The Life I Gained From Dying

Chapter 46 - The Fall of Aestus Part I

4 Days Later

The First Day of Winter.

Along the shoreline of the underground lake in Aestus stood Elder Alexander as he watched on as nearly twenty bubbles ascended to the surface.

"You truly believe that Ignus will make their move today, brother Alex?" Faye questioned as she walked up beside him.

"I'm certain." Alex confidently replied.

"May I ask from where does this certainty stem from?"

"... Let's call it my old man intuition."

Among the rising bubbles was one that contained Elder Aira and Kenzo. Maleah would be the only Elder joining the guards on the surface as she was the most capable fighter amongst the council.

"How old are you, Kenzo?" Maleah questioned.

"Twenty-five ma'am."

"Both you and Mai are far too young to know about 'the Salvage'."

"Pardon me?"

"The Salvage is an event that happens in Aestus every fifty years. If, by chance, it fails to happen, then Aestus would surely meet its end."

"If you may, Elder Aira, what is the Salvage?" Kenzo questioned with growing curiosity.

"Well, as you know, our beautiful home exists in a rather strange location. Under a floating lake. Do you know how it became that way?"

"The Leviathan, right ma'am?"

"Correct. The Leviathan made this place as somewhat of a sanctuary after the fierce battle it endured against the Phoenix. Only one of the great deities could have created such a place as Aestus. The amount of essence used to keep the entire lake floating is incomprehensible. However, the Leviathan made a rather powerful rune that does just that. On its own, that rune keeps the entirety of this lake suspended above Aestus."

"So if anything were to happen to that rune, Aestus would be destroyed."

"Once we keep any potential threat outside of Aestus, then that shouldn't be an issue." Maleah replied. "The biggest problem we face is that after fifty years, the rune becomes unstable and eventually withers away on its own. To prevent that from happening, an event takes place every fifty years called the Salvage. During the occasion, the Leviathan itself would arise and repair the fading rune before it crumbles away."

"Well then, when was the last Salvage?" Kenzo questioned.

"Fourty-eight years ago. I was only fourteen at the time, but I will always remember for as long as I live, the truly astonishing scene I witnessed that day."

"Forgive me ma'am, but what is the relevance of you telling me this now?"

"The closer we get to that fifty year mark, the weaker the rune becomes."

All of the ascending bubbles one by one begin to emerge onto the surface.

"It's typically during the winter season where we see the most degradation take place." Maleah continued. "Brother Alex suspects that Ignus knows this, which is why we're expecting an attack today."

"But how would they know something like that?" Kenzo asked, pondering to himself.

The water began to recede from around them, exposing them to the outside air. Elder Aira displayed a rather intense look while keeping eye contact with Kenzo the entire time.

"... You think there's someone within Aestus who's leaking information." Kenzo concluded.

"I trust you, Kenzo, but I am currently re-evaluating just who all I can say that to. Be careful who you're giving information to."