Death's End

Chapter 19 - Shadowy City

Jerius darted his eyes, taking in everything. The descending staircase hidden behind the wall of the strategy room was designed by someone different from that who built the Administrator's Hall. It seemed to be conceived elsewhere, and connected to the Administrator's Hall after an indeterminable period of time to facilitate easy access.

While the Administrator's Hall was well ordered, brightly lit and maintained, the hidden stairways plunged into the dark labyrinthine depths of an underground world beneath the Guild. After descending, they reached a small space that split up to multiple shadowy pathways. Kas was there to lead Mirayoung and Jerius. Otherwise, the shifting pathways would make it impossible for them to find the correct path as only those marked for entry by the administrator would know the right branch.

Carrying Gegak on his back, Jerius did his best to ignore the strong smell of the ocean. In his entire life, he had only rode out to the open sea once. That one-time expedition across the Sea of Great Beyond six years ago saw his distaste for the sea fester for a long time. It was on a Noxarian's ocean-going ship, which had the unfortunate fate of facing the wrath of a storm.

As he tailed behind Kas and Mirayoung in the shadowy pathway, his mind drifted deeper in his seafaring experience. He remembered the loud crack in the air as if a godly entity were striking an anvil in the sky, and the thunderous roar of the wind. He remembered the fleeing gulls drifting overhead in the yonder from the sudden storm, and the salty taste in the air. And most of all, he remembered laying stretched on the ship deck, overwhelmed with seasickness, while Zenvix and the other crews looked sympathetically.

He remembered he hated the open sea, and still hated it today. But despite that, he held Gegak firm behind his back, never faltering.

The end of the alley opened up to a meandering path of at least twenty metres with four doors at the end. Massive ponds flanked the path, in whose dark waters mysterious creatures swam.

Kas looked completely unperturbed, whistling as he ambled down the single path. Mirayoung followed suit without a word, while Jerius, being the only person among the trio to step foot here for the first time, trekked carefully. He eyed the water time and again, concerned about his balance while keeping an incantation at the front of his mind.

There was an ancient dampness that made him as uncomfortable as the open sea, and Jerius concluded he was someone who preferred dry land, especially given his ineptness at swimming as well.

Keen to distract himself, he said, "What's this place? An underground city beneath the Guild had escaped even my wildest imagination."

"You have much to learn about the Guild. Reyelor Parora, the founder of the Guild built this place," Mirayoung said. "A very wise man, he was known for his flawless and eerily accurate divinations. In one of those, he predicted a major calamity would befall Elaria long after his passing, threatening to destroy much of the world and the Guild. This shadowy city beneath the Guild was his answer...a place that houses and protects, so that we can live to fight another day."

Kas added on, "Aye. His brilliant mind oversaw the engineering marvels of this place. The shifting alleys, entirely by the will of the administrator, were one such example to defend it from being attacked. Going down the wrong path would trap them within a maze, where extrication becomes difficult. There are a total of six entrances, each of which is guarded by these shifting pathways."

"Most within the Guild know this place as Reyelor's Umbra or the dark land that hides those it seeks to protect," Mirayoung said. "There's more we can talk about but think of it as a gigantic rune that bends to the will of the Guild, in the protection of her people if such a need ever comes."