darted left and right, trying to pinpoint the ominous presence that was nearby. But no matter how hard she looked, the Reaper’s physical self was nowhere to be seen, his mana a mere hazy shade.


    ‘Has he already…?’


    Soon, Serenis’ eyes focused on the opposing side of the chamber.


    Although it wasn’t the Reaper, a peculiar obsidian statue rested on the opposite side: a lone warrior standing firmly, hands resting on the hilt of a massive greatsword buried within the chamber’s floor. Behind it was another gate, firmly closed and seemingly being guarded by the statue itself.


    “I suppose the Archive’s beyond those gates, then.”


    “…Mhm. You should be fine, but…if you go too close without explaining you’re a deity, the statue will attack you.”


    “…”


    Hearing the former deity’s reply from behind her, Serenis studied the statue from head to toe.


    From what Aymeia had said earlier, it seemed reasonable to think that this sculpt was the gatekeeper itself. But if that were to be true, and if Felicir had indeed gone past it and into the Archive already, then the statue should’ve been broken and shattered like the lock outside.


    ‘In other words, he must be nearby still. But where…’


    Screeeee!!


    “…?”


    Serenis looked to the source of the sudden high-pitched noise at her feet.


    It didn’t take long to spot the 8-legged critter that was at her feet, waving its two forearms in a frantic manner before the dragonlord.


    “A spider…?”


    “Eepl”The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Just as Serenis made verbal note of the critter, Light immediately pranced back several steps, backing off into the chamber’s corner. Even when the dragonlord locked eyes with her, the half was frantically shaking their head.


    A pair of disdainful eyes stared into Light’s.


    “…You’re not afraid of deities, but you’re afraid of spiders?”


    “This isn’t being afraid. This is being disgusted.”


    “…”


    Although Serenis had lots to say, she elected to keep her mouth shut on the matter. It was better Light stayed away in case there really was a trap of sorts laid out here, anyways.


    Soon, the dragonlord returned her gaze to the spider who was busily nibbling and pulling at her claws.


    “Are you hungry? Still, perhaps you should find prey your size…”


    “Screeeee! Screeeeeeeee!!”


    After just a few seconds, Serenis realized that the spider wasn’t trying to eat her; it was trying to move her finger to point upwards.


    When she raised her eyes towards the direction the spider was gesturing, a pair of blue eyes was glowing from the chamber ceiling’s obsidian surface.


    And soon, the eyes eerily curved into a smile; an equally eerie voice soon accompanied it.


    “Xargon. Through my authority as the Reaper, I hereby request entrance to the Archive.”


    “…!”


    As Felicir’s voice filled the chamber, the unmoving sculpt showed an immediate response: its unlit eyes had suddenly obtained a greenish hue, the mass of stone seemingly stirring awake.


    “Reaper…Felicir…confirming…”


    If the spider wasn’t enough to freak Light out, a talking obsidian statue, was.


    “What the heck, it talks?! Is it alive?”


    Before anyone could even answer the half, a series of rumbling noises filled the entire vicinity as Serenis raked at the ceiling where Felicir was.


    Bits of broken black stones crumbled unto the floor from the sudden impact. The Reaper likewise took physical form once more, forced out of the ceiling with two huge wounds across their arm.


    He quickly hid behind the obsidian warrior, giving off an empty laughter.


    “Hasty, aren’t we?”


    “…Reaper.”


    Before Serenis could continue, the statue fixed its grip on their weapon with a loud, grinding noise. Its glowing green eyes were locked onto the dragonlord’s moving figure.


    “Identity…mismatch…warning. Intruders will be executed. Leave at once!”


    Serenis kicked her tongue, shaking her head in dismay.


    “…Even a talking piece of stone thinks it can best me now.”


    Raising one hand into the air, rings of shimmering starlight formed around a prismatic orb, levitating above the dragonlord’s palm. Her eyes remained locked onto the statue, and the gate that was behind it.


    “Dragonlord, wait! The sculpt is-“


    “Indestructible?”


    Aymeia trailed off the dragonlord’s familiar choice of words.


    ‘…Oh yeah…that didn’t matter to her.’


    It wasn’t the Archive Serenis had come here for; the main goal was retrieving Raizel’s lost soul. She was curious about what lied in the beyond, but not enough to tolerate the Reaper’s existence and jeopardize her kin’s safety.


    So instead, she raised the glowing orb. The condensed mass of mana began to sizzle and churn, as if ready to explore in any second.


    “Disappear, Felicir. You, the keeper, the beyond…everything.”


    A massive white pillar erupted sideways from Serenis’ hand, engulfing the entire room before her.


    The sculpt fixed its grip on its blade, only for the obsidian to dissipate like ice exposed to fire. The flood of starlight consumed its body entirely, as well as the Reaper and the gate that lied beyond him in bellowing smoke.


    But in the nick of time, Felicir’s shadowy hand shot out from the unsettled dust, snatching the spider away from the dragonlord before pacing towards the destroyed remains of the formerly sealed gate.


    “Ha…cough, cough…haha. Take it easy, will you, dragonlord? Thank to you, there’s hardly a dozen souls left in this poor monster’s possession to feed on.


    “…”


    “Though, I’m sure I could use yours as a meal for a good decare or two.”


    Serenis paid no mind to the Reapers’ insults.


    Instead, she’d caught, a peculiar sight had caught her gaze: beyond the gates her spell had just broken, she could see that the area beyond was much more spacious than the tiny chamber they were in. Shelves upon shelves of books were lined after another, even from the cursory look she could get from her current position.


    Turning abruptly, Felicir rapidly made his way to retreat depeer inside the opened gate.


    And there was no way the dragonlord would leave him to run.


    “Going somewhere?”


    She leapt forward, claws pulled back and hissing in high-pitched echoes of clashing mana.


    Even as Felicir hurried to erect a barrier, both of them knew that it would provide little comfort against the dragonlord’s incoming attack: one rake forward, and Karas’ body would wind up as diced meat.


    Unfortunately, her claws came just short of reaching the fleeing Reaper, coming to a full stop midair inches away from his face.


    “…?”


    Fortunately, the Reaper likewise froze in place, seemingly stuck in a position where he’d be struck in any second.


    “…!”


    Of course, neither could move even in a single inch closer or further.


    ‘What just-‘


    Both Serenis and Felicir tried their hardest to move their limbs, but to no avail.


    With the two coming to a full stop, only slow, quiet steps echoed throughout the odd space, growing louder and louder as they approached the two.


    “Interesting. Guests that are keen on killing one another…”


    From behind one of the shelves emerged a lone figure. He made some final adjustments onto the book in his hand before closing and putting it aside.


    “Dragonlord, Serenis.”


    “…”


    “Reaper, Felicir…and Monster of Mire.”


    “…”


    “And aside from you two, we have Aymeia, who’s lost her divinity…Light Torin…and…a large-turned-small critter.”


    Serenis couldn’t even manage to move her eyes or blink.


    But even so, the marked entrance made it quite clear who the speaker was, even if she couldn’t look at them properly.