Day 4,601

I don’t know what to write here after the revelation we just learned. But I guess I should continue as I’ve always done. We might all be dead soon anyway.

We began our mission early this morning, hoping to finish before the sun sets. Caltina was vast, and we anticipated that it would take a long time for us to fully explore the city, especially its castle which rose on a hill. That one, like Arziron’s fortress, is our main objective.

As soon as we entered the city, our group split into ten parties. Six scoured the city proper for anything useful, while the other four headed straight for the castle.

It took us nearly two hours to reach the hill where the castle stood. Caltina was huge, and the roads twisted here and there. The buildings, to our awe and wonder, were all built with stone and metal, a combination unheard of in the Known Lands.

But though the city was impressive, the atmosphere was terrifying. I know that Irelda wiped out the population using a spell that only targets living creatures, but to see its effects sent chills down my spine. There were no signs of combat, of a pitched battle and a siege. Everything looked as if they were still in place when the people vanished. The windows, overgrown with vines, were opened. The houses were in decrepit states, but more out of the passage of time rather than artillery damage.

We hastened to our destination. The atmosphere was heavy; even Eina, usually loud and cheerful, was quiet, and her hand remained on her sword throughout our search.

When we reached the castle, we found one of the scout parties waiting for us. The rest were still out in the city. However, the fifth group told us that they found one of the dockyards for Caltina’s magnificent airships, located west of the castle. We had planned on checking them later.

We entered the courtyard and began our search, combing every floor. And we found many wondrous things. The great library with its immense collection of scrolls and tomes. The armory with strange weapons that could shoot magic even if the wielder is not a mage. And the workshop with blueprints for impressive war machines and buildings.

But our main goal is the war room where we hope to find all the answers we need. And when we did, I secretly wished we had not.

There was only one book inside, laid carefully on the table map and covered by dusts. But the book only had five pages.

Since we brought some of our research team, they began working on it immediately. They have become quite adept at translating the language, so they finished rather quickly.

Urnos’ destruction was not the end. A small group of survivors managed to escape south and founded the Empire that we know, using Arlonia as their first capital before moving further south. Thuron pursued them in revenge, but since they feared the south, they only sent monsters to harass fledgling settlements.

Thus, the Slayers were formed, trained to fight these monsters. Our order proved effective, but the monsters breed too fast, and soon they have become a part of our daily lives, forever a plague to the Known Lands.

We returned to the camp with that information in bleak silence, and I know that most of us were thinking the same thing: everything was a lie. Our very existence was the reason for the monsters. And now, they will finish what they sought out to do.

Once again, we held a meeting in Adren’s tent. Even he was stunned to learn of our discovery. We discussed how we would break this to everyone, and we decided to do it first thing in the morning.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but my instinct tells me that it won’t be good.