Death's End

Chapter 8 - Conspiracy

"If Aderis managed to initiate the Ritual of Keys, the End Times will befall us all."

The whistling wind of the summit that past travellers would have gladly relished felt strangely frigid to the trio. It was as if a diabolical curse had been unleashed upon the air with Alvaro's last phrase, sending a chill down the listeners' spines.

Zenvix broke the ensuing silence. "End Times...? You mean-"

"The end of the world, yes." Alvaro said gravely. "But not in the way you understand."

"Do explain more," Dylas said.

"To understand the Demon's Seduction, you need to first understand the Ritual of Keys. The aim of the Ritual is to disconnect the Living Realm from the Spiritual Realm. To achieve this, it involves the destruction of five keys. Qosh'Rah being the first, Nox second, Ceil third, The Guild fourth, and The Strange Village being last. However, their destruction alone will not achieve the aim of the Ritual -

"And that's where the power of Demon's Seduction is needed," Sir Dylas surmised.

Alvaro nodded. "Severing the connection between the Living Realm and the Spiritual Realm occurs on two levels. By destroying the five keys, Aderis is abolishing the outer layer of protection, also known as the act of corporeal severance. Thereafter, he will use the dark artifact's power to eradicate the final layer, enacting ethereal severance, which will disconnect the two realms for good."

"Hold up - I get that the realms will disconnect, but so what? How does that lead to your supposed Ragnarok?" Yurisviel questioned.

Alvaro's eyebrows furrowed and he let out a sigh. "That's where my knowledge becomes murkier. What I do know is this‒Ssshouldhould The Ritual of Keys is intended to disconnect the living from the spiritual realms. Should the realms disconnect, it will be an affront to the natural order. Think of it this way...souls are not meant to stay in the world of the living. There must be a critical reason for that. "

"If they are unable to make passage to the spiritual realm because of Aderis's actions, I shudder to think what's going to happen to them."

"Or rather, what's going to happen to us," Zenvix interjected as he stood up. "All the more we should get going. The sooner we put an end to his scheme, the better."

As the regiment made its way down Merchant's Hill, Zenvix observed his surroundings, assimilating the subtle beauty of the hill. Awash with lush greenery as far as the eyes can see, it comes alive with the occasional striking colors of vermilion, sunshine golden, lapis lazuli and more born out of the myriad species of flowers grown within this verdant landscape. Among the trees, squirrels darted across branches nipping pieces of sweet fruit in their mouths while a chorus of chirps sounded from birds taking flight. It is a beautiful sight to behold - more so since he rarely stepped foot in Merchant's Hill.

Much of Zenvix's life was spent on honing his battle craft, training and matters of the Court‒there was little time for adventurous exploration, but due to his status as heir to the Nighvictorian throne, even he had to be schooled on knowledge of the known world.

Merchant's Hill was so named because it often served as the final landmark for merchants to traverse before reaching Ceil, the City of Order. These merchants hail from a number of prosperous western nations such as Kemta and Marda, with their close proximity to the Sea of Great Beyond.

Being in advantageous locations, Kemta and Marda enjoyed bustling sea trade with exotic settlements across the sea. Add to that the abundance of sea produce, and it became little wonder why these merchants have much to offer. The likes of luscious seafood, rare treasures, artifacts, equipment and more were often brought to Ceil via bulky carriages to sell and barter.