Chronicles of the Lost (Volume 1)

Chapter 14 -A Different Result-

The next morning, everyone was immediately back on the road. They drove their way southeast once more in order to reach their destination, which was previously blocked by the agency. Thanks to Adam being found however, the search for him was called off, and the path to Seilahu was now open to Kay and his friends. As Kyle stopped the carrier just outside of a large forest of trees, everyone stared ahead.

"We'll have to go on foot from here."

Doctrene said as he proceeded to get up from his seat and leave the carrier. Kay and everyone else followed him out. After bypassing what seemed like an endless collage of trees, they arrived at what appeared to be a stone wall full of holes.

"Is this the place?"

Kay asked, staring up at the wall. Doctrene nodded his head gently.

"Yes. This, is Seilahu."

The outer walls of Seilahu were beyond destroyed. They were in shambles, with most of them either being chipped, or had collapsed all together. As everyone continued to stare up at the fragmented stone wall, they were shocked by the level of devastation just on the outside alone.

"So it is still here."
"But there ain't much left of it."
"I, didn't think it would be this bad..."
"He's thorough, I'll give him that..."

After Kyle, Buch, Alan and Class all gave their input on the current state of the ancient city, Doctrene took a step forward towards the entrance.

"In order to locate a Feather Veil we'll need to reach the training grounds which is in the center of Seilahu. But since this city is now barren, some of the surrounding wild life may have taken refuge in it. Let's proceed with caution."
"Alright. To the training grounds we go."

Kay declared as they all started walking through the entrance, next to which a wooden door laid, shattered and broken. The inside of Seilahu was where the destruction could really be highlighted. Countless cobblestone buildings and structures all laid in ruin, and even the ground itself had craters in them. Kay looked over at what was clearly someone's coat, flapping in the wind as it hung from the corner of one of the buildings. This sight alone painted a gruesome picture of what could have happened. Kay frowned, continuing to walk forward. As Buch placed his hand on a stone pillar, it collapsed, causing him to back away in haste.

"Careful. A lot of these structures are fragile, and could collapse at a moment's notice."

Doctrene said as he gazed at some of the surrounding buildings. Alan was doing the same, his expression that of fear and sorrow. The amount of power his father was capable of started to sink into his head more and more.

"I can't believe dad could do something like this..."
"I can..."

Class mumbled in a soft tone, as she picked up a ripped piece of cloth. Kyle took off his glasses and started cleaning them, before putting them back on.

"And to think, this was 30 years ago..."
"Turalan was exceedingly more aggressive with his abilities back then. Not nearly as precise as he is now. Though I never bore witness to its destruction, seeing my old school in such a ruined state..."

Everyone sadly glanced over at Doctrene who was looking downward in a dejected manner. Kay, more so than anyone, felt guilty about this, since he brought up the idea of using magic to reach Turalan.

"Doctrene...I'm sorry...I didn't even stop to think that coming here might effect you like this."
"No, you did nothing wrong, Kay."

Doctrene looked at his student with certainty in his eyes.

"Whatever means that will allow us to reach Turalan, we must seek it out."

Seeing his teacher's unshakable will, Kay nodded his head, his eyes now reflecting that very same will. Alan and the others now had the same look in their eyes, as they continued onward through the desolate city. A bear casually walks by, as the group eventually arrived at an area which resembled a plaza. There was a tree in the middle, with mats on the floor which looked like they were for seating. There were also facilities which had wooden staffs, wooden swords and other types of training tools scattered around them. Though the facilities were also in bad condition, most of them were still standing. This was undoubtedly the training grounds of Seilahu.