Isaac and I stared at king Claude de Vusech, dumbfounded. Athiens being enveloped in a crimson light and the planet just goes poof? It sounded hard to believe, but Earth faced something similar.

“I can tell by the looks on your faces that you doubt my words,” said Claude. His tone was calm and polite. “The Pillars arrived in Athiens ten years ago. It was as if they had descended from the heavens. They came as swiftly as the wind. Upon their arrival, things took a turn to the worst…”

Claude had a solemn look on his face, his wrinkles clear. I could make out tiny creases near his eyes. Has the stress of being a ruler made him age rapidly, coupled with the fact that he used The Oracle three times?

The king carried on with his story. “Over the years, war broke out between kingdoms. The population of monsters grew larger and fiercer, and the average death rate around the world exploded. It’s almost as if a higher power is manipulating the world behind the scenes.”

It’s obviously the Pillars then if that were the case.

“That was when enough was enough. I used The Oracle a second time to gain insight into what to do, and that was when I was shown a vision of you two once again. This time you were in a stadium. That vision alone is why I created the tournament. Its true purpose was a stage I set up for you siblings, to test your mettle and might. I wanted to complete the tournament all the way through, but time was not kind to us.”

His voice trailed as he goes through another fit of dry, painful coughs. Claude’s complexion turned pale.

“I’m getting off-track. I knew you two would arrive soon because of this… “

Reaching down into his pocket, he pulled out a glass shard. Tapping onto said glass shard, fog arose from it. After a couple of seconds, it formed into a holographic screen similar to the one we saw in the tournament waiting room. What it displayed were portals of varying colors and sizes in different environments.

“The humans from Earth would enter through these rifts that form at random and slay whatever they could find. They showed no mercy of whatever unfortunate soul was there.”

Interesting. The people of Earth can now travel to this planet. Not only that, if they can slay the denizens here, that means they are superhumans like Isaac and I. What I don’t understand is why they resort to killing as soon as they enter. Are they being forced to or is it of their own free will?

“At this rate, I believe humans will wipe out every life form in Athiens before the planet disappears. You humans have monstrous growth, equivalent to the Apithiens.”

“Ah. Volken said that we were like Apithiens for whatever reason.” Isaac interjected.

At the sound of Volkens’ name, the king raised his voice slightly. “Volken of all people said that?”

The king’s brow furrowed as he gazed at Isaac and I, almost like he was peering deep into our souls.

“Yes… I see it now. Near your hearts are without a doubt the mana organ only Apithiens are blessed with. If you humans have possession of the mana organ, the humans from Earth will too. Fascinating!”

Before he could speak anymore, Myra and Zelke popped up from the front entrance.

“Airon got away with the crystal,” said Zelke. “We have, however, determined his path. His destination appears to be Aglona.”

Claude quickly stood up, his face now urgent. “Aglona? The Holy Kingdom?! My fears have come true… The Aglona must not have The Oracle at all costs! Zelke, Myra, Isaac, Laila. I want you four to-“

Claude’s voice was cut shot when the ceiling above us collapsed unexpectedly. Everyone backed away from the falling rubble as a figure arose, coughing from the smoke.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“There you guys are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” An all too familiar voice spoke. “I finish the job I started.”

When the smoke dissipated, Volken was revealed. His gray hair had pieces of rock and dust splattered all over it. He wiped himself while menacingly stomping toward us.

“Being whisked away is not fun,” said Volken. “Solgen's magic is a pain in the neck to deal with.”

“Ah fuck it’s Volken again,” Isaac cursed. Zelke and Myra had their weapons drawn, facing the undisturbed Apithien.

“Oh? A warrior from Bellagros? And an elf from the Elven Forest, and the two humans from Earth? What an interesting party you have here,” he chuckled to himself. “I’m going to enjoy this fight…”

Volken unsheathed his blade. Now that I’m more in tune with mana, I can now feel the tiny blue sparks that dance across the blade’s obsidian surface.

“If it’s a fight you want…” the king bellowed. He too unsheathed his weapon, but this time, he stuck his arm out, not letting all four of us pass. “You’ll fight me alone.”

Volken blinked at the king’s challenge, and fell into a rowdy laugh, wiping tears from his eyes. “Ha! You? Fight me? Your joke has done more damage than you’ll ever inflict on me, Hahaha!”

While Volken was enjoying himself, Claude harshly whispered to us. “Your top priority is intercepting Airon. Do not let Aglona get their hands on The Oracle at all costs! I’ll fend him off while you run. Do you understand?!”

Myra and I nodded our heads in agreement, but Zelke and Isaac were not having it.

“I have a score to settle with that guy!” Isaac shouted.

“As a warrior, how could I run away from a fight?” Zelke murmured.

The king looked at both men in disbelief. The veins in the king’s crinkled face bulged in fury at their foolishness. “If you die here, both worlds will end! Do you want your friends and family to perish because of your idiotic choices?!”

Isaac and Zelke both faltered at the king’s harsh words.

Volken smirked at the scene before him. “Judging from your conversation, Airon has completed his mission? I knew he could do it. I trained him, after all! Thank you for voicing your troubles out loud. As for your reward…”

The man disappeared, leaving behind a trail of wind. I looked around in a daze as I tried to figure out where he went until the sound of metal clashing alerted me. Claude de Vusech blocked Volkens’ swift strike with his own blade. He grunted at the force of the impact while shouting at us.

“GO! I’ll hold him off!”

At his command, I grabbed Isaac by the shoulder, gripping it to where he shouted in pain.

“Ow! What are you doing?”

“Let’s go, or else ill knock you out myself and drag your limp body,” I snarled, making sure my threat got through to his skull. I do not want to stay and find out whether we could beat Volken with all five of us, and I don’t want to take the chance.

Even though he was reluctant, Isaac followed along.

“Zelke. Don’t forget what we were assigned to do by the Elders,” Myra said sternly. Zelke flinched at her words and unsheathed his sword, nodding at her words. With that situated, we all ran past the duelists, not looking back once.

“Golems!”

At Volkens’ order, golems made from the nearby wreckage formed. Since I was familiar with them, they were easy to destroy with my magic. They were all sliced to ribbons in a matter of seconds, but they kept on rebuilding themselves. Even then, I bought us enough time to leave the area. The sound of Claudes and Volkens blades clashing against each other was now faint as we were now outside the palace, the cool night air refreshing our bodies.

Myra pointed to the north. “Airon went that way.”

“Is the king going to be okay back there?” I asked Myra.

She averted her gaze elsewhere. “Probably not. He’ll most likely die at the hands of Volken.”

“…”

“Do not feel bad. It was his choice. He was going to die regardless of our actions. All he is doing is speeding up the process.”

Listening to her cruel words had made the cold air no longer refreshing to the skin…

Zelke raised his voice, cutting through the thick air. “Let’s not dawdle any longer. We should not disappoint the king and have his last words be for naught. Our new mission is to stop Airon. We head for Aglona.”

Without another word, Zelke jumped up into the air and was already moving North of the palace. Myra followed him, leaving Isaac and I alone on the rooftops.

****

“…You say the Apithien has ownership of The Oracle?”

“Yes, Cardinal.”

“Wonderful. The goddess will be pleased.”

I traced my fingers along the rough stone walls of the church as I paced. Only those who devote themselves to the glory of the Pillars may enter and pray this blessed sanctum. Murals have been painted in honor of the esteemed gods. We follow their will, and their will alone, as they possess power and knowledge we mortals cannot hope to understand.

“He will arrive at the holy city of Tatjun in a few weeks,” said a priest.

“Thank you. You may leave now.”

“Yes, Cardinal Nicholas. May the gods bless you.”

The priest uttered a small prayer and left through the double doors of the church. I peeked out of the windows, admiring the lush landscape that spanned before me. It was a tranquil experience.

“Soon, we will figure out how to open its gates. Rumored to house untold treasures and knowledge from the past that has been long forgotten. Rumored to contain a key…”

The Pillars called the place…

The Labyrinth.