Mr. Reed adjusted his button cuffs and said, “I don’t have to remind you what has happened to Earth after that red light in the sky, right?”
“We’re all on the same page there so we can gloss over the details,” I replied firmly. “The gist is that these so-called gods have attained some sort of powerful crystal able to rewrite a world to the user’s image. These gods refer to themselves as Pillars and are the culprits of this fiasco. Because of them, monsters, athios, and the landmasses on Athiens have transferred over to Earth, meaning they both are now combined into one planet.”
“Gods? What do you mean by that, Joel?” Mr. Reed inquired.
“It means that the Pillars are gods, very much like the gods of Greece,” Isaac interrupted, leaning into his chair. “You know, Zeus, Hera, and all that. Might be others too.”
Mr. Reed shot Isaac with a skeptical look. “And how do you know this?”
“Well, it’s because my sister and I have gathered a lot of information when we were in Athiens,” Isaac replied with a shrug.
Just before Mr. Reed could open his mouth, Isaac summarized their journey through Athiens. Instead of being transported to The Tutorial, something whisked them away to a dark cave in Athiens. They had to fight all manners of creatures such as imps, demogres, yetis, and some guy named Volken. When Isaac mentioned that man, he had a somber expression as he recalled all the trouble they went through because of him. They had to fight tooth and nail when they were just fresh, like ducklings thrown into the rapids.
After that, Isaac informed everyone that they met a prisoner named Solgen, who so happened to be the sister of their assailant. When Laila freed Solgen from her chains and was about to escape from the cave, they ran into Volken and had narrowly lost their lives to that man until Solgen saved them. With the help of Solgen, they escaped and sought refuge at Igni Town. Solgen accepted Isaac and Laila as her pupils and trained them for one month and then forced them to attend a tournament to get stronger.
Fast-forward to the end, Volken’s pupil invaded the king’s palace and stole a prophetic black crystal that told the future of Earth and Athiens, and even the sibling’s fate. Isaac claimed that the black crystal’s power was the real deal and foresaw their arrival to Athiens. When the king, the two siblings, and two more encountered the thief, the thief managed to escape. The king ordered the four of them to retrieve the crystal while he stayed back and handled his business. Isaac and Laila fought many people along the way such as the Cardinals henchmen- the archbishops, and the residents of Athiens. After a couple of days later, they found the thief again and retrieved the crystal all because of Solgen’s assistance.
The next part was when Isaac’s face darkened, and his pupils turned cloudy as if a tempest of emotions were swirling within. With his voice filled with emotion, he recalled how one of the Pillars, Luna, barged into Silis’ throne room and killed everyone present. By the grace of their master’s magic- teleportation through portals- they escaped and were transported to the frozen land known as South Osmen.
I and the rest stared hard at Isaac, mouths dangling open as we tried to wrap our heads around what the boy had just spouted. Sam had a little tear coming out of his eyes while Camila shook her head, exasperated. Sophie’s head was rolled to one side, and her eyes were wide open as if her brain had stopped functioning. Darion was visibly frowning as he glanced between Isaac and Laila.
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Mr. Reed grimaced at the retelling. “A-Ahem. I’m sorry you had to go through such turmoil.”
“Ah well, we’ve mostly got over it. No need to worry,” said Isaac. His sister, however, flared her nostrils and elbowed him in his ribcage.
“Ow! What was that for?!” Isaac yelped.
“Your poor word choice, idiot,” she snarled. “What do you mean, we got over it?”
“Oh, come on! You know I didn’t mean it like that!”
“Then be careful with your next set of words.”
Isaac held his arms up in surrender against his sister’s hostility. The white dragon on Laila’s shoulders shook its head at Isaac, almost like it was berating him internally.
“Anyway,” Laila huffed, “we did some reconnaissance on the Cardinal and the Pillars while we were on South Osmen. Because of a group’s vigilant efforts through espionage, we caught wind of the Pillars’ plans. The Pillars have been trying to perfect a specimen, codenamed Chimera, and use its blood to open the doors of The Labyrinth. As you may have noticed, one of these doors was in Athiens, and the others on Earth. I and my brother had to bide our time until they have proceeded with their goal, which they have already achieved.”
“And that’s the combination of Earth and Athiens,” Mr. Reed finished.
“Precisely.”
An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room. A fresh new bead of sweat appeared on everyone’s forehead as the sense of unease that was festering in our hearts expanded. Anxiety, nervousness, and fear were slowly festering, threatening to muddle their brains. However, even if human emotions are powerful enough to limit one’s abilities, as long as you don’t let it affect you, then there is nothing to worry about.
“Hey. I got a question,” said Laila, eyeing everyone in the room. “What floor did you guys finish on the Tower of Strength?”
One of Isaac’s ears perked up, and his eyes glistened as he leaned forward. Was the boy excited about this kind of subject?
I responded almost immediately. “I stopped on the 15th floor.”
“17 for me,” said Camila. “I was too tired to continue any further.
“First floor,” said Sam while waving his missing arm. The bulky man gets a pass since he most likely determined that forfeiting early was the best option. Risking his life for rewards and glory wasn’t like him at all. He’d rather save lives than climb the Tower of Strength.
“…20,” Darion muttered, glaring at the ceiling. He’s probably pissed that he couldn’t complete the First Stage in its entirety. Darion is a boy that hates appearing weak to others, and not completing the Tower of Strength isn’t any different from losing a fight.
“25 for me…” Sophie replied. “The first pupil was much too difficult…”
“Yea, he was!” Isaac chimed in. “That man was strong as hell!”
“Was your last stop at the 25th too?”
“Nope. I finished the whole thing. I was in the top five too.” Isaac grinned, yet that grin of his was replaced with a scowl. “Sadly, I wasn’t the first to finish.”
Sophie tilted her head and glanced in Laila’s direction. “If you didn’t finish first, then was it Laila?”
“That’s not important,” Laila said bluntly. “What’s important is what I learned when I spoke with the demons on the First Stage.”
“You… spoke with demons on the First Stage?” Mr. Reed asked hesitantly.
“Yep. This will take a while to explain, so you better get comfortable,” Laila said.
Whatever information this girl has gathered, it must be extremely important. She has yet to tell a single lie throughout this entire conversation. Since Camila possesses [Lie Detection], she would have notified us if Isaac or Laila appeared to be lying. Because Camila displayed no reaction to any lies, it’s safe to assume that they are speaking the truth. That has only made them even more trustworthy. Hanging on to each word coming out of their mouths is a wise choice.
Mr. Reed had also been glancing at Camila this whole time. He must’ve had the same idea if he was specifically eyeing Camila throughout the conversation. The siblings must’ve gained some trust from Mr. Reed, and any doubts he may have had should evaporate.
“Okay then, Laila. You may proceed. What have you learned in the First Stage that you must share with us?” Mr. Reed requested.