The silence was broken by the footsteps echoing from the edge of the temple.

My head turned to look at the source of the sound.

A man wearing white robes, along with several embroideries depicting holiness, came with a tray in his hand. His eyes were calm and gentle as he continued to walk forward with soft steps. His white beard at the end, tied by a blue band, gave him an old yet classical look.

As he reached near, the old priest watched the figures resting behind with his brows raised and mumbled.

"They fell asleep?"

He sounded bewildered. But it didn't last long, as he turned his head to look at me, perhaps sensing my gaze.

His face then instantly relaxed, losing that bewildered look with surprising ease.

"I have brought snacks."

With a faint smile he addressed me, Anny and Enzo.

For a moment no one said anything. It was a surprise. We didn't expect the priest to return back, not so soon.

However, it didn't matter. Anny stood up gracefully and seamlessly, and as she took a step forward, her left hand moved back secretly, handing me the book back. I smiled, storing it inside at the same time. It happened instantly, so the old priest didn't notice.

"You didn't need to do this, sir."

She said politely, getting a chuckle out of the priest.

"It's alright. Your captain has gone through the trouble of participating in a sudden war and you all also heard my story. This is the least I can do."

"...Let me help."

Anny said, taking the tray from the old priest without any delay. The priest didn't resist as he let go of the tray from his hands. Then, as if in the queue, he took a seat not far away from us.

I waited as she placed the tray on the table, placing four cups out while the others were toppled by the tray. It was not something many could have helped with at once. So I let Anny take the lead. Not long after she was done and took a seat beside me.

I raised my hand and grabbed one of the teacups and passed it to Anny as she leaned forward and then did the same for the old priest.

"Oh, thank you, you two."

"No problem!" I replied before taking a sip.

Enzo promptly joined without making a sound. The air surrounding him remained thick and tense as he looked lost in thought. Not long after he opened his mouth before sliding his bangs behind his ears.

"Sir, I have been wandering about something for a while now. This Temple is different from any other Temple I had seen before… I am not talking about just the flowers growing outside; I mean those rings surrounding the goddess star."

'Hmm? That's a good question. I wanted to ask this as well.'

I didn't hide my interest as the question was left hanging in the air. I leaned forward and gave the old priest a long gaze as he now remained silent.

The distance between us should be considerably close by now. The priest was of a warm and welcoming nature to begin with so we could ask questions or just lead the conversation without much effort and not look suspicious.

However, his next word took all of us aback.

"I don't know." The priest spoke with a candid look on his face.

"What?"

I let out a dumbfounded voice, not expecting this.

He shrugged his shoulders, showing he truly had no idea about the origin of the rings circling around the star.

I frowned.

He looked knowledgeable and experienced. I could have vouched for it before, as he had told us so much without hesitation or any lapse in memory. But now? I wasn't so sure.

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But then—

"I am not aware of where the rings come from."

The priest again spoke with a calm expression as he looked up. Our gaze followed as we looked up at the star hovering in the heart of the temple. Glowing like real stars and even rotating slightly if one watched with patience. However, the numerous large interconnected rings surrounding it looked dull.

In a sense they didn't seem to fit together as one would expect. But I also thought they looked good together, as if the rings were…

"This temple is actually very old."

The trails of my thought broke as the priest again spoke with a clear voice. This time I couldn't sense any nostalgia present in his voice. So, his words felt more like passed knowledge rather than experience.

'How old can it really even be? Surely not more than two centuries.'

"From what I have found out, it existed just after the start of the New World era."

"Huh?"

'Wait, what did he just say?'

The priest paused and looked at us. Not just me; even Enzo and Anny were looking at him with eyes wide open and mouths left agape. The shock was evident on our surprised face.

I craned my head back and again took a look at the serenity of the temple. The spires visible outside, the intricate design and the cold stone flooring.

'Surely… it's not that old?'

"So this temple is almost ten thousand years old?"

I heard a gasp beside me and saw Anny's reverent face. She was placing her hand to cover her lips; the awe was visible through her eyes, almost dazzling with the starlight on the ceiling.

I licked my lips, ready to ask something but stopped seeing the priest speak once again.

"It is old but only partially. I have heard about it history but no one knows the reason behind those rings. This temple has crumbled and been rebuilt several times since the East Kalista started operating under this base. Some portions were remade from the old materials, while others were made with new ones. However, it's a complete replica of the original."

"Ah, that makes sense."

Even the ruins deep underground couldn't withstand the long time and had rotted and turned into dens for monsters to inhabit. This happened even after they remained underground for a long time. So how could this temple have survived?

In any case, such a thing didn't happen. The temple had fallen long ago and now what remained was nothing but a past image made by those who had seen and heard a little regarding the real thing.

Therefore, I couldn't think of it as ancient as it was supposed to be.

"This place still existed even before Kalista itself existed; that's a crazy thing to think about." I mumbled, feeling small in front of the huge amount of time that has washed around the temple, making it ancient history.

"Can you tell a little more? I am interested in history." I asked, with my hands held together above my lap. I have already pushed the cup aside after taking a big sip.

The old priest chuckled, his gaze moving from me to look at the star. He licked his lips and placed one hand above his heart, doing a small prayer all of a sudden.

No one said a thing. The only sound that entered our ears was the 'hum' sound coming from the priest's closed lips and the wind pressing on us through the open windows.

Besides those sounds, the faint smell of tea whisked in my nostril along with the pleasant smell of flowers growing in abundance outside.

'I want to sit outside now.'

I thought, feeling a sudden urge to relax but that was not possible.

The only reason this place was warm was due to the star above us. Without it the outside was cold and not welcoming to those who wish to sit outside and relax.

'Ah, my mood is starting to sour now.'

I shook my head at such nonsensical thoughts.

Suddenly my gaze went up and I saw the old priest standing up with a firm gaze.

"Wait for a moment. I will be back in a minute."

He said before walking ahead with calm steps, seeming in no hurry. His hair dull and long, showing his old age, was testament to the time he has spent in the temple as he walked straight toward a door to the right of the altar with a star and rings pattern marked upon it.

"Where did he go?" Anny muttered with a puzzled look.

I shrugged.

"No idea."

"Sigh, I will go sleep for a while as well." Enzo muttered while looking at me with a tired gaze. The circles under his eyes seem to have darkened slightly; however, he didn't seem to mind them.

"Alright."

I nodded as he walked toward the corner where his friends were sleeping. He stared at them for a moment and then slumped at the side, pushing Summer a little aside with a swift push. She groaned at the sudden change in her posture. Her eyes briefly opened and saw Enzo's face. She muttered something under her breath, still half asleep. I couldn't hear it but seeing Enzo's lips twitch, I could tell it was just her regular swearing, even in sleep.

He placed his head on the side between their clothes to use as a cushion and closed his eyes. Not long after, his breathing slowed as he took small breaths.

'He is a quick sleeper.'

I thought before feeling the presence of someone coming closer.

The priest had arrived quickly, like he said.

Seeing Enzo asleep, he paused before chuckling to himself.

"I was looking for this book." The priest told us as he again took a seat in front of me.

"I have never dived into history much myself. But I think it's time to take a look."

"Everything has its time." I answered with a smile of my own.

"It sure has, haha."

Anny listened from the sidelines, quietly sipping on her tea and taking small bites from the snacks present on the bench.

The priest took out his gold-rimmed glasses from the pocket hidden beneath his robes and placed them on the bridge of his nose.

"Let's see." He muttered, placing his finger on the old, worn pages of the book with a faint smile.

"The temple existed for a long time and seemed to have been made during the end of the old world and the prelude to the new one when the old civilization ended. Those who survived and were natives of this place had used this as their sanctum to survive the dreadful creature roaming outside… However, they all met their dooms, one by one, as the temple was safe, not outside."

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