Chapter 140: Unravel

"Be careful, there's a big block of stone up ahead!" Adaloun warned the blinded Orkamuus as he jumped over the debris.

"We appreciate the warning, my friend." Corvinus said. "But you don't have to worry about us." He said as he easily evaded a stone popping out from the ground. "Our god, Apholak has blessed us with the senses shaper than that of a bat or wolf." He confidently smiled.

Adaloun stooped and raised an eyebrow. Apparently, he couldn't stand the Orkamuu's constant praise about their unseen god. He watched them as they crossed the dark path he crossed earlier and was amazed to see how they didn't miss a single step nor lose their footing.

He continued walking through the dark tunnel with his light rune on his left and a reserved fire rune in the other, in case some monster might go ahead and charge him. He treaded slowly through the finely furnished stone floor, tiptoeing and checking for any traps that might be hidden beneath the floor.

"It is alright, Adaloun…" Gravil interrupted his focus. "There are no traps here." He added.

"And how would you know that?!" Adaloun looked back and raised his eyebrow at the confident Orkamuu. "I mean…we haven't been here yet!" He said exasperated with the comment.

"I know because I can feel it. We can feel it." Gravil explained.

"You have to believe us my friend, there's nothing lurking in these floors." Corvinus interjected. "I know it is hard to believe, but we rather go faster…" He looked behind him and urged Adaloun to hurry up. "I am more worried of that entity trying to enter the barred opening.

Adaloun wanted to protest and refute what Gravil was saying but his tone merited an urgent plea. He temporarily suspended all his doubts towards what the Orkamuus were saying and just focus on staying alive and getting away from their giant pursuer.

"I understand. Let us go then." Adaloun nodded.

He and the Orkamuus fled deeper into the unknown tunnel, along the way he saw the plain tunnel was now filled with beautifully carved statues of unknown beasts from smooth white stones, gilded patterns engraved on the wall and aetherium ores that were intricately placed on the floorings and walls.

He suddenly felt the urge to stop and look at the gilded patterns etched on the walls. The lines and swirls seemed to have been speaking to him. He felt the curves and straights were more than just a line. It felt more of a language than anything else.

The lines reflect different colors of the spectrum as the light hits on it, and it was on those colors that Adlaoun felt that the lines were talking to them. In fact, the lines and colors were the subtle messages left to them by whoever they were.

Adaloun shone some light on the lines. The gilded lines rhythmically dance and blinked in his eyes. The colorful dance mesmerized him the more he stared at it. Suddenly, strange visions came flashing from his mind.

The visions started faintly, only showing silhouettes and hearing murmurs that he couldn't understand. Then it became clearer as the visions started to mold the light and colors on the shadows in front of him.

The shadow shaped itself into a face—an otherworldly face. A face that even he with his 364 incarnations hadn't seen until that point. It was humanoid yet it looked somehow beastly or reptilian but even that description was still questionable. Another came into view with the same features. Their elongated faces and big cat-like eyes stood out from their features. They had long and lanky bodies with long appendages. They stood at around 9 feet, over-towering him. There was a ring of bright light just behind their nape.               

Their clothes glowed like that of the gods of the worlds he had worked with before, but these creatures had less intricate designs instead, their clothes had the same patterns of the walls although, their patterns were more primitive and rougher.

The creatures seemed to be speaking with one another. One of the humanoids reached out its hand to the other one to get its attention. The other creature looked at its partner and nodded. Their mouths moved but no voice was coming out of its mouths. ...or it could be that he couldn't hear them.

He slowly heard chimes heavily playing in the air. He looked at the two humanoids who appeared to have planned something. The other humanoid with a small protruding horn on his right forehead pointed something from what appeared to be a stairway. They hurriedly ran up the stairs, Adaloun's curiosity took over him and followed the humanoids. The humanoids ran effortlessly on what seemed to be a never-ending stairwell.

Adaloun couldn't even rest one bit as he tried to keep up with the creatures of this mysterious vision. As he ascended, he heard other percussion instruments accompanying the faintly sounding chimes. Drums and trumpets began to play on the background, and it sounded too incomprehensible for the mortal ears to understand. One thing was certain, the music felt a rumbling stir of emotions. Sounding louder as they reached the top.

Finally, they reached the top. The heaving Adaloun finally halted as the other creatures halted. He kneeled at the stairs as he tried his best to grasp for some air. He felt like fainting from the exhaustion, but he tried his best to collect himself.

He looked at the creatures who stood between a big glowing ore of aetherium. It was the biggest ore he had ever seen. The chunk was bigger than the tent he and his comrades had. He kept his distance from the creatures and just curiously observed them from afar.

The humanoids bowed down in front of the huge ore and then kissed it. Their halos began to shin brighter as they did the process quiet a few times. They stood up and hugged the ore. Their skin lit up showing lines and swirling patterns, the same as his. It glowed brighter and brighter until they began to grow wings.

The aetherium shone its pale blue glow towards him. The pale blue glow seemed to be calling to him. All of the sudden, his feet began to move. He climbed the stairs one step at the time, and as he did so, the ore became more visible. With every step he took, he slowly saw the image of what's inside the ore.

It was a mere silhouette, but he could see the figure's shape. It looked like a small child curled inside the ore. He took another step closer when suddenly, a pair of heavy hands came pulling him away from the ore.

"Wake up, Adaloun!" Corvinus voice rang into his ears.

He opened up his eyes only to realize the grim scene in front of him. The white walls became discolored with crimson. He felt pain on his left wrist and when he looked at it, he saw a blood-soaked bandage, tightly fitted on the wound.

"W-what's going…on?" He looked at Corvinus who was attending to him.

"I don't know, my friend…" Corvinus sighed. "But we noticed you lying on the ground unconscious."

"W-hat…do…oww…" Adaloun gritted his teeth as the wound from his wrist started to heat up and burn. He immediately unraveled the bleeding bandage and saw the wound slowly shaping up into the half crescent moon.

"What is going on?" Corvinus tried to check the wound but as soon as he tried to hold Adaloun's hand, it suddenly created a spark that jolted and threw the poor Orkamuu off him.

"What's happening, Adaloun?!" Gravil ran towards his brother. "I felt a strong pressure forming here! It seemed like a—"

Adaloun stood up and the walls began to move and all of the sudden, he could hear the sound of the chimes—the same chimes he heard from his visions.

"ARELLIN…" Oyue's voice echoed throughout the tunnel. "ARELLIN, HEED MY CALL!"

Adlaoun's hair stood on his nape, there was something wrong with Oyue calling him out. There was something else at play. The ground shook violently once again, and the crimsoned wall began to unveil a secret door.