Early morning of the next day, southeast of Druhwood.

“Pfft. Well, what was it again, ‘Your skull must truly be filled with nothing but rocks with how hard-headed you are, youngin’! Do what you will!’, or something along those lines?”

“...I get it, I get it already! Just...please stop mimicking him, Albel!”

I attempted to stifle my laugh further to no avail. We were beginning to nearly reach our destination, which was the mountain ruins that the Spirit of Enheim requested that I investigate. Eru was given reluctant and indirect approval by Torrel to join me, based on her reasoning that she could take this chance to acquire some new materials. That alone wasn’t initially enough to persuade him, but she persisted until they got into a rather heated argument—where he ended the conversation with the same words I mimicked prior.

“Don’t blame him too much for being against the idea of you coming along. There must be a reason why the Spirit of Enheim suddenly became interested in these ruins, but isn’t doing anything about it themselves. We also have those supposed cloaked visitors to worry about too.”

“It just...it makes me mad that he has so little faith in me. And to still be considered a child by him at my age... It’s not as if this is my first trip to the mountains either! Of all people, he should understand that the most!”

She was now sulking amid her complaints.

“And I’m sure he does, but this is probably just his way of looking out for you is all. Even if it may be a bit clumsily done on his end. Between the Undead and the rampant Giant; I’d say he has every right to be cautious of those ruins, don’t you think?”

“Mmm, I know...”

“You say that, but don’t go and stay too mad at him when we return back, okay?”

“...It’s not like I wanted to argue with him either...”

Her eyes remained at a downcast as she sluggishly trailed behind me. With a short glance in her direction, I could only give her an unnoticed and sympathetic smile. I could understand where she was coming from, but at the same time, I thoroughly agreed with Torrel. A simple and routine trip to the mountains for materials was one thing, but exploring mysterious ruins was a far more perilous venture overall.

I’m sure she’s at least reflecting on her stubbornness, given that look on her face. I’ll leave her be for now, since we don’t have much longer until we arrive. Besides...whatever this thing is, it’s starting to take its toll on me...

Ever since arriving on the path toward the ruins, something about the air felt concerning. It had become increasingly difficult to breath and an intangible pressure naturally weighed against my body the more we walked on. And yet, Eru hadn’t seemed to notice in the slightest or be affected by it at all. Not only that, the closer we got, the more it reminded me of two things: the feeling of when I attempted to use [Convergence Summoning] against Captain Vaalyun, and the first time I ever came in contact with Marna’s ring.

These ruins and that cloaked group... Were they possibly attempting something similar to what I had in mind? But...the difference between them and myself, is that “feeling” only lasted a mere second for me... This here, not only is it lingering, but it somehow made it this far out? What if, by some miracle, they actually succeeded...?

I exhaled slowly, trying to clear my mind of the pressure and thoughts. We’d know whether my suspicions were right or not soon anyways. I had every intention on playing it safe, thus I could just make out Cruubi’s small form in the sky as it turned our way. Using [Conjurer’s Agent] a short while ago, I allowed the little one to fly ahead of us in order to get an idea of where exactly the ruins were and if there were any unwanted surprises awaiting us.

I didn’t see a single person or creature ahead, but... Let’s just hope it remains that way. We should be arriving in the next few minutes.

Cruubi descended from its journey and nested itself on—evidently—its favorite spot; Eru’s head. Chirping a tune, Eru’s attention was pulled toward it as she began to rub its belly with a slight smile.

It really does feel like Cruubi is her pet...

We finally arrived near the entrance of the ruins, and without saying a word, I gestured toward Eru and Cruubi to keep quiet and follow behind. Moving away from the main path, we slowly walked amid the bushes and trees.

It’s a roundabout way, but even if I didn’t see anything, it’s still better to play it safe here. Eru’s with me after all.

Reaching a proper vantage point, I could now completely see the entrance from where we stood. Crouching down, Eru followed suit as I then withdrew my quarterstaff and summoned a single Winter wolf. This would act as my scout. I could use Cruubi for better results, but this scout was tasked with running directly inside in order to attract attention—to be attacked. For whatever reason, [Conjurer’s Agent] didn’t work on any summon besides Cruubi currently either, so this was my only safe method.

“All right, go and run around for a bit inside. Then immediately come back here if there’s nothing to be cautious of—but if there is—run down the main path instead. Okay?”

“...”

It won’t even give me a nod or anything... I know it understood what I asked of it, but... Ugh. I think I’m getting too used to Cruubi’s affirmative chirps.

I sluggishly waved it off and it headed through the ruin’s entrance. With a stone gateway and scattered array of crumbling pillars, the ruins were seemingly attached to the base of the mountain—leading into a cave-like structure.

“Is it okay, Albel...?”

Several minutes had gone by before Eru whispered her concern from behind me. Keeping my eyes on the entrance, I gave her a nod as the wolf finally returned and headed toward us.

“It looks like we should be in the clear.”

I recalled the summon as we then headed for the ruins. Upon entry, my eyes scanned over the interior in a mix of caution and silent awe. The ceiling of the ruin’s entrance was held up by a series of massive pillars—similar to the ones outside—three on each side and two further on ahead of us beyond a small set of stairs. Archways were scattered throughout the walls beyond all of them, possibly leading to a multitude of different rooms and areas. Whereas, light shined through a fracture that seemingly split the mountain above us.

It feels almost like an entire temple within a cave...

“Eru, make sure to stay close to me. And Cruubi; watch our backs and make noise if you see or hear anything that we may fail in noticing.”

“We’re counting on you, Cruubi!”

“Chirp! Chirp!”

We began making our way up the small set of stairs as the area split into two directions—left and right. Approaching the back wall in between two pillars, we were greeted by a large, stone plaque that was mounted against that same wall.

“...It looks like a giant, resting creature surrounded by something—or some things...? They almost look like...rows of fire...?”

Eru was surprisingly the first to comment on the plaque as she studied the stone portrait.

“Your guess is as good as mine. It looks so ancient that I’m surprised it’s still even in discernible shape to see anything at all. Is that a depiction of people at the bottom there too?”

“Rows of fire... Rows of fire...?”

“Eru?”

“...It reminds me of something that’s on the tip of my tongue...! Ugh. It feels so close...”

She was seemingly now lost in thought as she stared at the plaque, mumbling words to herself. I decided to get a closer look myself, but not at what was being portrayed. Beneath the stone portrait, there were bits and pieces of said plaque—debris and shavings—near the left side of the wall. I could also make out small, sharp marks and rather recent indents the closer I looked.

It doesn’t look as if the plaque was naturally visible before. Is that what the cloaked group were investigating here? Were they just a team of archaeologists...?

Aaaaaa! That’s right!”

“Eru! Shhhhhh!”

Yelling back at her sudden outburst in a hushed tone, she panicked slightly.

“S-sorry, but I just remembered what it was!”

Finally figuring out what was gnawing at her, her eyes then drifted from myself to the plaque as she closed the distance between us and spoke in a softer voice.

“There was a very old fable I remember hearing about when I was younger. I believe it was called, The Isolated Primordial. It was about a powerful and immortal creature that lived on these mountains. Back during an era when people as a whole were like infants—scattered and aimlessly roaming all over Aerith.”

Her fingers began gliding across the plaque as she walked—from left to right—until she stopped near the sleeping beast that rested at the portrait’s center. Placing her whole hand over the plaque, she closed her eyes and continued.

“From what I remember, it was an unaligned entity. One that didn’t fight for—nor against—anything or anyone. Peerless and unfettered, it held dominion over this territory and could do whatever it wanted. Yet, it only ever kept to itself. In absolute isolation. It was said that an old settlement once caught a glimpse of the creature, comparing it to a grounded deity with four legs.”

She opened her eyes, solemn in her expression as she pulled her hand back toward her chest.

“And somehow, despite its strength and even if it knew neither foe nor ally—it was still attacked in the end. By enemies that weren’t people, but instead, by...like-minded creatures...? Drats! I can’t remember exactly what that person told me after that...”

“That’s a pretty interesting story, but was there some sort of moral behind it all?”

With her head tilted, her face had now shifted to one of bemusement. Her once serious mood had disappeared entirely.

“M-moral...? I think...it had to do with isolation and power...?”

“Hmm. What about that person—the one that told you the story—do you remember who it was?”

“Erm...not really...?”

Her hands were now resting on her temples as she massaged them, in attempt to figure out who it had been that gossiped such a tale to her. My eyes then met with the beast on the plaque once more.

If it was immortal, that means it couldn’t have died during that attack, right? Did it retreat somewhere else, possibly taking on a spiritual form instead? And I wonder why those so called “like-minded creatures” are being depicted as rows of fire here...

Counting each “fire” individually, it amounted to seven in total. Three on either side and a single one in the middle as the implied defeated beast rested with its back against a wall.

Well, maybe we can find some answers elsewhere.

Looking at both ends of the hallway; we still had a lot more ground to cover after all. I didn’t have any idea on which way to start with though. The pressure in the air had now become a consistent strain ever since entering the ruins, and it didn’t seem as if I could follow a trail or anything.

Whatever it is that the Spirit of Enheim is wary of, I need to hurry and find it. I’m starting to feel nauseous even—it's like the air itself is sickening...

With a hand over my stomach, I looked down, in turn noticing something else I hadn’t prior. Something that was on my person that was now reacting suddenly. I could just barely see a faint light pulsating from my left chest pocket. It was the same pocket where I normally stored Marna’s ring whenever I adorned these robes. I could have stored it in my inventory, but oddly enough, it felt fitting there.

“Is it reacting to the air...?”

“Air? What do you mean by that, Albel?”

I pulled out the ring at Eru’s sudden question, and the moment it made direct contact with the overly-saturated breezes, the pulsation increased a bit more in both brightness and speed. It was as if the ring had begun drawing in the airborne energy as the three gemstones shined like never before.

“Oh? That’s the ring you told me about before, right? The one you received from that Princess. Why is it shining—huh?! Those gems...! I’ve never seen anything like them! Why didn’t you show me this sooner?!”

With an alarming lack of distance between the ring and her eyes, I couldn’t tell which of the two were shining brighter now.

“C-calm down for a second, Eru... I didn’t know you were such a gem hobbyist back then, so I didn’t think showing it to you mattered all too much...”

“So, you’ve been hiding this beauty from me this whole time... I won’t forgive you unless you let me see it this instant!”

She didn’t show any signs of backing down. With a short sigh, I gave in rather easily.

“Fine, fine. Just be careful with it, okay?”

“...Who do you think you are, telling me to be careful with it...”

Before I could even pull it back in response to that snide comment of hers, she had already gently snatched the ring from my palm. And for whatever reason, she had now scampered off to the right side of the plaque—with a magnifying glass pulled from her satchel in hand. Shifting it slightly, as if to catch the ring and pulsating gems from different angles. In the silent ruins, her voice alone echoed against the walls as she talked aloud to no one in particular.

“I see, I see... Oh! No, I don’t think it is... Or maybe it’s...?! No, I don’t think it’s that either. But the color? I do remember reading that...”

“...A head full of nothing but rocks, indeed, Torrel...”

“Oh! It might actually be that one! I’ve never seen it in person before either. Simply stunning—beautiful—if it is...”

“She doesn’t hear me at all, huh?”

I could only shake my head in response and waste time admiring the plaque once more.

“Oh! I think I got it!”

After around a minute or two, her loud outburst caused me to jumped slightly. It seemed like we were beyond caring about noise at this point.

“Huh?! Got what exactly...?

“These gemstones! It took me a while to figure it out because there were no drawn images of their exact appearance in anything I’ve read. But—without a doubt—these have to be Entine gems!”

She had scuttered back in my direction, eyes still locked onto the ring in her hands.

“Entine gems? Isn’t that the same material used for prisoners—in Tarentum?”

“T-Tarentum...?”

“Ah, it’s dungeon to the far north—but never mind that. It’s supposedly used there since it drains mana, one’s source and even life energy to a certain degree to keep them in check. Or at least, I think so.”

She sneaked a weird glance my way before looking back toward the ring.

“Er...not exactly, this is Entine in its purest form. From the descriptions I’ve read, it just has to be! Just as diamonds are formed under high temperatures and pressure—pure Entine gems are created in a similar way, but where high amounts of mana are also impacting Entine minerals. Very, very, veeeeeery rare!”

She proudly held the ring in my direction with one hand. A strengthened glimmer remained in her eyes as she enthusiastically finished her explanation. I had only known about Entine minerals from minor flavor texts—more so with it being associated with the prison dungeon near Ospus—Tarentum. Entine gems though, didn’t exist at all in MO.

She’s more informed than she looks. I guess it was the right choice to bring her along after all. It might go to her head if I said that out loud though.

As payback for earlier, I quickly snatched the ring from her outstretched hand. That prior brightness in her expression was immediately snuffed out as her posture sunk.

“Aww... I actually wanted to look at it a bit more...”

“I’ll let you do it some other time. For now, let’s continue moving through the ruins. We’ve been sitting here for too long already.”

“...You promise?”

A small hint of hope lingered in her eyes as she stepped in front of me.

“What are you, a small child?! Can’t you just take my word for it?”

“Let me hear you say it!”

“Yes, yes, I promise. Now, let’s get going...”

I could only sigh once more at the sight of her flashing a grin toward me in triumph. We then began walking in a random direction as I placed Marna’s ring back into my left chest pocket. We had somehow found our way to the right side of the plaque, thus, we simply—and unintentionally—decided on the right wing of the ruins to explore first.