"After the world went into chaos and countless countries vanished, however, some people still survived."

"Those who survived will go through hell. As life was nowhere left to be seen. The only place that remained was a sanctuary given by a goddess. Those who stayed there lived to tell the tale for a day more than they were supposed to live."

The old priest said, holding his breath.

A vivid picture was soon drawn in the minds of listeners. A scene from ancient history, a place where no man could survive. That was the type of place Kalista was supposed to be.

The only thing that made the difference now was that the Temple sanctum, which has allowed some humans to tell their stories for a day longer, has expanded both metaphorically and physically.

The walls of Kalista—all three walls—were now a sanctum that allowed the humans residing there to live for a day more. Without them, no one could clearly survive this place. Right now the only influx of creatures that attacked this place was in the thousands. That was only possible due to the fact that several legions regularly ventured into the dead zones, clearing the area. This was without a doubt an expansion of human territory.

However, Asher could not be sure for how long this might work.

The wars waged here were getting longer and much deadlier in scale.

Asher remembered when he first arrived here, the number of monsters that he saw was no more than a hundred, or, if unlucky even two hundred or something. But now it was incredibly different.

New monsters keep appearing one after another.

This felt the same as the history being told by the old priest.

'If this continues, we might become the history itself. The only difference will be that no one will be left to tell our tale.'

A small, self-deprecating laugh escaped Asher's lips. He realized that his thoughts were not very far from reality.

He remained silent as he leaned back, listening to the history being recited by the old priest.

It continued for a while as Asher in between asked about questions regarding the lands here. No matter how much he ventured, the place seemed to never end.

But it was also true no one has gone to the dead zone depths.

After all the monsters, the calamities that people thought were nothing but myths slept there.

It wasn't long after that the conversation started to die down.

Most of the text the old priest seems to be reading came from old stories and less proof. Most historians had spent centuries and decades searching for clues regarding the old world but found nothing, as the ruins, the only proof remaining of their existence, were too damaged to study or too dangerous to venture inside.

To show that even further, even the names of the four empires were never known.

Asher was interested in knowing about them; however, he remained ignorant of where to look for them. After all there was an organization roaming freely outside with a history extending to the time of the old world. The last time he heard about them was in Atlas and according to Morgana, they were starting to get more active.

The followers of Kaizer, who in reality followed the lost prince.

'What do they even call themselves? I am sure that name is given to unaware servants of their.'

Asher tilted his head with a puzzled look.

'They surely don't go ahead calling themselves like that, right?' He cringed thinking as such and shook his head, sitting straight.

"Oh, this is something new." Suddenly the old priest mumbled.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

'Hmm?'

Asher raised his head and looked at the man with a strange gaze.

"This place… When the temple was first discovered, ancient words were carved into its walls. Most have been lost to time, but with the effort of many historians, a single sentence was finally deciphered."

"What sentence?" Asher asked curiously.

Anny leaned as well, listening carefully.

The old priest closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply before speaking with a heavy voice.

"...We saw the light."

***

I sighed as I walked out of the temple.

The streets had finally started to fill up with people. The sight was astonishing to watch as I heard soldiers chatter and the merchants and caravan noises moving around.

I watched the scene unfold before me with a dazed look.

Who would believe that for the last two days the streets had remained empty and silent like an abandoned village? But now it was so crowded that I felt overwhelmed after a long time.

I looked back to see the temple and the surrounding silverish glow around it. As the flowers were in touch with the temple, the wind would wash over them, making the petals dance and the amaranth glow.

I stared at the serene scene for a few moments before turning around and walking away.

I thought about meeting Clonas one last time but then shook my head, deciding against it.

I have already told him what needed to be done, and there was also the fact that the more I was seen with him, the more obvious my plan might become.

That could be dangerous. Not just for me but for everyone.

My steps were staggered, feeling heavy for reasons only I could know.

My mind was a web of thoughts, thinking about many things.

The time has yet to come for the fateful day, yet I found my heart sinking deeply.

I wanted to see my plan come to fruition. However, an uncertainty was brushing on my heart. Gripping tightly, so much so that I once again realized that the one I had planned against was not a beast, an awakened, or even a transcendent.

The one whom I had conspired against was a calamity.

I…

I have gone crazy.

Two days have passed, and nothing has been done yet. We need to start doing something, anything at all.

In the end I had many things to deal with. And not so much tight.

"Let's get this over with." I muttered to myself and looked at the streets as the voices around me pulled my attention back.

The temple has already vanished from sight; however, I could still see a faint glow in the air. On the way to the glow, a group of people were walking. They looked like travelers coming from afar, probably to bring supplies and buy things that were only available here.

However, the group's attention was spanned for far too long at the faint glow in the air.

Then one of them came forward, meeting my eyes. It was a young boy the same age as me. He looked like a seasoned traveler who had climbed through mountains and treacherous lands several times to come here. On his back he was carrying a large bag along with his several companions.

I stood still, meeting his brown eyes as he approached with calm steps and a polite smile. He stopped a few feet away, his voice carrying a hint of confusion.

"Hello, sir. What's with the crowd today? It feels even busier than usual."

I maintained an expressionless face, keeping my guard up. My gaze shifted slightly to look at the corner and saw the group one last time before facing the man again.

'Seven, huh.' I counted and answered back with a stoic voice and faint smile.

"Two days ago the monsters had attacked so a lot of people were unable to go out of their place to watch that thing." I pointed toward the temple, where the faint glow was coming from.

The man frowned and tilted his head to the side.

"I have heard about those attacks. I and my group had come here several times in the past but we never saw this many people gather after the waves of monsters left." The man paused looking down and then again asked with a puzzled look.

"What is everyone here to see?"

"The flowers."

I answered as if it were a matter of fact.

Due to the sudden wave of monsters, people had rushed to safe areas and were unable to look at the temple properly for long. This has caused a high number to visit today to watch the ethereal glow the temple had surrounded itself in.

"Those flowers in the temple? While they are pretty, I don't think it's enough of a reason for so many to go there."

I sighed and then looked up to answer with a faint smile, remembering the story behind those flowers.

'I wonder who they are a gift to?'

I probably knew the answer but didn't want to accept that yet.

Maybe someday… But not today.

"The flowers have bloomed."

***

As Asher continued to move forward, he soon reached the giant gates held by the great walls.

This was his destination for now. Next he needed to go somewhere deeper and darker.

Somewhere no one wanted to go. But they were still needed.

Not long after his arrival, silhouettes began appearing one after another. Each one was familiar to him—they were his companions. They came at different times, wandering the city in small groups, indulging in the fleeting comfort of ordinary life before they had to face the horrors waiting outside.

Seeing them suddenly, Asher remembered one more person, someone he had traveled along with Anny and Liber. He felt it was a pity that Gian was not here but also relieved that at least one friend was safe from this place. Though Asher knew Gian had gone somewhere with his mercenary friends. Whether he was safe or not, he could not know.

Just as Asher was about to greet his incoming friends, he paused, sensing a presence behind him. From the corner of his eyes he saw a small light appear at a dark corner. The light took the form of a young man with a star symbol on his chest.

He just looked at Asher for a few seconds before vanishing again in the blink of an eye.

Asher sighed and clenched his fist.

"Let's begin."

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