Chapter 1293 Defilement

Chapter 1293 Defilement

Ananke's weathered, wrinkly face grew dark. The old woman lingered for a while before saying:

"The other name for the Defilement is Corruption... a special kind of Corruption that appeared on the Great River and then spread from downstream like a plague. Or rather, was spread." Nephis leaned forward a little:

"Spread... from downstream?"

The old woman nodded heavily. "Yes. It is because the Defilement... its origin is the Estuary."

Her cloudy eyes grew distant. "The Seekers were always trying to reach the Estuary, traveling further and further downstream. But none of them succeeded in finding it. Eventually, they built a city of their own in the far reaches of the past — a city called Verge. Its grandeur could compete with the bustling prosperity of the large cities ruled by the sybils, and from there, they continued their search. Until, eventually... one of them really managed to enter the Estuary."

The old woman gripped the steering oar as she looked at the vast expanse of the Great River, then continued dully:

"However, what he found there was not the truth, but Corruption. Or perhaps it was the truth that he found that corrupted him. That Seeker became the first of the Defiled, and he brought the Defilement back with him to the Verge. The city of Seekers was consumed by the Defilement, and those consumed by it became twisted and monstrous. They spread from there like a plague, bringing a great calamity to the River People."

Ananke grew silent, breathing heavily. Sunny was scowling deeply. 'So that was what happened...'

The hideous truth that the Demon of Dread had hidden in the heart of the Black Pyramid... the first person who learned it was consumed by Corruption as a result. Not only that, but he also infected the rest of the Seekers with it, destroying — or rather, transforming — an entire city into a nightmarish source of the spreading Corruption. Of the Defilement. ...Just what kind of secret had Ariel buried at the dawn of time? More importantly, was that what Daeron of the Twilight Sea had tried to achieve? Storm the corrupted city of Verge and slay the first witness to the harrowing truth, who was the root of the Defilement? If so, their task would be a dreadful one. Nephis seemed to be thinking the same. After pondering for a while, she asked:

"Grandmother, do you know how the Defilement spreads?"

The old woman shook her head. "I am sorry, my Lord. I do not... in truth, I've only met a true Defiled once. Weave is situated too far upstream, so while we had to battle Corrupted creatures of the future often, no one from the Verge has ever reached us."

Nephis frowned. "Except for that one Defiled?"

Ananken nodded.

"...Yes."

The water was sparkling under the sunlight, and the ketch was flying across the waves, traveling further and further into the past. Nephis hesitated for a moment, and then asked:

"What happened when the Defiled appeared?"

The old woman did not answer for a while. Eventually, she raised her head and smiled bitterly.

"The day he appeared... was the day Weave was destroyed."

Her words traveled somberly across the surface of the water, soon disappearing into the wind.