Chapter 187 – Journal Entry 37: Pandora’s Ballad 7

I hang on a ledge that makes it hard for anyone to see me. In the distance, I can see Miss Pandora chanting words to lift the barrier up. I can pass through the barrier easily so I had no worries. She started speaking in ancient tongue. Most of her words echoed around, bouncing on the dirt walls, the ruins and mostly making it faint yet somehow loud. As she spoke further many sigils, runes, and circles came about. These magic circles covered the ruins. The sigils supported the circles as the runes then acted like support.

Pandora raised up her snowy arms. Her divine yet malicious aura appeared, coating her body. This aura helped in supporting the magic formation she is making. All of this work just to take the seal away made me baffled. I can just enter without any worries but it seems that she needs to take her time. Realizing this I might have known the level she is in. But even so, I will only follow her and never engage in battle. Pandora kept on chanting until the barrier on the ruins was gone. She then entered along with Grom while at the same time closing the barrier. I glide through the front of the barrier. Putting my hand I was about to touch it when I felt the glaring of a ward. I dodged the glare, and then move backward. Chanting a few words of power, the wards turned blind towards me. I did not disable the wards. I merely make an exception to me, letting me enter without the wards detecting. I entered the ruins and I was greeted with ancient walls with hieroglyphics that are a mix of the language of the land and runes, sigils that make them feel vague and pedantic.

I wanted to take a closer look but I brush the thought away and move to follow Pandora. She was walking steadily with Grom. She was keeping her divine yet malicious aura while looking around. If I move thirty meters near her she probably will detect me despite my presence despite lurking in the shadows. I am confident I can’t be detected unless I do so. Pandora moved within a giant chamber filled with statues and strange objects. She started counting the objects first, picked something up and carried them with her. She wasn’t using Grom to carry the items and as I observe further she was chanting something that pours her energy on the items. While walking the chamber suddenly shook for a while. Pandora stopped; her eyes scanned the environment before she made a sleight of a wrist, planting four sigils that attached to the four corners of the room. She then moved to the next room.

I waited for a minute before approaching the chamber she was standing. In the chamber, the sigils acted as strings that would detect someone. I was able to ‘deflect’ the sigils by merely coating myself with my own energy. Her sigils could only recognize me as a mirror. I could not enter the next chamber by opening the doors. So instead I surveyed the area until I found a fallen ceiling. There I saw an entrance, followed it to where Pandora is and saw her standing in a circular stadium.

I wondered what she was up to. So I took cover near a half wall above the ceiling. There I observe Pandora starting some sort of ritual. At first, she spread her arms up to the sky. White aura coated her body, and then she started signing an odd song of blessing. As for why I could tell that it is an odd song of blessing. It is mainly because of how the lumen lights that are everywhere around her started gathering like a sphere on top of her. As she sings her song, four red energy of light came upon from the pillars. These pillars were about to struck Pandora but instead, it flew to Grom who was on Pandora’s left. Being hit with the four red energies, Grom started to howl. His painful bellow made it somehow horrifying to hear. He kneeled on the ground; he was trying to stand but the red energy boiled his flesh. As if he was water, he was filled with bubbles. Every part of his body bubbled and the heartbreaking sound he made me want to take action. Pandora who was near Grom begged him to endure it. There was an obvious displeased expression on her face. She didn’t want to hurt Grom. I could tell.

“Please endure this...just let me see him again...and this will be all over so please!”

Pandora shouted. Grom roar sounded out louder. His flesh was starting to burn. His flesh bubbled and sooner or later he started to melt. What was left on him were his muscles and bones, without skin, I could see that wood-like texture of his bare muscles. His bone was that of metal, knitted tightly along with his muscles. His heart was covered that of wood merged with metal. There was a strange energy glowing on his heart. This energy forcefully pumps Grom’s, heart. I could see Grom’s head clearly. His brain was present and his eyeballs were held tightly around by the veins that looked like they were made of metal string.

Pandora continued her singing while begging Grom to endure it. The desperation in her eyes and the wanting to see someone somehow made this mistress strong. Grom who was suffering from despair bellowed. His fingers were scratching the floor, and I could feel my body cringed up. All my hair was standing. And the way the ritual continued. I could not help it anymore. I left my cover. Rushed to where the ritual is and with a few words of power dispelled the ritual in one swoop. The sound of glass breaking sounded out. Grom fell to the ground while Pandora who had her ritual interfered turned to me, with her eyes tearing up, with a face of despair she shouted.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”

“I came here to stop this mess.”