“Men, prepare the Thousand Shield Dome Formation!”

“Sir, we don’t have a Thousand Shield Dome Formation.”

“What formation do we have?”

“We only have a Hundred Shield Dome Formation, lord general.”

“Oh. Well then, execute that formation ten times!”

A transcript of a conversation between High General Gramatton “Weedhacker” Johnson

and his most trusted aide, Simeon Doronil

(Imperial Records on Accounts of the Siege of Krysperium)

“Oh, there’s no one here.”

Hands immobilized for hundreds of years grasped the sides of the coffin, slowly pulling the body in an upright position. The awakened man cracked his neck and blinked a few times, trying to clear half a millennium of sleep from his eyes.

“Seriously? No one here to celebrate my greatness?” said the man, casting his gaze around the chamber.

“Hmm. No welcoming party whatsoever?” Glowing seal formations were the only things that greeted him. He could have settled for fireworks at least. Or attendants throwing flower petals. Even adventurers stumbling inside his resting chambers would be an acceptable welcome.

“Such a waste,” he said, “I really wanted to do that whole ‘who-disturbs-my-slumber’ thing that is such a trend among sealed monsters.”

Not that he was a sealed monster, he hurriedly added in his mind. Or was he?

The man grimaced as he slowly stood up. Ages lying on a hard surface really did a number on his back. Nobody had the presence of mind to place a mattress inside his coffin. Or the sanity to place a sleeping person on a bed, not in a coffin.

“How long was I out anyway?” he asked the emptiness before him, not really expecting an answer.

He rubbed his back a bit, slightly glad that he can feel pain. It was good that he did not become a zombie and came back from the dead. He was sure that zombies could not feel any pain. The zombies he torched in the past did not seem to show the slightest bit of discomfort while he was barbecuing them.

His mind tried to replay his last waking moments but his memories were still foggy. One thing he was sure of, was the fact that he did not die. So why was he in a coffin?

“Oh well, no use worrying about stuff I can’t do anything about.”

He stepped out of his coffin and proceeded to examine it. The relief carving of the beasts at the corners drew his attention. “The divine beasts of the Negatorium!” he exclaimed. Crouching down, he ran his fingers over its fine details. “Quite an accurate rendition”

Few people have met the guardians of the balance of existence. Even fewer have survived their encounter. The artisan who designed the coffin actually met four of the beasts! Very impressive, thought the man.

He examined the rest of the coffin. He stopped at the foot of the coffin and frowned. “Anhu duran nishi daihkan?” He racked his brain. Nothing. Probably some ancient language he did not know.

He noticed the light formations on the floor. Anti-teleportation seal? Upon closer examination it turned out to be several seals superimposed on top of each other. Anti-space distortion, gateway dispersal, projection shield, high-level elemental and void shields… Someone really wanted to keep people out... or in.

The enchantments on the walls were in a different configuration altogether. Unlike the seals on the floor that were stacked on top of each other, these ones were drawn separately. But there were multiple copies of the same types of seals. There were several variants of high-level anti-detection seals.

The man scratched his chin. Even an Adept scryer wouldn’t be able to find this place. Still, he can’t understand why a lot of effort has been expended to create all of these precautions. It would have been better if space was distorted and the coffin was hidden in a dimensional storage. The person who constructed the chamber and sealed it could easily manage such a spell. Given the level of enchantments, he was surely someone of considerable skills.

The people who placed him there surely knew that he wasn’t dead, he concluded after examining the seals on the floor and the wall. The level of magical protection was not commensurate to guarding a tomb. Even if it was the tomb of someone as great as he was, he thought.

Lots of questions needed to be answered but, he really was not in the mood for looking for answers, especially since he hasn’t had a good meal for what felt like a few hundred years.

He looked up the ceiling and furrowed his brows. The gigantic seal on the ceiling added more questions to his current circumstance. Its construction was not according to the ways of the Negatorium or Paximillion. Based on its structure, the seal shouldn’t even be able to exist. There was no semblance of balance in the mana flows powering the seal. The man could not even begin to guess its purpose.

Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “I’ll just figure that out after I leave this place.”

He looked around. No sign of any exit.

The orb of light in the middle of the room began blinking as if to catch his attention. He reached out his hand and the orb drew near him. On its surface, several blood red spots seeped through. They slowly formed into words.

If you’re tired of this place and want to get out, drop your blood on me.

The man mulled things over. It seemed like a pretty straightforward instruction to him. He bit his thumb and held it over the orb. His blood slowly dripped on the orb.

Suddenly, all of the seals, except the one on the ceiling, were dispelled. The man looked up at the ceiling and knowingly smiled. “So it was a trap of sorts after all. That’s why I didn’t recognize the structure.” The threads of light on the ceiling snaked down on him.

The glowing lines bound him. They shined brightly before melding into his skin.

The man chuckled. “Phew, I thought that I was getting rusty in recognizing seals due to too much sleep.”

He disappeared in a burst of light.

“Room 601, collecting dust? Check. Room 602, collecting dust? Check.”

Aileen checked each room in the lower levels. It was the most boring and pointless job in the temple. She still did her job thoroughly. There was no way she can catch up to her elder siblings if she cuts corners even in the most menial tasks assigned to her. But that does not mean she has to be enthusiastic about it.

She arrived at the end of the hallway. The light orb inside the room activated as she entered it.

“Last room. Collecting more dust than usual, I see,” she said sarcastically. “Now just that empty hall with the painting left.”

It was not best of days. Using several portals compounded her headache. But she’d rather have the headaches than wade through the crowds of pilgrims- which would actually cause more headaches. She couldn't understand what’s so great with a claw chip.

“One last portal before I’m fini- Drat! There’s still the portal going back to the top.” Aileen cursed beneath her breath.

She should get used to teleporting if she wanted to get a chance at becoming a Devastator Knight. But she can’t even teleport using scrolls without puking. She wondered what would happen if she was able to teleport on her own. She resigned herself and stepped on the portal going to the floor below.

“One more headache, coming right up.”

The stories have always placed the legendary tomb of Krystfallen at the bottommost level of the temple. Nevertheless, as Aileen confirmed it with her own eyes dozens of times, there was nothing there except the painting of the Emperor.

It was a great painting though, for sure. The Emperor was quite handsome as depicted in the painting. He had a confident smile that exudes charisma, wearing a gold plated armor with fine engravings and a heavy fur cape. He had blue hair and blue eyes, like the royal family that descended from him. However, his descendants cannot turn into full dragons. At most, they can transform into a draconic humanoid.

She giggled. A man that can turn into a gigantic dragon, now, that’s really handsome.

Aileen stepped off the portal and went straight to the door. She was already thinking about how to spend the rest of her day. Hopefully, she could catch a few matches later. The beast taming competition would be fine too, but it was probably going to be held tomorrow since the beasts have just arrived today. She was excited to see the strength of the Amored Halkor Tusker. But they will probably show it on the last day of the festival. Too bad, she was not allowed participate. Perhaps she could have a chance fighting A-ranked beasts when she gets assigned to the eastern frontier.

She pushed open the door to the hall with the painting. Someone was inside.

A black haired man dressed in black robes with gold trimmings stood in the middle of the hall. He has an amused looked on his face while looking at the painting. Aileen, however, was not amused.

“No tourists allowed here!” She strode over to the man. “How did you get in here anyway?”

The man blinked. “Tourist?” He paused a bit. “I’m sorry ma’am, I got separated from my tour group. Are you by any chance the museum curator?”

“Museum? This is not a museum!” Aileen was trying hard to control her temper. Woken up by roaring beasts, plagued by infernal headaches, and now this? She did not fight to suppress a rebellion for two years just to come back and deal with idiots. What was wrong with these tourists? Do they just come to a place just because it was famous without even knowing anything about it?

“Anyway, sir, this place is off limits. Follow me and I’ll get you back to your group.”

“Miss curator, can you tell me about this painting?”

“Do I look like a curator to you?” Aileen gestured to her armor. “And that’s the painting of Emperor Krystfallen. You know, the guy we’re having these festivities for?” Aileen narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure you’re a tourist?”

“Ma’am, I came from a faraway place. It’s my first time seeing a painting of the Emperor in his human form. I didn’t expect him to be so handsome and gallant!” The man had an annoying smile on his face. “Please give me a tour of this museum. I surely wouldn’t like to miss anything!”

“Let me repeat, do I look like a curator to you?” She gripped the handle of her sword so that the man can clearly see it.

“Wow, I see the museum have their staff wear battle armor and weapons. It really gives an authentic feel to this whole tour. It makes every single coin I paid for this trip worth it!”

“This is not a museum and I’m not museum staff,” Aileen replied icily. Perhaps he wants to be stuffed with an actual staff, she wanted to say. Her status and the possibility of tarnishing the Fahllyr name with such crass language made her hold her tongue.

“You’re even telling me that this is not a museum! Amazing! Such dedication to the role you are playing as a guard of this castle. I really like this immersive experience. I should have dressed up as a noble of the castle.”

Aileen stared at the man. Nobody could be this stupid and annoying, right? Was this man making fun of her, a noble warrior of the empire?

“I’ve used up my meager savings to get to this city just for the festival! Miss curator, do you have free snacks for this tour?”

“Can you stop calling m- Hey! Don’t touch the painting” The man was approaching the painting.

Aileen clenched her fists. She was a Fahllyr and she will not lose my temper for such a small matter, she reminded herself, inhaling deeply. Do not punch this man. She forced a smile. “Come with me back to the top. Tour’s over”

She grabbed his shoulder and started pulling him to the entrance. To her surprise, she was not able to budge the man!

Aileen was startled. The Fahllyr family have natural strength several times that of an ordinary man, even without training of any sort. She held back her strength but she wasn’t expecting that she wouldn’t be able to pull away the tourist.

“What the-” she begun to say.

“Oh, we’re going to the next part of the tour already? Let’s go! I’m so excited!” The man clapped his hands and followed her.

Perhaps it was just her imagination, Aileen surmised. The headaches were getting to her. She should have eaten a proper breakfast. She decided to get a grub from the great hall after kicking this lunatic out.

She grabbed his arms firmly and they both proceeded to the portal. Her patrol duty was finally over.

They both materialized in the central portal room.

The man looked around. “Aw, the tour’s already over? What do I do now?”

“You go out and never come back here.” Aileen firmly held his arm and began walking towards the exit of the central portal room.

“I told you I’m broke. I don’t have food or a place to stay. There should be free snacks at the end of the tour.”

“This is not a tour and there’s no food,” she snapped.

“Are there, at least, some souvenirs? Giveaways that can be eaten?”

While Aileen was deciding on whether it’s worth it to sully the Fahllyr name just to be able to rearrange the face of the man next to her, Jel walked in. Four of the younger trainees followed her.

She noticed Aileen and the man beside her. Her face broke into a big grin. “Sneaking in your boyfriend? I never knew you were so bold!”

“He’s not my boyfriend! Just some guy that got lost,” Aileen protested.

“And you’re arguing in public for all to see! You should handle your affairs discreetly.”

“Jel, my shift is over. See you later.”

“Ai, you know you can never keep secrets from me,” Jel said. The trainees behind Jel looked at each other, unsure of how they were supposed to react.

Aileen rolled her eyes. Whatever her response will be, Jel will continue teasing her. She headed towards the great hall and dragged the man away before he can cause more headaches. This time, she was able to do so quite easily. She decided that it was really just her imagination that she wasn’t able to shift the man earlier.

“Sorry for bothering you miss curator, I didn’t know your shift is over,” said the black robed man, with a sincere face.

“What? Oh! No, no you weren’t, you weren’t bothering me!” Aileen was taken aback by the concern, even though from an idiot.

She was being unfair to the man for taking out her bad mood on him. It was unbecoming of a Fahllyr. She really can’t expect proper behavior from a country bumpkin anyway.

“No need to apologize,” she said, assuring the man with a pat on the shoulder. “I’m sorry for ending your tour. There’s not much to see in this temple anyway. She noticed that the man raised an eyebrow when she mentioned that the place was a temple. Was he going to argue that it was a museum?

Seeing that the man was not going to say anything she continued. “You should watch some of the fights in the arena; the festival attracts warriors from all over Forkspear. Many amateurs join for the rewards. Of course, only seasoned veterans reach the finals.”

“I think I might participate in the fights, I could use the prize money to buy food,” he said, with a straight face.

Aileen could only laugh at the thought.

“Wait here,” she ordered the man.

Aileen went inside the great hall. This time, several of the senior trainees were inside. Their high quality armors were covered in scratch marks; the temple vestments they wore over it torn. A couple of them looked like they have been scorched. They had a really fun time with the beasts, she thought. They continued shoving food down their mouths, acknowledging her approach with a few nods and smiles.

She walked over the long table used by her family and picked up a basket full of bread.

Darl looked up. “Oh there you are Ai, I already talked to Qui-” He stopped and noticed Aileen packing away food. “You lectured me on delivering food, but it’s ok if you do it?” Darl said.

“I’m doing some charity work,” Aileen answered hurriedly. She rushed back to the tourist, afraid that he might have wandered off.

She breathed a sigh of relief. He was exactly where she left him. Thrusting the food basket into his hands, she smiled at him. “There, free snacks. Enjoy the rest of your stay in this city,” she said cheerily, leading him to the front door.

The man looked at the food basket skeptically, then he gazed up “Thank you so much miss curator. I’ll never forget this kindness,” he said, teary-eyed.

He must be really poor. But his clothing does not seem to show it. Aileen, even with her familiarity with fashion as a noble man’s daughter, cannot put her finger on the exact type of cloth used for the black robe he was wearing. Was this the new trend among commoners?

Maybe he really did run out of money traveling to this country. He probably came from a faraway kingdom; perhaps from Roghinia? Black hair and black eyes were quite uncommon in these parts of the continent. Anyway, a kind deed now and then wasn’t so bad, she smiled inwardly.

“My name is Aileen Fahllyr.” The man would surely recognize the name of the most powerful noble house in the empire of Krysperia.

“Fahllyr?” The man looked her straight in the eye. “Oh, a descendant of Alluverius.”

“Well, yeah…” Not quite the reaction she was expecting. “What’s your name mister tourist?”

The man seemed hesitant to answer. “Um… it’s Aya.”

“That’s a gi-”

“A girl’s name. I know.” He shoved a roll of bread inside his mouth. “If I had a gold coin every time someone made that comment, I could build my own museum and be a curator there.”

He noticed the breadcrumbs on his robe and dusted it off. “ I’d better get going Curator Aileen. Many thanks for the food.”

“I told you I’m not a curator!”

The man, however, has already blended in with the crowd.