Perched atop the half-collapsed staircase, Theodore stared down at the massive mural on the ground.
On the mural, a mountain was depicted, one with a sky-piercing peak. For a moment, Theodore suspected that the 'mountain' was supposed to be the tower, but the details of the jagged mountainside made him reconsider, as the tower, old as it might be, remained flawless to this day.
Beneath a mountain, an object was depicted. Theodore could not tell if it was a star or something incredibly bright, but without a doubt, it was a light-emitting object.
Then, after the mountain, figures could be seen standing around the mountain's base. From their pointed hats, it appeared that they were witches. They seemed to be in reverence or fear of the mountain.
After the witches were a myriad of monstrosities, creatures of various shapes and sizes, all horrible to behold and none appeared to be natural.
Finally, at the center of the mural, in between the witches, there was an indentation, as if something was supposed to be slotted in there. From the outline, it appeared to be some kind of staff.
(Where have I seen that before?)
Searching his memories, Theodore found that the familiarity came from something rather recent. Yes, he had seen something of a similar shape around a month ago.
(The six-eyed staff...)
It was back when Annaliese brought him outside. In the plaza before the tower, there was a statue holding a similar staff, a statue of a witch.
After staring at the mural for a few moments longer, Theodore slowly descended the ancient stairs, fearing that it might collapse at any time.
Once on the ground, Theodore walked over the mural and arrived at the spot where the indentation was.
"Fiana, did you bring a measuring tool?" he asked.
"I did not," Fiana answered bluntly. "It never occurred to me that we might need one."
"Shame, neither did I."
In the end, Theodore could only make do with what he had on hand, his very own hands, to be specific. Squatting down, he measured the indentation with the lengths of his index finger from his thumb, adding them up to find the measurement
"!?"
Suddenly, Theodore sensed something, an ever slight tug on his satchel. Turning around, he expected to see either Fiana or one of his undeads, but none were close by.
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Confused and wary, Theodore placed the satchel hanging over his shoulder on the ground before carefully opening it with his threads of Aether.
Peering inside, Theodore found no noticeable abnormality. Even after using his threads to see if he can't detect anything with them, nothing was discovered.
(Was that my imagination? No, better safe than sorry.)
Under Fiana's curious gaze, Theodore began to take out the items in his satchel one by one, trying to get to the bottom of the strange phenomenon he felt. The vials, the jar of slime, the rations, the broken piece of brick, he took everything out.
Then, he felt it, the slightest tugging. As it laid atop his hand, the broken brick was drawn towards the mural.
"Is there something strange with the brick?" Fiana walked over to ask upon seeing Theodore staring intensely at a broken piece of brick.
"It's been strange since the beginning," said Theodore. "But this... It's almost as if the brick is alive."
"Alive? What does that mean?"
"...... Who knows?" Theodore said dismissively before stuffing the brick back into the satchel. "Regardless, having examined everything around here, mural included, I think I know what is blocking the Aether flow to the tower. Let me explain..."
***
It was called the 'Corrupted Domain.' In short, it is the point in which two worlds collide, an area created when another world in the Abyss crashes into this one. In essence, it is akin to an unstable, large-scale, Abyssal Magic. When that happens, the laws of this world become distorted and unstable, its Aether gradually corrupted, and its environment slowly twists into unrecognizable and impossible forms.
Judging from the condition of the cavern and what was depicted in the mural, Theodore deduced that beyond the mural, there lay a Corrupted Domain, one that was sealed by the witches. As to how it emerged and why it was sealed, those were mysteries known only by those present in the long bygone past. One thing was for sure, however, the Corrupted Domain, or rather, the Abyssal Rift that must have occurred to form this Domain was draining Aether into itself, maintaining the connection between the two collided worlds.
Without the Rift, the Domain would simply fade away in time with the Aether of this world slowly repairing what damage was done. However, with the Rift placed atop the Aether wellspring surging forth from the leyline junction beneath, not only was the Rift maintaining itself, but with the massive amount of Aether, it should be expanding as well.
The proof of its expansion could be seen in this massive cavern itself. Something of this size should have long collapsed, let alone have a city built atop of it. The pale root-like structures as well, though supposedly a part of the tower, the organic aesthetic was uncommon in Alvan architecture. Theodore could think of no other reason for it to be so other than that the Corrupted Domain was leaking through the witch's seal and had begun to affect the areas beyond.
In other words, this cavern Theodore and Fiana were in was also transformed into a Corrupted Domain. In time, if nothing was done, the city above would be swallowed by the corruption, and eventually, everything in the lagoon's vicinity shall be as well.
This also explained why no one was stationed in this place. The instabilities of the Corrupted Domain have adverse effects on those who dwell in it for too long. Mutations, mental deterioration, and changes that cannot be explained by the natural laws could easily occur within the space where the laws have become unstable.
***
"We should leave sooner rather than later. There's nothing we can do here without the 'key' anyways," said Theodore, taking one last glance at the indentation in the mural before walking away.
Nodding in agreement, her expression grim from the realization of the kind of space she was in, Fiana followed suit.
In a day and a half's time, the two returned to the workshop, concluding the expedition. With the new findings in mind, Theodore began drafting his next plan.
***
End of Chapter 119
***