After some explaining Emina was able to get the 'ancients' bring Kaden some learning material. It didn't even take long. It seemed they cared about educating their children far more than people of the far future. The device that was given to Kaden also looked as such. To Kaden such feat of technology seemed like toy for a child. Yet, the flat object, a tablet, provided Kaden as much learning material as he needed.

The so called 'language of the ancients' was called 'english'. Kaden was aware there actually did exist other languages that the ancients had used, but this english was most common and when someone spoke of 'language of the ancients' it meant english. The other languages had existed in areas that had over time been devastated by mana storms, consumed by the No Man's Land, land belonged to beasts and other such things. Very few had any real knowledge of them.

Learning ability of magic cultivators wasn't to be underestimated. Kaden also already knew some, so he didn't expect his studies take too long. This was also complete and accurate knowledge unlike fragmented and sometimes confusing material intended for explorers and scholars of thousands of years old language that no one really used other than the said explorers and scholars.

At any rate, Kaden let Emina handle the talking for the time being. He had warned her about changing of things in the past, but there wasn't much else to do so he trusted Emina to handle things right.

It also seemed a better choice. The ancients seemed to avoid Kaden, even if some were rather interested his mutations. Being left mostly alone like that while he studied was perfectly fine.

Kaden noted that these people lived in the lowest areas of the remnant... or one could say a shelter. It wasn't a remnant yet. These were the rich or the influential people and whatever supporting personel they had along.

Yet, there seemed to be very few people despite the size of the shelter.

"Perhaps they have suffered losses", Kaden thought to himself. "It is, after all, the cataclysm. Their entire civilization will be ground to dust during it and majority of people dead."

He wasn't certain how far in the cataclysm the date was, but if it was anywhere far in, death count would be very high.

"I wonder how soon gods come", Kaden continued wondering. "Would they consider people such as myself and Emina intruders in this timeline and erradicate us to ensure balance?"

This was concern to Kaden even if he was to stay in this time. Whether it was by choice or not. There was that one god that apparently did go inside the great remnant according to Emina. Was it exactly because of the time anomaly inside it? One that should have been impossible by Kaden's understanding. Any connection back to the cataclysm would likely be concern to the gods that worked to stop it.

There were only three ancients in the room with Kaden and Emina. It seemed they still wanted to keep things from spreading.

"So we are to believe you two came from future... far future?" One of the ancients spoke to Emina. Kaden noted that this person seemed to be the leader type. He didn't seem like a combatant, but someone with influence. Perhaps a noble or equivalent? "Through that hole in the storage room?"

"I have no way to prove it", Emina replied. "We don't even really understand how we got here and everything we know points to this being impossible. Yet, here we are. As for you being ancients. You speak the language, look the part as far as I can tell, everything here matches, including date that you provided us."

"I wish you stopped refering to us as 'ancients'", one of the people said. "It makes me feel old."

"I want to check the surface", Kaden said as he put aside his studies for a moment. He was well aware what Emina had been talking about. His attempt at speaking english was good enough. His words appeared to be understood.

"Impossible!" The person who appeared to be part of some military. He was the same person who had been leading the group who they had first encountered. "Everything is sealed. We cannot let anything from out there get inside! There is some constant storm that also spews out things like, well, you ... and worse."

"If there is something there that can kill me, it will be able to tear open any obstacles you might have put on its way", Kaden replied. "I will go there whether you like it or not. I'm now aware you have weapons that can, in fact, hurt me, but there is no way I will let you fire them. You cannot stop me. I must confirm that this is indeed the times of the cataclysm. Not some strange ... temporal echo? I don't even know what I would call it."

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The man in the strange green clothing was going to protest, but the leader raised his hand and shook his head.

"Damian, we must agree to it", the man said. "These people, if they are from the future, they can tell us how we might survive. Also give us answers. We need them on our side."

"I understand that Alexander", Damian answered. "But we still don't know what happened to all the people on the upper levels. We might let something in, if we open doors. Then there is that... thing there."

"Thing?" Kaden questioned.

"Some kind of ... skeleton from what I have been told", Alexander replied. "It doesn't seem to do anything, but float about and induce extreme terror. It appeared when everyone on the upper levels just disapeared."

"That thing?" Kaden said as he realized what it was. Looks like the creature was very old. "We have seen it in the future. It seems by your description your version of it is much weaker. The one in the future is immensely powerful, but yours we can likely ignore."

"If the mana storms outside don't get stronger, the mana levels should stay as they are", Emina pointed out at that point. "It is somewhat high here, but not too much to be fatal. Closer to surface this might not be the case, more so if a stronger storm passed by. Anything might have happened at that time. Including that creature."

"This mana", started the person whose name Kaden had not heard yet. "What is it? How does it work? can we protect ourselves from it somehow?"

"That... depends", Emina replied. "Uh...?"

"Ah yes, you can call me Ron", he said and extended his hand for handshake. Emina didn't understand this gesture so after a moment of awkward silence, Ron sat back. "Uhm... You can consider me leader of things related to science here in the Shelter 03. Though, not sure what use science is when it seems to be breaking down outside."

"Understanding the rules is good", Emina pointed out. "Mana, while it can and will skip rules or even make its own rules, always will be easier to use the more you follow the actual rules. In fact, with enough mana, it follows rules so hard that the rules break down."

"I see", Ron replied.

"As for mana", Emina continued. "How this all started is unknown. Churches tell that ancients did something and mana, the stuff of existence, started to leak out. Some suggestions that God of Lies might have had something to do with it and so on, but ..."

"Gods?" Ron questioned. "I'm sorry but I don't really believe in that sort of stuff."

"I'm aware that in these times it is questionable if they existed yet, were not here, didn't merely interact with world or were unable to or any of such things", Emina quickly added. "But it was they who stopped the cataclysm and taught humans to use mana since it could not be put back anymore. Their existence can be proven. You can measure changes in mana if you perform worship to a god. Also, while it is rare, they have decended upon mortal world. There are clear records of it."

"Maybe they are just powerful monsters generated by this... cataclysm", Damian interjected.

"They seem to be embodiments of some concepts", Emina ignored Damian and continued with the explanation. "Immensely powerful. They don't even personally come to the mortal world since it cannot support their presence. What we have seen are their avatars that still are at the limit of what is possible. Space collapses under the presence of these avatars and they seem to easily keep it in check while they at the same time do whatever they came to do. World obeys their will." Emina was quiet for a moment. "If they aren't actual gods, they are as close to it as it is possible."

"I'll see for myself, if they come during my lifetime", Ron replied. "But enough of that. Protection? We need to know. If people didn't die to some monsters, some disapeared or something else. The ones that survived, seemed to indeed get stronger for a while, but then they exploded. Some kind of crystal fragments were found from the remains. This mana seems to crystallize after a while and then explode. Animals seem to go insane, if they too don't explode."

Kaden frowned at that. Beasts were able to form cores while humans don't. More powerful bodies allowed them to be contained, but Kaden was pretty certain it was also something to do with minds and how these different species functioned. After thinking about it for a moment he assumed there were weaker beast types, while still beasts, were unable to have cores and had simply died out while the ones that could had survived.

"You will need a mana system to refine mana to your own control and avoid forming a core", Emina explained. "I will..."

"No", Kaden interrupted. "It was gods who instructed humans to use mana. If we mess with that, it will be trouble."

"These people will die!" Emina shouted at Kaden. "Mana levels are too high. Most of them will eventually absorb too much mana."

"I don't care", Kaden replied. "If they die, they are supposed to die. You cannot teach them. If you understand the consequences, I will not need to ensure that. Rather, I'll let you explain them the matters that even child should understand. The facts that don't cause problems for whatever timeline that may exist."

Kaden said that in english. The people of the Shelter 03 didn't look happy.

"I will go outside", he continued. "I must witness this."

Cataclysm. Not just what it was. There were possiblities to be observed. There were things that churches may know, whether due to gods or information they had accumulated over time. Things they wanted to hide. True knowledge of the cataclysm was rare! Churches kept that knowledge in tight grip if even they knew.

If he was not able to go to the surface, he would go as close as possible. He planned to use the emergency exit to do so. It would be good scouting too, if he was ever to return to his own time. It might be good escape route too.

There was also thought in Kaden's mind.

"What if I were to cultivate on the surface as the cataclysm is still going on?"