A Demon's Heart.

Chapter thirty-nine: Warm Shelter

               At midnight, a shadow woke up Aliana and Mirghreel, it was Asleroth. "Wake up. Quickly!" The duo woke up. "What is happening?" Aliana asked, yawning. "We have to get out of here, the pillar got a bit thicker, and the forces expanded to the borders between Tillofellghen and Vandelia, we need to leave, now." Mirghreel looked at the demon and said. "He is right, this river is near the borders, as this town, we would be killed in no time if we stay here!" The three of them got up, Asleroth went to scout out ahead, the invasion was closer and closer, the duo remained close to each other, stealthily walking around, not trying to make noise.... Until a ball of fire dropped in a house next to the Inn. It was beginning. Out of nowhere strange warriors in purple armor started rushing through the town, killing some villagers, homeless, they had no mercy, even at midnight the town was lively, thanks to the thieves and other criminals.... The townspeople was now being slaughtered, some got out of their houses screaming to escape, others were killed at their doorways while other were burning and falling to the ground in terror. Others surrendered to rapidly get stabbed in the guts. Other ran and managed to escape just to be lit in fire by a fireball when they were far enough.

                Aliana knew they couldn't kill her, even if it was inevitable, so the duo ran as Asleroth started fighting of some forces at the other side of town. The duo started moving between houses, hearing screams, sobs, crying, it was a nightmare.... When they managed to get between two small houses, both of them were completely set on fire.... Asleroth quickly lent a helping hand, he vanished, appeared next to the duo, grabbed them, and moved near the exit.... It was dangerous to use demonic powers at this point but these forces were ruthless, they didn't hesitate to kill children, women.... And that's when it happened. When the three of them were far enough from town, a shining light from the sky was sent to the town, vaporizing the forces, extinguishing the fire and ending the chaos.... The duo felt relieved, although this mystery was one that they wouldn't forget.... They traveled south again, they were in danger, so they didn't stop in the immediate town of Zibo, exactly next to the river, and instead they continued west, to the small to the almost abandoned town of Olo. It was sunrise once again, and the suns started to shine.... To be covered in the darkness of the Pillar for a few hours.... It was night again, like an eclipse. Olo was a small town in the foot of the volcano, it was a bit higher than most places in the province, so the view was spectacular to some, but deathly to others. The town was exposed to emissions from the volcano almost every day, not deathly for a few days, but for weeks or months, it was.... Olo was a town on the outside, although it was also a town underground, in small shelters where the emissions wouldn't do harm, the residents lived in tranquility from other forces, as criminality, hunger, etc.... The duo looked back to the province once more.... In the complete darkness, they could still see small dots of fire, here and there.... Making the landscape a dark and sad one indeed.... The Continent was burning.... At other sides, they would see the same shining light, from the skies to the ground, helping.... It was comforting....

              Underground there was another type of bunker, an ancient one, similar to those on Murghal and Esargosen, Conako, and even Lidingoth.... And it was prepared with everything, shops, water streams, small farm grounds beneath the earth, it was a nice underground city and a really secretive one.... Although it was not so populated, it was still holding up with the Volcano's behavior, and some of the residents already knew Asleroth, not as a demon, but as any other citizen.

              Asleroth went inside, the went down a couple set of stairs and they saw the town, as the duo said it was kind of beautiful for them, and really curious, this place still stood, and some Murghal scribes were seen here and there, gathering information without bothering the people. Asleroth approached a man, he was happy to see Asleroth, then asked for a small vase, Asleroth took out of his pockets a small vase, the size of a cup, the man rejoiced, he was looking for it, said it was a family heirloom and before Asleroth could pay him, he was outside with the duo. Asleroth mentioned it was a valuable of the man's family, offered to the gods when the volcano erupted once, but it was never used, since they couldn't climb... How Asleroth knew about the vase or the man, was unknown but he helped him get it back, and it made him really happy.... A demon.... Helping.... The three now needed rest, and since this town was secretly living underground and not many people knew it, they were secured, for now.... After a while, the duo woke up, went to Asleroth, and asked if they could continue. In normal basis it was midnight, but since it was confusing to follow track of the days and night with the pillar they still wanted to go. Mirghreel mentioned how that could help not being seeing since at midnight, the darkness was more and greater than what it was at day, even if the moons shine upon the lands.

             Asleroth liked the idea, and the three started hiking.... The more they started going up, the more they could see burning.... The more the darkness was also accumulating itself in the sky, as a fierce torrent of clouds, covering the whole continent.... These were dark times, almost the fall of the Continent.

             After a few hours that felt like days, the duo finally managed to see a small cave and, the more they came close, the bigger the entrance was.... This entrance was detailed and decorated with broken pillars made of purple jewelry and strange signs and what appeared to be words as it was in another language.... Some pillars were broken, in many ways possible, but still held up the entrance up, when the three entered the saw a similar passageway with some corridors, all leading to a thicker one, the floors were made of polished and delicate marble, cracked in several small patches, the walls were also decorated with marble and the ceilings and pillars were decorated with the same purple jewels as the entrance, that purple element resembled your mineral/crystal, Amethyst.... When they went deeper through this corridor there was a clearing, without ceiling, they could see the sky, but not the top of the mountain, meaning it was in a safe place from any volcanic activities. After the clearing there was a hall, and then the shrine, which in the bottom end was lava waterfall, that didn't touch the shrine as a whole due to a heavy glass panel with strange markings, magik patterns.