Chapter 3:
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“That took a while” Vigre said.
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Shiwy sulked at his side “Well, we missed the festival once again this year. We’ll never make it in time to the capital at this rate”
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“Don’t sulk. We’ll try again next year.” He smiled at her.
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Shiwy sighed. “I don’t need to be consoled by lowly creatures such as yourself.”
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Vigre couldn’t help but laugh “she’s back”
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“Well there has been an increasing amount of souls this month.” He wondered “This village wasn’t the first one we had come across in our journey.”
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“Indeed.” Shiwy agreed. “There was another in the sunflower village. Apparently a superior spirit has found her home there and wouldn’t leave. The locals are suffering. It has affected their harvest since the spirit’s powers would corrupt the flowers and their business is running low.”
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“There’s a forest in the west. Junjo Mir. The life there too is on a decline. In the past month there have been twelve cases of mass death.”
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“Junjo Mir? No way! The forest is directly protected by the God of Afterworld himself” Shiwy says.
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“The god of afterworld...what was he called again? Zinca…?Zyx…?”
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“Zyxen” Shiwy says.
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“Lets go to his temple, '' Vigre says. As it happened, They were currently moving westwards, where the forest was located and right behind it on the Emerald peaks was the temple of Zyxen.
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“Why don’t we rest for a minute?” Shiwy sulked mid air and floated as if hung by a string invisible to the eye.
....
Junjo forest was in a way worse condition than Vigre had imagined. It looked like the afterimage of a war. There was a strong smell of dark magic, which in local terms, was called “Shogyo”. The trees were broken and the leaves had long rotted. The subdued glow of the moon was hidden behind eternal darkness, a purple moon to say the least.
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Not a single sound was heard in the forest. The silence was maddening. It was like all life and all air that stirred its surroundings had been sucked out. When Vigre stepped on a twing the noise was so loud, it echoed in his ears. He had to be quieter lest they attract something foul. The sound of his own breathing was clearly audible in his ears. He didn’t need to concentrate to listen to his raising heartbeat.
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He closed his agape lips and breathed lightly. His footsteps were calmer this time, quiter. A faint rustling was heard behind him but Vigre was sure it was caused by an inanimate object. He could sense no life around him.
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But even through the reassurance, Vigre found it better to be safe than sorry. He proceeded carefully, enough to not make any sudden sounds that could attract attention. Only after they had made it to the bottom of the forest was it painfully clear to them that the forest was entirely devoid of life.
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The port quo roses didn’t glow here. There must have been something that happened. Vigre was sure, which is why it was all the more important to visit the temple of the god of afterlife. If the god was by any chance in trouble, it would still be a better outcome from what Vigre feared.
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The forests were scary but the mountains that came after weren’t much better. They too were encased by the same aura of Shogyo, or dark magic.
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Vigre suppressed the embers of is anxiety telling himself “we must hurry” and spurring on. The peaks were slippery and uneven which made it impossible to climb them. They were made of rare stones called ‘Genjuki’ the rarest ores found in the entire world. They were harder than diamonds and fused with magic. If any blacksmith at all in this world could turn them into swords, they would probably be the strongest of swords.
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By the time they reached the top of the peaks, Vigre’s body felt like it had been cut into pieces. His bones had been rubbed clean of their cartilage and his nerves had been torn due to overexertion. He could easily use his head to trick people but being athletic wasn’t really his forte.
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Once they reached the top of the peak, Vigre could see a narrow path showing them the way to Zyxen’s temple. It was one heavily ornate temple. He could see the details more clearly as they neared. They were so minor that if one didn’t have the eye of a perfectionist they might miss them.
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The patterns had a certain consistency to them. It was as if they told a story of its own. Upon closer inspection, Vigre realised that the patterns depicted the battle between death and life.
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It was an ancient myth that told the story of how Zyxen had defeated the disastrous Myriad, a thousand legged and thousand handed creature with power beyond human understanding. After the battle was over he buried the dragon's remains inside Licht which later became the forest of Junjo Mir.
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"Let's go," Shiwy said from his side. “I still hold doubt about whether we would end up just as torn as the Myriad but I know you aren’t one to be convinced once you've made your mind.”
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“Only one way to know,” Vigre said and walked towards the ruin.
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“If you were less sensitive then things might have been a little different.” Shiwy muttered under her breath.
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Vigre looked baffled “Sensitive?... You don’t think I’m doing this because I want to save this entire world do you?”
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“I’m not very sure about what to think anymore.”
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He sighed “Well it might not be wrong to do this to save someone but it certainly would be overreacting for a trivial situation like this. I wouldn't sacrifice my life just like that.
Compared to what goes on in this world, this is but a fraction of a fraction. I might sound insensitive but it is what it is. Everything we plan must benefit us too...everytime we give our all, we must get a sum that verifies it too. Or what is the point of striving? This will help us...you’ll see.
”
“What are you planning?”
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“You’ll see. But first...we have to figure out a way to enter the ruin.”
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“Indeed” The temple ahead of them was huge and beautiful, covered with moss and other species that grew over walls and near wetlands. When they stepped inside the fence, the entire atmosphere changed. Where there was a strong scent of death outside, the warmth that emanated from the palace cleansed the air as if sheltering them from the darkness that resided in this world no matter what intentions their hearts held.
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A huge pool stood before the temple covered with ferns and mosses, the glow from the Port Quo roses was so bright, Vigre wondered if he’d ever seen such a divine blinding light in his entire life.
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Inside the Pool were eight pillars standing in a pattern that Vigre couldn’t quite grasp. Where each pillar stood, behind them on the precise locations were symbols engraved on the door of the temple.
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“There are alphabets on the Pillars,” Shiwy said from his side. After focusing a bit, Vigre realised that there were indeed alphabets embossed on the mirror, but the water was so dirty, he could barely read them.
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“The water is too thick here, I can’t read what’s within." he said.
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“I dont see anything that can light the surroundings”
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“Could it be unintentional that the water is this muddy?”
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Shiwy shook her head “Death magic has been used to poison this water. Coming in contact with it will probably kill a normal mortal. There’s also a huge amount of residue in the water”
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“Could it be shogyo?”
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“The residue is pure in nature.”
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He thought for a while. “Things would have been easier had there been shogyo used on the water, but the having no culprit complicates the matter. But considering that this is done by the divine, there must be a way we can either purify the water or recede it. It probably has something to do with the pillars and the symbols”
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“Perhaps if we activate it in the correct order we might be able to open the door. Let's split up and search around”
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Vigre’s feet were covered with thick ice, the reflection of the purplish ray of the sky sulked as thunder broke down. According to Vigre’s experience, there is always a mechanism to activate these old monuments. If they could find one, maybe they could leave this place as soon as possible.
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“Vigre!” He heard shiwy call out.
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She was hanging around the left side of the palace near a huge marble wheel. It was an odd sight since all the rain droplets that fell on it were instantly frozen to ice.
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“Be careful” Shiwy warned him as he reached out to the wheel. The wheel was cold to the touch, almost icy. No wonder the rain froze.
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He gripped the wheel tightly, only then did he realize “This isn't marble, this wheel is made of ice.” Behind he heard a gasp from Shiwy. “That probably means the entire castle is made of ice.”
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Showy nodded “Rotate the wheel.” The wheel was frozen in place rather firmly but after some struggle Vigre found he could rotate it. There was an arrow extending from the wheel, now the question was...which direction should the wheel point to.
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“Try rotating it westwards” He heard Shiwy.
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“Westwards?”
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She nodded “There’s a myth that says when you cross three times in circles, opposite to the sun you will end up in afterlife.”
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“Is it true?”
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“It hasn’t been tested yet since no one really wishes to spend their youth in afterlife. However, if you’d like to prove this thesis please go ahead and test this yourself”
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“Why so harsh?” He muttered but did as he was told. After being rotated thrice, the wheel did indeed stop, but it wasn't the only thing that came to a halt.
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Drip, drip,drip....drip… ...drip
… .... ...
… ...
…
Drip
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And the rain stopped. The sky above cleared and gave way to the yellow of the sun. The purplishness was gone and with it dissipated the foul stench of death. The path of ice before them now bore fresher trees on either side and colourful gardens bloomed all around the mountain.
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The ice palace hadn’t melted though. And it didn’t look like it was about to melt anytime soon. The palace was now surrounded with blue shards of ice that float aimlessly in the air alongside snowdust that enveloped the castle.
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“Vigre, come here!” Shiwy called out. He sighed. She was always better at grasping the situation at hand than he was. She was standing in front of the exit again now. “Look” she said.
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The water’s level hadn't changed nor had it been cleared. However, it was now a thick ice and seven pillars stood atop it. One by one the pillars started lighting up. First to light was the first pillar, then the last, fourth, sixth, second, fifth and lastly third.
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Now that Vigre could see it, the answer had been very simple from the start. The symbols were letters from the ancient draconic. If they were placed in the same order as the pillars had lit up in, they make the sentence262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWXvD2cEwN
Ka zoe mo ke re hakaku shi
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‘All that is born of this soil, is buried within this soil.’
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Vigre placed his hands on his waist. “I can’t believe it was this easy. If all we had to do was rotate that wheel, then I wonder why none of the locals did this before”
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“That’s because not everyone is as carefree and reckless as the two of you to try their luck with the testing wheel.” The voice of a young male came from the doors of the palace that now hung open and in between them stood a tall god with cold features.
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“...Zyxen…?” Shiwy said. It seemed that it was hard fo her to believe that this was the god of afterlife too.
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“In the flesh” He said. He was a frozen beauty, more beautiful than anything Vigre had ever seen. He got the feeling that despite his introduction, he was more of the unsmiling kind. The type that never shows his emotions.
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A small braid hung in front of his left ear and messy silver hair that hung in uneven lengths greeted them. His eyes were the fiercest pair Vigre had ever seen. It was as if he could see down to his very soul. But Vigre knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t because Vigre didn’t have a soul.
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“So you knew about this?” Perhaps his aura would scare the commoners and lower species of god but in the years Vigre had spent living, he had come to see things with a far crueler heart.
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This god, however, Vigre could tell had a heart of gold.
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“I knew about everything” He folded his arms “Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t risk having the commoners trying their luck with the testing wheel however,” He jerked a sharp chin in Vigre’s direction “I was aware of your presence the moment you set your foot on this mountain. I felt something powerful locked indiscriminately inside your body, intentionally, that is why I wanted to test you.”
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Vigre chuckled and spread his arm as if offering his body to the god “So what do you think?”
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“You being a prisoner explains the seal on your powers. However, any doubts that I might have, have been cleared by the answer of the testing wheel.”
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“But before, I have a question to ask...” Vigre said “Or rather...two questions to ask”
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“Go ahead”
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“What exactly would happen if I and Shiwy had been out of luck?”
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There was a long pause before the god spoke again “If you had a moderate luck then you would have left your body behind in the mortal realm and been hammered with nails in the afterlife, however if you had a terrible luck then you’d be called in along with your mortal body and be hammered with nails.”
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“H-how is that different?” Vigre asked.
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“Having your mortal body around makes the pain worse,” Zyxen said.
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Shiwy whispered in my ear “This guy is trouble”
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Zyxen looked like he heard it but he didn’t comment. Vigre was starting to like him. “It’s going to be night soon” He said “Since you did go through all that trouble, be it for your own selfish desires, I will give you shelter for this night.” He said and disappeared leaving only snowdust behind.
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“I feel like we offended him, he didn't listen to my second question.” Vigre said.
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Shiwy looked at him with half lowered eyelids “How irrelevant could you possibly be”
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Vigre gave her an innocent smile “Shall be proceed” He pointed to the open doorway.
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