With the events still going on I can't check out the dungeon yet but there's a chance for the after events socializing.

"If you're interested meet me at the temple after all the tournaments."

There are still the nonfighter competitions but those will go faster as you can have everybody do it at the same time or have multiple people perform at the same time.

Once the events are all done I make my way over to the temple with Esofy and Chyzu. We meet Uloru and Kadona there. Together we made our way into the temple.

"We'll only be checking it out, we won't go too deep into it, we'll first scout with our sense skills and if there are any monsters that are too strong we'll leave," Esofy says.

"I agree, we'll need to know what we are getting ourselves into," Kadona says.

As we walked further in the priestess came up to us. Other storm wardens in training are busy taking care of the place.

"How can I help you? Do you need Myrou's guidance?" She asks.

"We want to know where the dungeon is," Esofy says.

"The dungeon? How do you even know of it?" The priestess frowns.

"So it is here? We want to check it out" Kadona says.

"It is a dangerous place, the reason the temple has been built over it is so seal it away"

I knew better so I begin searching for it with my sphere. I quickly found a large steel gate. In front of a strange stone archway. The archway seems to lead to nowhere, I cannot enter it with my spheres.

"If you want to seal something away you don't put a gate in front of it, you build a wall over it," I say "Kayafe intended it to be a place of training even going so far as to make a deal with it."

"We have no records of that, but it is a place filled with monsters, Thousands of years ago grand priestess Shara ordered the dungeon sealed," The priestess says, calmly but I could tell she's a little annoyed.

"Why? The Guardian herself knows why Kayafe built the temple and knows what the dungeon is intended for" I say.

"You are mistaken, Alysara. Kayfe did not build the temple, our records say that the Grand Presitess Shara ordered it built and had the Mana arc that Kayafe made placed at the top"

I frown this time. I never directly asked Kayafe who built the temple, I just assumed. I could ask Kayafe herself or we could ask the Guardian.

"But why did Shara order the dungeon sealed in the first place why have a gate?" I ask.

"It was a difficult time, our people's faith had drifted and people were more focused on strength and false gods, such as Varath of war and Venaro of wisdom. Many people lost their path from Myrou and lead unfulfilled lives. Shara led our people back on the right path and even made the Likeness of Myrou to help our people return to the correct path. The dungeon is a place that the followers of the false god Varath went to worship him, to battle monsters as a ritual to the false god"

I don't like where this is going. I didn't ask Kayafe but I'm pretty sure she made the Likeness, even for me I'd be pretty hard to do and I'd need a few more breakthroughs in [Mana Manipulation]. There is a chance this Shara could have made it but I am skeptical.

"What else did Shara do?" I ask, knowing what kind of answer I'll get. "How would she prevent the spread of faith of the false gods?"

"Shara purged the influence of the false gods and taught children the correct faith," The priestess said matter of factly.

"You mean Shara killed all nonbelievers and instituted her own ruling theocracy? She was a power-hungry monster" I say bitterly, not sure why I am getting riled up.

The preistess looks utter mortified. Even Esofy, Chyzu, and Uloru; Kadona, however, didn't react

"T-How-" The preistess sputters.

"Kayafe soul is still in the mana arc, I spoke with her today and asked about the dungeon. She specifically said that she made a deal with the dungeon to ensure training for our warriors. I can go ask her if she made the temple and the Likeness or we can ask the Guardian who witnessed all of these events"

"Fine! Let's go ask the Guardian!" The priestess marched out of the temple angrily and down the path to the Guardian, I could almost see steam coming out of her ears from anger.

"What was that all about?" Chyzu asks, still a little shocked.

"I... don't know," I say "I just have a really bad feeling about that Shara person"

We follow the fuming Prteistess all the way to the dragon's resting place. She marches down the stone path, past rows of bamboo.

"Come to ask about the dungeon?" The Guardian raises her head. "I was expecting this" the dragon elaborated.

"Honored Guardian, Protector of the Nexus. What is the nature of the dungeon? Who built the Temple?" The priestess asks, her voice betraying her expectations of being vindicated.

The Guardian simply chuckles. "Have you ever [Analyze] the Likeness? Priestess? It should have shown as an Ancient tier magical item. To qualify for that tier it must be a minimum of ten thousand years old"

I flash back to the Mana Arc, how it had that same tier.

"The events of Shara are nearly five thousand years ago. Shara was an ambitious one, a very idealistic woman, at first she argued against the other faith leaders but eventually plotted against them to have them assassinated. Shara sought to convert all under Myrou, and in that, she did succeed but mostly by rewriting history and in doing so also made herself to be much greater than she really was." The dragon's voice grew angry

"But she spat on Kayafe and claimed her work as her own. Myrou's Likeness isn't the only one. Varath's and Venaro's were also made but she had ordered them locked away as she couldn't simply destroy them; they should still be somewhere in the dungeon. Shara had tens of thousands killed and burned alive. At first, I simply overlooked her, this was an issue you little ones had to sort out, but eventually, she went too far. I neutralized her."

I notice how the Guardian never said she killed her. The priestess however looks crestfallen.

"What did Shara do?" I ask.

"There are... methods of creating cursed beings. She found a way and thought them a pure manifestation of Myrou's blessing. She thought she had found a way to ascend to heavens and become a heavenly being. I slew all the cursed beings of course but Shara had found a way to persist. Like a lich, the cursed being that Shara became could not simply be killed. Where she hid her Angel Fragment I don't know but she has not been a problem ever since."

"T-That can't be" The Priestess fell to her knees.

"It wasn't the first time someone tried to gain full control over your people and it wasn't the last. In the last ten thousand years, there have been twelve theocracies with the rise and fall of faith and there have also been hundreds of queens and empresses and a dozens of republics, some existing at the same time. These governments of power rarely last more than two hundred years and happen regularly enough, mostly why I don't bother interfering. You people live in a perpetual cycle of freedom and tyranny as do all races. Humans, Elves, Goblins, it doesn't matter. As you will first step out in the wider world for the first time in ten thousand years you will realize that tyranny and oppression are the rule, not the exception."

"I wondered why our villages seem so small, our population should be much larger after ten thousand years, we should have towns and cities by now yet we all have villages, why?" I ask.

The Guardian closed her eyes before reopening them. "A water elemental attacked, it's mostly why there are only islands now. Beneath the sand of the seafloor, you'll find ruins of cities. The centermost islands are the biggest because the Mana Arc absorbed most of the generated mana. Your people were almost wiped out and it sort of reset your kin, wipe out most of your histories and culture. The temple survived as did the islands near it. I must insist, however, that you do not dig up the ruins; let the dead rest in peace lest you wake them from their slumber"

"The great flood, the stories of how it rained so much it washed away the mountains and created the sea" Kadona mutters, a gleam of understanding in her eye.

"I thought that was just a made-up story as well as the others but it looks like they might have some truth to them after all." Uloru says.

"That was a thousand years ago, but it looks like the separation of your people made it hard for tyrannical governments to arise. They thrive in large cities that can't form now due to limited land. Your people are forced to spread out and form close communities. It has been peaceful for a thousand years and it should stay that way. Now, some of you are suffering from Mana toxicity, and now that you know the truth you may go. Prepare for your voyage and explore the lands." The Guardian dismissed us and lowered her head back down.

"Varath and Venaro, I've never even heard of them," Esofy says as we walk back to the temple. The Priestess following behind with her head hung low.

"I don't know Varath but I also have a blessing from Venaro. One of my evolutions has a requirement saying that I've been blessed by Venaro, the god of wisdom and learning"

"Do you really think it is a god?" Uloru asks.

"The Guardian refers to them as Great Spirits and says 'those you call gods' it's possible they are like the spirits all around us just really powerful, legendary tier"

"But the system acknowledges them as gods so they have to be," Chyzu says.

"I've been wondering about that. The Guardian is referred to as 'Safyr, the Guardian of the east Nexus' the Humans have been called 'Oathbound' it's almost like a title given to them by the system but if that's the case then are the gods really gods? How do you define a god anyway?" I ask.

"Let's talk about something else," Esofy says. "What does it matter. If they are or aren't gods, Myrou's guidance has lead many to have a fulfilling life so let's just leave it at that"

A few mummers of agreement came from Chyzu and Uloru. The Priestess remains silent while Kadona remains contemplative.

Back at the temple, we received a key to the dungeon and the Priestess walks to her room in silence.

The rest of us walked down some out-of-the-way steps, covered with crates. After descending a flight of stairs we entered large room that looked like a strong defensible position. It is built so several areas have cover and could launch attacks at monsters while still remaining safe. The room opened into a hall, at the far end is a steel gate with a lock on it. Beyond that is the strange archway that seems to lead nowhere.

We unlock the simple undecorated gate but it refused to open more than a little bit. Creeking with what little movement it had.

"The hinges are rusted shut," I say, using [Grace of Wholeness] to repair it. I am thankful that it's not just a simple healing spell but can also repair minor damage on objects. It won't replace missing parts like it can for missing limbs but de-rusting is perfectly fine.

The gate opens, good as new and we approach closer to the dungeon.

"Strange" Kadona says.

"What is it?" I ask

"You can't see it, Aly?" Chyzu says. I shook my head.

"It seems to open up to a wide forest"

I frown, I can't see into it so I send my clone into it, my perception attached to my clone. As it crosses the arch my perception vanishes alone with my connection to my clone. My perception however doesn't come back until I will it. There is definitely another side to it but no magical connection can cross it.

"I'm going to be the first one in!" Uloru dives through the arch before anyone could stop her.

"She seems fine, she's waving us to follow her," Esofy says.

"Idiot girl! Even after knowing there are monsters in there!" Kadona says while shaking her head, and stepping through the archway. Esofy follows.

"Aren't you going to go?" Chyzu asks.

"I'm a little scared, I can't see past it"

"It's alright," Chyzu says and grabs my hand. "I'll be here for you" Chyzu pulls me through the archway and soon a new world appears around me.

It was just like the real world, but with much less mana and it is so cold and dry here. I shiver. The mana is coming through the archway like a strong breeze and quickly spreading out, the mana thinning a lot. I send out my perception the mana quickly stabilizing at a hundredth of what is in the nexus.

I could not see past the archway even though I know it leads into the temple. We stand on a raised platform with a few steps on all sides. The sounds of animals are overwhelming. Insects buzzed, birds chirped. I saw a small rodent run up a nearby tree, an actual tree not the bamboo that grows back in the nexus. Why didn't anyone take anything back? Or maybe they did and it got washed away with the elemental attack. This would have been a good source of food but that may not have always worked with a growing population.

On the same platform is a large orb on a pedestal, steeped in space essence. Examining it further reveals a complex unique mana, unlike anything I've ever seen. It appears to be inactive and no amount of prodding did anything. I [Analyze] it.

Dungeon Waystone (Major): An anchor for a Dungeon Waystone Key.

"It's almost like another world," Chyzu says in wonderment looking around.

It is another world. To be more specific it is a demi realm.