The ruins before me appeared to have once been rather firm, with thick, stone columns connecting them to the ceiling of Fyor. At a glance, it looked like natural energy was involved, the columns appearing to warp down from the ceiling rather than be physically constructed with tools. However, that could easily be a misconception caused by the long years of wear.
Floating over towards the nearest building, I was able to confirm that they had large, rectangular openings that were at least two meters wide. On the inside, it was clear that it had been many years since the building had last been used, with any furniture that was once used reduced to hardly identifiable rubble.
Still, I kept a smile on my face. This was what I lived for, what I trained for. Channeling my divinity, I activated my History domain to get a look at what this place once looked like.
Many people questioned my domain choice when they learned of it, due to the taboo around time-related domains. It was a well-documented fact that anyone who attempted to time travel to the past was never seen again, nor did they appear in any historical records from the era that they wanted to time travel to. Traveling to the future did not seem to have any ill effects, but travel to the past was seen as a death sentence.
This was why I had to be very careful with how I used my History domain, as I was not traveling to the past. At no point did I ever leave my own timeline. Instead, I created visions of the past in a localized area.
Slowly, the rubble around me seemed to clear. A pile of stones in the corner turned into a smooth, semi-spherical cushion. Faded scratches on the wall turned into clear writing. Soon, I could see a translucent bubble floating into the building and resting on the cushion. With a smile, I knew that I had reached the right era.
Maintaining this window to the past, I turned and floated out of the home that I was in. My eyes widened as I saw the altered landscape before me.. The ruined husks were now brilliant spires hanging downwards, spiraling bases decorated with spherical ornaments. Large bubbles floated everywhere, dancing around one another as colorful energy waves began to shine from their bodies.
This was a scene that only I was likely ever to see, and I was careful to fly around so as not to damage anything. Despite seeing a window to the past, this was the equivalent of an illusion. The ruins around me were still there, and could be seriously damaged if I bumped into them by mistake.
Turning my gaze to the side, I was able to see that there were similar cities scattered all throughout the ceiling of Fyor, all with twisting spires and colorful clouds of bubble creatures. Given what I had heard from Jordan, it was likely that this civilization covered a large portion of this layer’s ceiling.
I’ll take a look at what caused their downfall later. I thought to myself, floating towards one of the more imposing buildings within the city. For now, I need to learn what I can about the race as a whole.
In order to properly navigate the ruins, I had to only see the window to the past through one eye, that way the other was able to let me know if a path ahead had collapsed, or was otherwise blocked. Because of this, I had to try multiple entrances to get into the largest building in the city, which was likely some form of palace or other administration building.
These types of buildings were always among the best to get a proper view of a farce from an outside perspective, so long as you had the skills to do so. For instance, the ability to read and understand unknown languages, which I obtained through my Understanding domain.
As I entered the building and navigated around fallen columns, I caught sight of a particularly large bubble sitting at a high perch, with thin metal sheets lined up on a counter in front of it. Floating up to get a better look, I paused the playback of history to see what was written on those sheets.
Let’s see…tax information, family registries, fairly basic stuff. I nodded, letting the playback resume. Whenever a new sheet appeared, I took a moment to read through it.
The simple fact that they were recording information on these thin metal sheets said a lot about their advancement levels. They were accomplished enough in forging to be able to create these sheets, but didn’t use them as a primary component in building, as most of the metal I saw in the buildings outside were decorations.
Additionally, they did not appear to have any methods of long-range communication, outside of manual delivery of written messages. Whenever one of these ‘bombubbles’, or Balton according to their own script, wanted to carry something, they would pick it up with mana and place it inside of their own bodies, where it would hover in place.
I heard that they explode when startled… is that an ability that they developed later, or just something that they have more control over at this point in time? I wondered to myself as I kept reading through the metal sheets the city’s administrator reviewed. There were mining reports, requests for funding for schools, all of the typical things that one would expect from a fairly modern civilization, though their technology was still fairly basic.
“I think it’s about time for a direct interview.” I thought to myself, moving to sit cross-legged in midair, across from the city administrator. There was only so much that could be learned about a civilization from studying relics. Most of what scholars discerned were guesses based on context clues that they pieced together. However… what if you could directly interview someone from the civilization you were investigating?
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
My three domains stirred, and the administrator’s spherical body shook. “Hello! Before you become alarmed, please hear me out.” I said, making sure to translate my words into a form that the Balton would understand. “I come from the distant future, and I am hear to ask you a few questions about this time period.”
The surface of the administrator’s body shook fiercely, and I could hear a voice translated from the energy it released. “Who… what are you? You are no Balton.”
“That’s correct!” I nodded my head with a wide smile. “I am what is known as a lycan, a canine-type bipedal creature. I come from a place far, far away. Oh, also, I am only speaking to a projection of you. Once I’m done, you won’t remember any of this.”
I could feel my tail wagging happily at the chance to directly interview someone from a lost civilization, while the Balton seemed to hesitate. “Why are you here, asking me these questions?”
I placed a finger on my chin, contemplating how to answer. There was no need to alarm him, as it would only make the rest of the interview more difficult. “I’m a seeker of historical truths. Little is known about this time period of your race, so I wanted to come and speak with someone that appeared to be in charge.”
“Our records did not persevere?” The Balton asked, and I could sense its gaze moving towards the metal sheets. “They must have been lost to the great fall. I see… in that case, please ask what you need to ask.”
“Thank you, sir!” I smiled even wider, my tail swaying faster. “First of all, what is the current name of this city? And the country that it belongs to.”
The Balton’s body shook slightly as it answered. “This is the city of Elderspire, within the country of Allona. Have the names changed so much over time?”
“No, sir! I am just making sure to ask these questions to ensure the accuracy of information.” It was never good to tell someone that their entire civilization faced downfall, as it would lead them to a panicked state, and the interview would need to be canceled.
“Do the Balton have any natural predators?” I asked curiously. Immediately, I sensed a great deal of confusion from the spherical creature. “You see, in most worlds, a developing race will have some form of entity that poses a natural risk to it. In my case… well, there are too many to count, and you’d not know of any of them.”
“I… do not believe that there is anything that qualifies as a natural risk. There is only the Balton, and the fall. I have never seen a creature other than a Balton before.”
I blinked in confusion, slowly nodding my head at that answer. “Is that so? Can you tell me more about this fall? Why would it be a danger to the Balton? Can’t you simply fly back up?”
“If we stop in time.” The Balton answered with a nod. “However, if our bodies adjust to the atmospheric pressure below, it costs more and more energy to ascend. That’s why we warn our children not to fly below the spires, as they may be unable to return.”
That was… interesting. Maybe that’s why they don’t inhabit the city anymore. They simply lost the ability to ascend high enough to reclaim their perch? No, there has to be more to it. Why would the entire race decide to descend so far at once?
“Do you have gods among the Balton at this point in time? A god is a being with extraordinary power, often symbolized by a golden hue to their energy. Their power is derived off of a concept, and it is possible to have more than one. For instance, I am the Goddess of History, Understanding, and Observation. That is how I am able to converse with you in this way.”
There was a pause from the Balton, which seemed to be considering the question. “There are a few golden Balton possessing great strength. However, I’m not familiar with the term ‘god’. It’s possible that these golden ones qualify, though.”
“Very possible, indeed! There are only a few causes for such unique appearances, after all.” So, they possess gods, no natural predators, and are advanced enough to educate their children about the dangers of falling. This is getting more and more curious.
“If I may ask…” The Balton began, and I had a bad feeling about the energy I was feeling off of it. “Did something happen to us? These questions… surely some of this information would have survived the passing of ages. You don’t seem like you’re prying for strategic weaknesses, but rather trying to understand a group that you can’t normally speak with…”
I paused at that question, before letting out a long sigh. “I was hoping to spare you this information, but it seems that you’ve guessed it on your own.” I snapped my finger, clearing the window to the past from the surroundings, and letting the Balton see what the building looked like in the present day. “My people found your civilization like this, and I am trying to uncover what happened to your people.”
The Balton shook more intensely at this revelation. Although it was still dangerous to reveal this news at this point in time, it would soften the blow if the target of the interview had a chance to realize it for themselves. In some cases, it even led to a more direct interview, with them willing to reveal sensitive information that may be critical to uncovering ancient secrets.
“I… I see. That’s why you were asking about predators and gods, then.”
“That’s right. However, from what you’ve told me, I can’t imagine what would cause your civilization to enter such a state. At the current time where I am from, the Balton do still live, but they have all fallen beyond the limits of what you can see, and no longer have the intelligence that you are showing.”
“Is that so?” He asked, seeming as confused as I was by this information.
“That’s right. Also, I have heard that a Balton explodes when startled, but I haven’t observed anything like that in this era. Additionally, given your style of building, there should be damage to the nearby structures if such were the case.”
At least, this time the Balton seemed to have some insights to share. “Explode? Ah, you mean when we pop. It’s not something that we do when ‘startled’, at least not now. Our miners due it to more efficiently get minerals, but otherwise it is merely a decorative effect. Sometimes, our people will fly below the spires, pop, and then get others to help them ascend when they reform. It makes for a brilliant display, and helps us clear out our energy.”
“I see… it’s good to know that this isn’t a new development. However… can you think of anything that could have caused this? Any entity, criminal, or situation that would cause all of your people to fall?”
When he heard that, the Balton paused again, thinking. “I… don’t know, if I am to be honest. To me, it is inconceivable that even a fraction of our kind would choose to fall, let alone so many. And, if these ruins persist as they have, then surely it means that the buildings themselves survived the event. If that is the case, what could it be other than a choice?”