Then he continued speaking…

Seroi's gaze drifted to the distant hills outside the window, as though his mind was climbing back into that moment. His fingers tapped lightly against his knee, keeping a slow, unconscious rhythm.

"Eram had sent us because there is a very big kingdom in the middle of those mountains. Five times bigger than our city. A lot of people lived there." His tone held a trace of awe, as if the sheer size of that place still impressed him.

He shifted slightly in his chair, leaning forward. "That volcano was dormant for many centuries. There was never any movement in it." His eyes narrowed as if he could still see the jagged black slopes rising against a gray sky. "But one day suddenly we get data of seismic waves from there."

Ren noticed the faint curl of Seroi's lip when he spoke of the scientists half respect, half the weight of urgency.

"According to the scientists who were studying that volcano and that mountain range, this volcano can erupt at any time."

The room felt warmer as he spoke, as if the heat of that day had followed his words.

"Its eruption was not normal. It was accidental." He shook his head once, slow and firm. "If it had erupted, many people would have died. We did not even have time to evacuate the kingdom. And we would not have been able to do so."

His hand rose, palm up, as if trying to measure the impossible scale of it. "It would have taken three days to evacuate that kingdom, that too if we worked non-stop. Maybe even more."

He drew in a steady breath, his voice lowering. "But according to the scientists, this volcano was going to erupt tomorrow or this evening. That is why Eram had sent us there to help."

"We were standing there at the foot of that mountain." Seroi's voice slowed, his eyes narrowing as if seeing the slope again. The faint smell of ash seemed to cling to his memory. "Our plan was to go to the mountain next to that mountain and use earth magic to create a wall around the volcano kingdom." His hands moved slightly apart, shaping the idea in the air.

"At that time, magicians were not very powerful. If they were, we would have created a wall around the entire kingdom." He exhaled, almost as if regretting the limits of that era. "Our plan was to stop the lava from reaching the kingdom with the help of that high wall."

He adjusted his posture, leaning back, before his gaze lifted again. "That's why we started climbing the mountain next to the volcano. Vehicles could not go there. There was a steep slope and a walking path." His fingers made a small climbing motion, and his jaw tightened. "We somehow reached halfway. The forest was very dense. Nothing was visible for a long distance."

Ren could picture the thick green walls swallowing their view, the air heavy with damp soil and the faint tang of sulfur.

"We did not know much about the path either. But because of the earth mage, we somehow reached halfway. He would lift the ground up and find the way from below it and from the height." Seroi's tone carried faint admiration for the mage's skill.

"This is how we were going. We thought of taking rest in between, everyone was tired." His shoulders eased slightly as if remembering the relief of sitting down. "We also had some food and a tent with us. In case it rains or someone falls ill."

Seroi's eyes half-closed as if he were looking back in time. His voice carried a slow weight when he spoke.

"We kept moving after that… and a few steps ahead, the trees began to thin. The air opened up, and there it was a small patch of grass hidden between the slopes. It was the only open space we'd seen for hours."

He made a small gesture with his hand, tracing the size in the air. "It wasn't large. Just enough for three tents. The grass was short and soft, with little yellow flowers swaying. You could hear the wind there, not just the forest breathing around you."

Ren leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, listening in silence. Elara's gaze flicked between Seroi's hands and his face.

"We decided to rest there. Everyone's legs were heavy. Our backs were slick with sweat. The mage knelt first, pressing his palm to the earth. He said it was solid enough to hold our tents. So we set down our packs." Seroi's fingers mimicked the motion of unfastening straps.

"I remember the sound of the tents unfolding… the rustle of canvas, the clink of iron pegs against rock under the grass. We worked in silence, only the wind moving between us."

He paused, his brows drawing tight. "But then… the ground spoke."

Ren tilted his head. "Spoke?"

Seroi nodded slowly. "A deep rumble, low and stretched, came from below our feet. At first, I thought it was my heart pounding in my ears. But then the grass began to shiver. The pegs in my hand trembled like they wanted to escape."

Elara's hand instinctively brushed the dirt at her side.

"The earth moved in waves… not a violent jolt, but a rolling, twisting pull, like the mountain itself was stretching after a long sleep. We stumbled. One of the men fell against his tent frame. The mage's eyes went wide. I could see the reflection of fear in them."

Seroi's voice lowered. "We all knew what it meant. The volcano… it was waking up. It wasn't the kind of tremor that passes. It was the kind that warns you there's no more time."

He leaned back, his fingers curling slightly, as if holding onto something unseen. "That was the moment we realized the mountain would not wait for us to be ready."

His brow furrowed. "The ground shook stronger. We could hear rocks tumbling somewhere above us. The trees swayed, and the soil under our boots cracked."

Seroi paused, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes distant. "We had no real plan left. The wall we wanted to make… we couldn't able to make it. We knew it. But we couldn't just stand there and watch. So we did the only thing we could think of we gave everything we had to our earth mage. Every last bit of mana. Maybe… maybe if we tried together…"

His voice trailed off, his jaw tightening. "Nothing. The ground didn't rise high enough. The cracks kept coming. And then… it happened."

Seroi's eyes lowered to the table, the reflection of something seen in his eyes through that glass slab located on the table.

"The volcano erupted. The sky turned black with smoke. We could feel the heat even from where we were. Each second… felt heavier than the last. We were safe where we stood, high enough to be out of the lava's path, but the kingdom below…"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.