"At least I won't go off the wrong way."

Iris chuckled as she followed close behind me as we traversed the straight tunnel carved into the mountain.

The glow of numerous luminous stones embedded in the rocky walls guided our way like celestial beacons, leading us deeper into what felt like a sacred passage toward the Sanctuary of Light.

Above us, the cavernous ceiling soared to considerable heights, adorned with larger luminous crystals reminiscent of stars scattered across the expanse of a midnight sky.

I snorted, "Yeah. I half expect you to start walking upside down on the ceiling and lead us in the opposite direction."

"Ha, very funny."

"Why does that sound like something the Captain would do?" Carlo interjected with a grin, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Iris glanced back at Carlo, her expression mischievous yet affectionate. "Oh, Carlo. When we return, I will give you a training session from hell."

Her threat elicited a shiver from the young Devereux, and the others laughed.

Something caught my eye, and a relieved smile appeared on my face.

"I see an exit!" I announced, pointing ahead to where the tunnel opened into a vast, unknown space before us.

After a few minutes of walking, we got out of the tunnel and spread out.

"Whoa!" all of us gasped as we found ourselves in a vast cavern that seemed to be carved into the heart of the mountain.

Huge luminous crystals dotted the vast chamber, their brilliant glow casting mesmerizing patterns of light across the cavern walls.

Among them, a truly colossal crystal jutted out from the high rocky ceiling like a radiant sun, bathing the cavern below in its warm, ethereal glow.

Cyan-colored grass covered the cavern floor, faintly glowing with ardor. Just like the grass, there were several arlants or ardor plants scattered all over the cavern.

Strange glowing flowers with petals of a variety of shapes, vines that moved faintly as if alive, and trees that seemed to be made of silver with glowing golden leaves.

But the most jaw-dropping thing in the cavern was the colossal tree of purest white.

Its top almost touched the massive crystal in the roof, and its huge branches spread out extensively with leaves made of light.

The sheer magnitude of the tree was staggering; its trunk was so wide that ten people could encircle it while holding hands.

Right at the base of the massive tree, rising to about half of its imposing height, a grand building made of white stone stood, its pristine facade gleaming in the radiant light of the cavern.

Despite the passage of countless years, the structure remained untouched by time, its immaculate white stones almost glowing with an ethereal brilliance that spoke of a timeless presence.

Two massive doors separated the insides of the marvelous building and the environment of the cavern, their gleaming surfaces adorned with gold and silver designs between the engraved runes that glowed bright blue.

The entire structure was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, covered in meticulously carved runes that formed breathtaking designs on the pristine white stones.

Two massive statues of fully armored warriors stood guard, each holding a massive longsword and a shield like sentinels silently protecting whatever lay beyond those doors.

Ava voiced the concern that lingered in all our minds, "Those statues won't come alive and attack us, right?"

I glanced up at the towering statues, their imposing presence casting a shadow over us. "I hope not. But with our luck, I'm afraid that would be the case."

"Take out your weapons," Iris instructed, taking out her black and purple daggers, their jagged edges glinting menacingly. "We have no idea what would happen here. Best be prepared."

I and the rookies nodded, taking out our weapons.

I gripped my white daggers, holding them so the tip of one blade touched the handle of the other.

I streamed ardor into the daggers, and they began to morph. The blade of the bottom dagger and the handle of the other broke down into tiny white cubes that joined together.

The blade elongated, and the handle adjusted to my palm. With a hiss like a snake, the daggers transformed into my single-edged sword, its green edge almost glowing.

I heard a whistle behind me and noticed Carlo eyeing my sword. He looked at me, "Morphium?"

I nodded, "Very handy."

Ava clicked her claws as she donned them. Krystal's rapier swooshed in the air as she made some practice swings with it.

Chains clinked as Apollo wrapped them around his forearm and gripped his blades, and Artemis twirled her Yoyo.

Now, properly armed and ready, we moved forward toward the entrance.

Passing by the statues, I braced myself for any sudden movement, but they remained still, mere stone guardians in the dim light of the cavern.

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But I did not relax my guard. Anything can happen in a place like this.

Iris stood before the massive entrance. She glanced back at me, and I gave her an encouraging nod.

With a smile, she nodded back and pushed the doors.

The massive doors of stone glided open to reveal a huge circular chamber.

From what I could observe, I saw that the chamber is divided into two areas.

Pillars surrounded the inner area, likely where the Paladin was laid, while the outer area appeared to be a common resting place, adorned with tables and chairs crafted from the silver wood of the arlant trees.

Though simpler in design compared to the exterior, the interior of the sanctuary exuded an undeniable aura of ancient power and majesty.

Engraved runes adorned the walls, their faint glow adding to the ambiance of the chamber.

But we were all awestruck by the beauty of the place.

"This is amazing," Artemis said, her golden eyes gazing at every inch of the interior, her face looking like an awestruck child seeing the Royal Palace for the first time.

As we all looked around the chamber in awe and wonderment, my gaze shifted to the pillars that separated the two areas.

It wasn't just the beauty of the place that overwhelmed us but also the powerful and ancient ardor that surrounded us.

And it is coming from beyond those pillars.

Gripping my sword, I walked toward the pillars. As I approached, I noticed an open doorway at the end of the chamber beside the furthest pillar.

Looks like it leads to somewhere deeper into the sanctuary.

The hairs on my neck stood up as I reached the pillars and walked between two of them.

"By the Incarni," I breathed out in awe as I stared at the huge sarcophagus that stretched out before me.

Completely made of pure white marble and unadorned with any designs or engravings, the box-like sarcophagus emitted a formidable aura despite its beautiful simplicity.

Seven words were engraved into the marble in the middle, and they glowed with ardor.

Isaac Zierhart.

Faithful Servant Of Our Goddess.

A frown etched my face as I read the name engraved.

Isaac Zierhart. Why does that name sound familiar?

A gasp behind me almost made me jump.

It was Artemis, her golden eyes wide with shock as she stared at the name.

"No way," she gingerly stretched out her hand and passed her finger over the engraving.

Looking at me with reverence and shock, she said, "This is the final resting place of Isaac Zierhart, the man who discovered the Tear."

My eyes widened as the answer clicked into place.

I know him! He is the bloke who first encountered the Tear during his travels in Les Anciennes about five thousand years ago.

The rest joined us and looked at the sarcophagus with both amazement and reverence.

"I didn't know the first Deathwalker was a Paladin of the Order of Lux," Apollo remarked.

"Actually, he is not a Deathwalker," Iris corrected him. "The daemons only started appearing about a thousand years ago. So Isaac never encountered them. He only encountered the Tear."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she recounted what she had learned, "According to ancient records, Isaac was both fascinated and disturbed by the Tear."

"And so he let the Order and the world know of the existence of the Tear," Artemis interjected, then looked guiltily at Iris.

"Sorry. I was too excited," Artemis blurted out.

Iris smiled. "It's fine. How about you continue?"

Beaming, Artemis nodded and continued. "With support from the Order, he established a fortress before the Tear to observe and study it. That fortress is the predecessor to the Shield."

Carlo's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "So the Shield is five thousand years old?"

Artemis nodded. "More or less. It underwent a lot of renovation and reconstruction."

"And the man who made it all possible was him." She turned to the sarcophagus. "Isaac Zierhart."

Iris and I nodded. Everything she told us was the truth. I was even able to learn something new as well.

"Fun fact," I chimed in. "Isaac realized that even though the Tear remained benign during his lifetime, he felt something malevolent beyond its swirling darkness. So, he established a strike force of powerful lower-ranked paladins to respond to any danger that may emerge from the Tear. This strike force is believed to be the predecessor of Deathwalkers."

Apollo whistled. "Now that's awesome."

"It's going to become more awesome," Iris said, pointing ahead of the sarcophagus.

A small distance away from the sarcophagus was a small altar on which lay a book bound in pure white leather.

Artemis gasped. "Is that what I think it is?"

Iris nodded with a grin. "Looks like the journal of Isaac."

I approached the altar and gingerly touched the book.

"You sure about this?" Ava asked nervously, looking around for any hidden booby traps.

"I think so," I said and picked up the book, immediately jumping away from the altar.

"That was nerve-wracking." I sighed in relief and looked at the journal.

Despite sitting on the altar for most probably five thousand years, the journal seemed in perfect condition.

I delicately removed the string tied around the book as the others crowded around me. The front cover was unadorned and simple.

I opened the ancient book and read the first words. "To Alexander, my dear brother lost in the Abyss beyond the cruel Tear."

We felt like a bombshell had been dropped on us.

"Alexander?" Iris asked, her deep blue eyes wide with disbelief. "You mean Alexander Zierhart?"

I was shocked as well. "Isaac's lost brother."

Krystal frowned. "Who?"

"Alexander Zierhart," Artemis explained. "The younger brother of Isaac and a powerful Paladin. It was said that he disappeared in Les Anciennes."

Her puzzled and shocked eyes went to the journal. "But according to this, it appears that he didn't just disappear into thin air."

"He entered the Tear," Carlo said, looking very much shocked by this revelation.

"How? And why?" I asked, unable to comprehend what was happening right now.

Just as we were reeling from this revelation, the building suddenly began to rumble, causing us to stumble around in the inner chamber.

I felt a sudden and terrifying surge in ardor and glanced back at the sarcophagus.

My eyes widened in horror at the cracks forming on the smooth marble. They were spreading fast, with a bright light shooting out of them.

Ah, fuck

I yelled out.

"SCATTER!"