Ruins In The End (We Three Mages, Book Two)

Chapter Thirty: One Final Message

All at the same time, the spaces around the five shattered and they all found themselves in the same room. The room was lined with silver and black bricks. The alternating pattern only stopped when it reached the ceiling which was a glass dome to allow the light in. There were numerous tables, papers, and books scattered all around them. In front, behind, to the left, and to the right were hallways that lead to different parts of the temple.

"Guys!" Devin shouted happily.

"That was..." Mari wasn't sure how to describe the experience they all just had.

"Weird?" Jared tried to fill in the blank.

"Awesome?" Calvin took a swing at it.

"Incredible," Nadia summed it all up.

"But did he really have to separate us like that?" Mari asked.

"Something we should have asked," Calvin agreed. "But honestly, it was probably easier for him, not having to deal with us all at once."

"Besides, I think there were things he had to say us one on one." Nadia elaborated.

"Yeah, but come on, it's not like he actually answered any of our questions," Mari said.

"He called me a Hero of Legend when I asked him my role!" Calvin raised his hand eagerly. "You all hear that? I'm a hero." He puffed out his just and did his best heroic face. All he got was a room full of laughter.

"So then you guys do have your own little roles along with us," Jared smiled. "What did he say about you Dev?"

"Huh, what?" Devin snapped back to reality. Aftemath's words had been on replay since they were spoken.

"What did the big man tell you?" Jared asked again.

"Oh, that, uh, I'm destined to become someone really strong," Devin vaguely explained.

"Oh come on, there's got to more to it than that," Calvin edged him on.

"He, he told me that I'm supposed to fulfill my dream of making the Forbidden magic usable by us regular mages." Devin complied.

"But you would have done that regardless of what Aftemath said," Nadia noted. "So why would he tell you that?"

"There's still something isn't there?" Mari looked at Devin.

"It's not what he said about me, he's how he told it," Devin finally said. "It was like he was repeating something that he had already been told."

"It did seem that way at times," Jared agreed.

"Yeah, like did you guys notice that anytime he said the word 'Legend' the geezer's voice was a bit off? Like was fuzzy or something?" Calvin asked.

"Now that you mention it..." Mari thought back on their conversation.

"There has to be a reason for it, right?" Jared asked. Everyone's heads turned to look at Nadia who already had the gears turning in her brain.

"Everything was clear...fuzzy...was confused with legend..." She mumbled to herself. She then started to pace back and forth, thinking even harder. "Ancient Tongue!" She suddenly shouted.

"What?" Mari recovered from the shock for Nadia's sudden outburst.

"Our Books are written in the Ancient Tongue, Language, however you want to put it. Which means that was what Aftemath was speaking when he was talking to us since he wrote the Books right?" Nadia quickly started to explain. Without waiting for an answer she continued, "Also, Aftemath seemed genuinely confused when we referred to ourselves as Mages of Legend. Like that wasn't what he was expecting."