The cavern's enormous size shrouds the surroundings in darkness. An eery silence fills the area, making the entire place seem abandoned and lifeless. As they step out of the tunnel’s exit, they find no roads on the cavern floor. A glowing crystal lays sprawled on the ground with a chain anchoring it into the bedrock below.

“What is this place? Is this the civilisation’s capital? For a kingdom able to construct such an intricate entrance, they’ve seemed to have missed the invention of roads,” Mia comments as she observes the uneven, cavern floor that would make any movement by carriage impossible.

Centum turns towards her and says, “Don’t be so eager to judge. We know very little about this civilisation, but the chained lantern does provide us with some hints.” Centum directs his gaze towards the silhouette off in the distance; the bright light in the centre of the city is being blocked by the buildings surrounding it.

“I don’t have any concrete answers, but the truth probably lies in the city’s centre. Come, let’s not waste time. If we want any answers, and possibly a way out of here, then we must enter the city,” He says as he begins walking towards the fallen crystal. “I agree, this place will hopefully hold some insight into the demonic invasion. Maybe they have something that could help us,” Mia says, following behind him.

They approach the crystal and Centum bends down to study it, “Judging by the chain, this crystal must have been floating at some point, but there isn’t anything on it that would allow flight. Hmm, I’ll research this further when I return to the Library.”. They continue forward towards the city. Consecutively, at an interval of twenty meters, they find similarly chained crystals, glowing on the cavern floor.

Using the crystal as direction markers, they near the city outskirts. Rising from the horizon, a tall, fifty meters high wall, encircles the fortified city. Numerous battlements line the wall, with rusted war machines pointed towards the skies. Deep scars and gashes litter the once smooth walls, the fallout of untold battles leaving its gruesome marks.

“The assaults this place endured must have been relentless for such a fortress to have been constructed,” Centum says as he studies the walls. “Are the demonic beasts really capable of such destruction?” Mia asks, frightened from the sight before her. “We don’t know when this battle happened. The demonic plane isn’t as simple as some might believe. Although, such an assault is unprecedented in recorded history. You shouldn’t worry,” Centum says, trying to comfort her.

They approach the city gate that’s somehow in a worse condition than the surrounding walls. Numerous holes have punctured the thick metallic barrier. “We’re in luck, the gate is open,” Centum says, as they enter past the wide-open, gate doors. As they step inside, the surrounding temperature rapidly increases past comfortable levels.

Tall coral houses line the city, but their colourful radiance has long since disappeared; only the grey, lifeless husks remain in their place. Mia observes the dust-covered surrounding and says, “This whole place seems dead, like some great power wiped out all life here in an instant” Centum’s eyes narrow in response, “These circumstances are eerily familiar, I smell a deity’s power here; there’s barely any of it left, but at some point, some great power was cast here.”

The duo enters the city proper as they navigate its unpaved road. The city’s planned nature makes navigating it simple and they near the centre within an hour. The surrounding heat continues to climb as they near the city centre. Mia’s face is completely drenched in sweat. “I’ll cast a spell to protect us from the heat,” Mia offers as she begins chanting. A thin energy layer surrounds their bodies as it begins blocking the heat.

“Thank, it helps a lot,” Centum says, although the previous heat barely affected him. “Glad I can help, it’s the least I can do to repay you for all your help thus far,” Mia says, her smile shining brightly from his compliment.

They turn the final corner towards the city’s centre, and a vast plaza opens up before them. They both freeze in place. A look of pure shock shatters Mia’s bright smile as she shouts in disbelief, “How can that be here?!” Centum shakes his head with incredulous surprise.

Hovering in the plaza’s centre, a monstrous portal glows with blue light as it emits waves of heat and energy into the surroundings. Thick, ethereal chains lock it into place as it seals and stabilises the portal. They carefully place down the other heroes at the plaza’s edge. Curiosity overwhelms Centum as he nears the portal, Mia hesitantly following behind him.

Near the portal’s base, a stone pedestal defiantly rises in front of the portal. They approach the pedestal, climbing its numerous stairs towards the top. Imbedded into the pedestal’s core, the fist-sized pearl, pulses with life. On the pedestal, an ancient book, seemingly unaffected by the passage of time, sits open.

Ignoring the pearl, Centum studies the book and its contents. “What does it say?” Mia asks curiously; her initial fear has already passed. “This civilisation, against all the odds, managed to seal and gain control of the demonic plane’s portals. It says here, they slew countless demonic beasts and provoked the portal’s guardian to emerge. After hours of relentless assaults and the death of thousands, they managed to slay it.”

“It doesn’t state where they got the pearl, but by soaking it in the guardian’s blood, they gained control of the portal through the pearl and managed to seal it. From what I understand, all of the portal’s power is being channelled and stored in the pearl while the excess is leaking towards the surroundings. I don’t think the civilisation had any knowledge of magic, else they wouldn’t have used the energy to merely generate heat,” Centum concludes.

“Are you saying we can use that to seal the demonic portal and stop the invasion?” Mia asks excitedly, this spark of hope taking light in her heart. “It can, but you’ll need the blood of the portal’s guardian first,” he says, dampening her flame. “It’s a start at least, can we safely remove this pearl?” she asks. Centum bends down and carefully studies the pearl, “The portal should have long since collapsed, but this pearl is keeping it stable. If we remove it, the portal will disappear, along with all the light and power it provides. I promise that we’ll retrieve it later, but first, we have to explore the rest of the city.”

“Alright, I trust you. So where should we go first?” Mia asks enthusiastically. Centum spreads out his aura to scan the surrounds. It weaves throughout the city and comes to a stop at another open plaza in the city. A strange force is pulling him towards its direction. “Follow me,” he commands as he rapidly makes his way there.

After ten minutes of walking, they emerge at the second, somewhat smaller, plaza. A hundred-meter-long and two-meter-tall wall surrounds the square. On its smooth facade, an enormous mural has been carved with immense care. Almost in a daze, Centum approaches the mural. “How beautiful,” Mia comments as her eyes are captivated by the carvings.

The mural tells the story of a stone golem, as big as a mountain, that descended from the skies. The golem vanquished demonic beasts and crushed their portal. Further on, the mural depicts the golem joining forces with the civilisation as he decimates the remaining portals and banishes the remaining demonic beasts.

“What is that thing, and why are the people flying in the mural?” Mia asks curiously. Centum’s heart pounds as he studies the carvings, but he’s as confused as Mia. “I don’t know what that golem is, something like that has never been recorded before, or something must have erased all knowledge of its existence,” Centum says, his heart still beating rapidly.

“And the flying people?” Mia asks again. “They’re mermen,” Centum explains, “That would explain the lack of roads and the coral houses. This place must have been underwater at some point.” Mia gasps in astonishment, “Ah! That’s so cool. I wish I could have seen the mermaids; they must have been beautiful.”

“There is a planet with mermen on them. Maybe I can take you there some time?” Centum says without thinking. “Really?! I would love to go, but after we defeat the demonic invasion first,” Mia agrees with joy, her smile brighter than ever. Realising what he said, Centum shudders within. He knows he can’t abandon his duties, but he doesn’t want to break his promise. “Yeah, when this is all over,” he reaffirms.

“After I’m done recording their story, it wouldn’t be that bad if I take a short vacation, right?” he tries to reason with himself, his heart taking too much precedent in his decision making. “I’ll record this information first. I don’t know why, but it feels imperative. I don’t have another book on me, so I’ll record it in my tome,” he decides.

From his waist, he retrieves his metallic tome and opens it in a new section. He begins to record the mural and the tale it tells. He finishes in half an hour and closes the book. In front of his vision, a blue screen appears.

Ocean Treader’s Legacy Title granted for rediscovering a hidden truth.

Title grants improved Library utility. Name: Sage Centum Race: Spirit Human Titles: Librarian, Ocean Treader’s Legacy Unique Trait: None

Centum freezes with shock in response, “I’ve been awarded a title? What is with that weird reward, ‘Title grants improved Library utility’. When I return home after this assignment, I’ll see what changed. Maybe one of my predecessors recorded a similar event happening in the past? I’ll scan the city again; maybe it has some other secrets hidden inside?”

Centum expands his aura outwards again, but the only thing of interest he finds is the armoury. “Do you want to visit the armoury? You might find some useful equipment for your team.” Mia’s eyes begin to shine as she agrees, “That sounds like a great idea; let’s go!”

They head towards a separate part of the city and find one of the few stone buildings the city has. No doors are locked as they make their way inside. Racks of pristine, coral armour and weapons line the walls. Centum walks up to them and says, “These armours and weapons seem to be designed to fight against demonic beast; the mermen must have used all their experience from fighting them when they designed these.”

“Can we use them?” Mia asks. “They’ll work perfectly for your team; we’ll bring back a set for each member,” Centum agrees. As he studies the rows of equipment, his eyes are drawn towards a single locked room at the back of the armoury. A heavy metal gate protects the room from intrusion. “What’s in there?” Mia asks curiously. “We’ll find out soon,” Centum replies confidently.

Channelling his aura’s power towards his fist, Centum violently strikes the door. The door bends inwards, but it doesn’t collapse. He strikes again, but the door still stands. After five consecutive punches, the metallic door finally collapses to the ground, denting the stone floor with the massive impacts.

Inside, single sceptre sits on a pedestal with a hand-sized pearl mounted on its end. Centum grabs the sceptre and studies it, finally concluding, “This seems to be a sister pearl to the one sealing the gate. I don’t know why, but it can channel the power stored in the other pearl.” Mia’s gaze is drawn towards the sceptre’s beautiful design and asks, “Can I use it to cast spells?”

Caught off guard by her forwardness, he hands her the sceptre while saying, “Yes you can, I have no use for it. But, please be careful not to overdraw on its power, I don’t want you to get hurt from the backlash.” Accepting the sceptre, she embraces Centum into a hug, “Thank you so much for this, I don’t know how I can replay you for this, but I’ll find a way!”

“It’s fine. I want you to have it,” he says. “Are you sure, it must be worth a lot?” she asks hesitantly. “I’m sure. It’s yours now,” he reaffirms. Mia tightens her hug and says, “I’ll still find a way to repay you; it’s the least I can do.” Centum relents with a sigh, but he doesn’t refute her promise.

Grabbing four sets of armours and the appropriate weapons, he places them into a bag and says, “Let’s go back to the others and grab the pearl, this city has nothing else left for us.” Mia silently agrees as she follows him outside and toward to portal’s plaza.

Centum approaches the pedestal, and he carefully removes the pearl embedded inside. With the pearl in hand, the ethereal chains holding the portal in place, dissipate. Rapidly, the portal begins to collapse in on itself and implodes into oblivion. The surrounding become swathed in darkness as the portal’s light disappears.

In the plaza, where the portal previously stood, the five-meter-tall figure appears from thin air. Its eyes stare towards Centum’s tome, and it nods in approval. The figure slams its hand together, and a new portal appears behind it. Centum stares at the portal in wonder as he senses it’s destination being right outside the mountain range.

“How can something have enough power to cast a magical portal in this world. The only portal anyone can use must come from another planet. I need to investigate any information the Library has on this figure once I return, it’s power is too strong for the figure to be unknown. First, I should get everyone else through. I doubt there’s an easier way out of this dead place,” Centum concludes.

“Mia, let’s grab the others and enter the portal; it will take us outside of the mountain range,” Centum says. A bit numb from the figure’s constant appearances, Mia asks, “I promised not to ask about your past, but you’re making it difficult. I’ll trust your words, but you can’t deny having a connection to the figure?”

Centum clears his throat but refuses to respond. Mia’s eyes narrow in response, but she doesn’t ask any further questions. They grab the unconscious heroes and head towards the portal. Next to the portal, the half-transparent figure stands, beckoning them to go through it. As they enter the portal, Mia manages to discern a few of the figure’s feature from up close; it has a long beard, but, unfortunately, she can’t see its facial features.

Simultaneously, they emerge from the portal and appear on the vast plains next to the mountain range. “Where will you go now? Can’t you help us defeat the demonic beast and save everyone? You promised me, and we’ll visit the mermaids when this is all over, right?” Mia pleads, an expectant expression on her face.

Centum sighs with reluctance, but his resolve remains firm, “I’m sorry Mia, but I have other responsibilities I urgently need to attend to. I’m confident you’ll be able to manage without me. Don’t worry; I won’t forget our promise. Your friend should wake up in a couple of minutes. Promise me you won’t tell them anything about what happened inside there, they can’t know about me, okay? If they ask for specifics, tell them that a figure saved you and gave you the equipment and the pearl.”

“I don’t know why you want to remain unknown, but I’ll respect your decision. I won’t forget our time together. Make sure to find me when this is all over, okay?” Mia says, her smile as bright as ever. “I promise, farewell Mia and stay safe,” Centum says as he cloaks himself with his aura, disappearing from her vision.

Mia’s smile fades, and forlorn expression replaces it, she takes a seat on the soft grass and waits for her teammates to awaken. Next to her, but completely invisible, Centum has a complex expression on his face as he contemplates, “It’s barely acceptable if I interact with them, but I can’t help with their quest directly. The laws of the Library will physically stop me from taking action. I hope the equipment I gave them will be enough.”