Artemis Unveiled:The Descent

Untitled Part 51: Arena of Asura

As they left the hall, Aria followed Neven to the gates of the royal city. Caravans transporting grain were constantly arriving.

Neven tore open a bag, revealing it was full of autumn wheat.

"The winters in the barrier are too long. Autumn wheat can only be harvested once a year. Quinn has given us all their reserves, but it won't last long." He sighed and directed the soldiers to park the carts in the clearing.

"But how do the Aether people have so much grain?" Aria asked.

"Who knows?"

"Where is their territory?"

Neven shrugged. "No one knows. Rumor has it the Aether people live in another world. I tried asking that girl once, but she wouldn't tell me, even though we were good friends."

Hearing Neven mention the Aether girl, Aria felt a pang of jealousy, clenching her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

"Why do we need so much grain?" Aria asked, her voice tinged with a barely noticeable tension.

Neven explained, "Sage Solon is preparing for a major battle. He believes the increased activity of the Night Ghouls could be a sign that the seal is weakening." Though his tone was calm, his eyes betrayed a hint of worry. "If the seal is indeed weakening, the demons will become even more rampant. We need to be ready, even if it doesn't happen right away."

"The seal is weakening?" Aria was incredulous. "How long do we have until it disappears?" She stared at Neven, as if waiting for him to admit it was a joke.

"It could be a year, ten years, or a hundred years. Even Sage Solon doesn't know the exact time." Neven continued, "But the Lunar King and the court elders are against approaching the seal. They've asked Sage Solon to avoid disturbing the demons. If those things are angered, the Moon Tower would be defenseless."

"But hasn't the seal been in place for thousands of years?" Aria asked, frowning, her doubts growing stronger. She recalled the powerful force at the seal's location, feeling a vague sense of unease.

Neven answered solemnly, "It's only a matter of time. When the demigods set up the barrier here, it was foretold that the seal would eventually be broken. It's a catastrophe for us, but it has no effect outside the barrier."

"Why didn't the demigods evacuate everyone before casting the barrier?"

"Maybe there wasn't enough time, or they simply didn't care." Neven pursed his lips, furrowing his brow. "The Lunar Essence Clan was abandoned by the demigods. The mortals of Shadowvale have long turned to dust, and our fate was sealed two hundred years ago."

The last convoy carried full loads of weapons, with carts filled with swords and crossbows. Each sword had a groove at the hilt where a Soul Stone could be embedded when the Lunar Essence Clan switched weapons. In the camp at the Soulless Marsh, there was a forge where Soul Stones could be re-embedded into new weapons under the roaring flames. Of course, the snake archers led by Thorne didn't have such complexities; they simply discarded and replaced broken bows.

At that moment, a little boy jumped down from a cart, handing Neven a black jasmine flower. Neven took the flower, his expression darkening.

"What happened?" Aria asked, watching the boy run off. The fragrance was captivating; black jasmine was very rare in the cold north.

Neven smiled faintly, bitterness evident. "Remember when I was infected with heart-eating worms? I promised the Snake Queen a favor. Now it's time to fulfill that promise." He said, "The black jasmine is her token. She's quick with her news; we just returned to the Moon Tower."