The young prince suddenly looked over at the young man with glasses, sensing that he and Baron shared a similar understanding. “Actually, I’ve been thinking the same thing as you for a while now,” he admitted.

Baron began to elaborate. “The three of us once researched the Veo—a cryptid that resembles a pangolin but is as large as a horse, believed to exist on Serenity Isle,” he explained. “But, as you mentioned earlier, access to that island isn’t easy. So, we’ve never been able to go there, even to this day.”

“Even though our curiosity got the best of us, we still gathered some information about the creature through the internet and various books.”

“And while gathering that information, we stumbled upon the name of an ancient volcano located in the middle of the island. It supposedly erupted around a thousand years ago, nearly causing mass extinction,” he continued.

“Wait, am I the only one here who doesn’t get it?” Casildo suddenly interjected, raising one hand in protest. “Which mountain are you talking about? Everlasting something?”

Prince Arkana instantly displayed an exasperated expression, giving his friend a sideways, cynical glare. “You’ve been alive for fifty years, yet your knowledge is worse than a twenty-something’s.”

“That’s because I have a grudge against all kinds of text and an allergy to the smell of books!” Casildo tried to excuse himself with a silly reason.

Arkana could only sigh tiredly, trying to remain patient as he went on to explain, “There’s a theory that, thousands of years ago, the vast land of Lushterra was just one massive supercontinent known as the Tyaga Supercontinent.”

“Eventually, about a thousand years ago, that supercontinent suddenly split into two, dividing into the continents we now know as Amerta and Nirvana.”

“Some theories suggest that the split was caused by a volcanic eruption, believed to be from the Everlasting Three Lakes Mountain on Serenity Isle. About a thousand years ago, the eruption left a devastating impact,” he said.

“Besides splitting the land, the eruption also created a thick ash sea that covered the sky for some time, causing a drop in temperature and global climate anomalies that lasted for years. As a result, many people couldn’t survive that era,” Prince Arkana explained.

“There were even some baseless rumors circulating that during that time, many strange creatures appeared, endangering humanity,” he added.

The young prince glanced around, hoping his explanation hadn’t been in vain. But he was met with frustration when he saw his dumb friend scratching his neck with a look of blatant confusion.

“Why have I never heard of this theory?” the burly young man remarked with a clueless expression, making everyone feel like they wanted to smack his head.

“A thousand years ago? Wasn’t that around the time when the first Astral Conjurer gained his power?” he asked, frowning with furrowed brows.

Arkana looked back at him, equally puzzled and surprised. “Didn’t any of your ancestors tell you about the volcanic eruption theory?”

Casildo shrugged indifferently. “They only told me about the founding of the Darkconian Empire, supposedly during humanity’s dark age. But they didn’t clarify what events caused that dark age,” he replied honestly.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Maybe your ancestors knew your tiny brain wouldn’t handle such heavy knowledge,” Gavin quipped irritably.

Baron whispered to his friend with a mocking look. “Or maybe his ancestors didn’t know about the theory at all. Maybe ignorance is an inherited trait.”

“Why don’t you both just shut up?!” Casildo snapped, visibly agitated.

The young prince patted his friend’s back as if to cheer him up. “Don’t be too sad about your ignorance, Bro,” he teased.

“After all, even the nameless young man, who’s older than your ancestors, hasn’t confirmed the truth of this theory, since the only Astral Conjurer to live through that dark era is long dead,” he quipped.

“How long will this drama go on?” The fierce girl interrupted, visibly annoyed at being ignored.

“I almost forgot we’re keeping three filthy flies around here,” Casildo sneered with a mocking smile.

Arkana sighed deeply, then turned to Gavin and asked, “Have you taken enough pictures?”

The dark-skinned young man immediately gave a thumbs-up. “Yep, don’t worry,” he replied.

“Then let’s hurry and find Kairav and the nameless young man,” said Prince Arkana.

Without delay, they headed toward a large door with a set of stairs in the center. One by one, they began ascending the countless rectangular stone steps. There were so many steps that even the topmost stairway couldn’t be seen from where they stood.

“Shouldn’t we check where they actually are first? Won’t it be better to get their location before we start climbing?” Gavin remarked during the trek, his face lacking enthusiasm as he dreaded the thought of the soreness and aching that would plague his legs later.

A harsh exhale sounded as Trisha turned to him with an irritated tone. “With what? Walkie-talkies don’t work here—I’ve already tried!”

Casildo suddenly chimed in, glancing around at everyone. “So, what do you think the Failed Product is up to now? Think he’s crying in fear?”

“Not a chance. I know him well—my guess is he’s having the time of his life,” Baron replied indifferently.

The burly young man frowned, looking doubtful. “How’s that possible? How could he be enjoying himself in a situation like this? What could make him happy?”

“Wanna bet?” Baron smirked slyly.

***

The sound of footsteps echoed as the two young men continued climbing the towering stone steps, which seemed to stretch endlessly upward.

They had no idea how many hundreds of steps they’d taken, as they couldn’t even gauge their elevation when they looked down.

Only the dim, orange glow from the Sunfire Gaze lit the lower steps and the two massive, cold stone walls flanking their path. While neither uttered a single complaint, their shortening breaths and the sweat streaming down their faces were undeniable signs of intense exhaustion.

“Want to rest?” asked the nameless young man flatly, glancing briefly at Kairav, who was a step behind him.

The curly-haired young man immediately shook his head. His face clearly showed his fatigue, yet he forced a smile as he replied, “No, let’s keep going.”

The nameless young man turned his head forward again, considering his next step. “Aren’t you afraid?” he asked.

“What’s there to fear? There’s nothing scary here,” replied a cheerful voice from behind. “Besides, I’m not alone—I still have you, and I can count on you, so I feel safe.”

“How can you be so sure?” the sharp-eyed young man asked, without glancing at his companion.

“Because last time, you saved me back on Enigma Island,” Kairav answered with a small, spontaneous smile. “And you let me join this journey....”

“So you already knew...” the nameless young man muttered emotionlessly.

“Thank you,” Kairav replied.

After that, silence took over, as the nameless young man chose to continue his steps in quiet. Meanwhile, Kairav was wrestling with thoughts swirling endlessly in his mind, visibly struggling to voice something that had long troubled him.

“Nameless young man, have we known each other for a long time?” he asked hesitantly. “You don’t feel so unfamiliar to me...”

Hearing that, the other replied curtly, “No.”

The almond-eyed young man’s brow instantly furrowed. “Then why did you save me back on Enigma Island?”

“It was just a coincidence; I happened to be helping Casildo at the time.”

“Then why let me come to this mountain?” Kairav pressed. “I know that you knew I’d woken up from fainting. But instead of keeping your journey a secret, you openly mentioned your plan to go to the Forest of Lost Souls, as if you wanted to bait me into following out of curiosity. What’s your reason?”

“Just because I wanted to,” the nameless young man replied indifferently.

Hearing that, Kairav couldn’t help but feel irritated. “I’m serious!”