In one of the offices at the top of the temple, Chosen Ymal watched through the window as the powerful stranger was led passed the temple's gate by Commander Ali and then accompanied by his head priest Hakim.

The man was powerful alright, but they didn't know how powerful he was. When he had heard about the visitor from outside who had drunk wine casually that he wouldn't have dared to try, he was a little worried. As the coming of someone more powerful than him from the outside only meant one thing, And he knew that whatever was going to happen wouldn't be good for the city of Tashin. One way or the other.

When the warlord had first appeared, he had thought nothing suspicious at first, but after the boasts of his future ambition of conquering the city. Ymal had become suspicious.

The warlord should have been aware that he was planning on assaulting a territory, an ascendant's territory, even though said ascendant had abandoned the territory after creating it, leaving it with only a minuscule of power enough to empower them against the roaming warlords of the continent and shield them against the unpredictable roaming magical storms. He had also placed a citywide spell against far scrying. Anyone scrying from a distance on the city would see only a normal city with a magical shield placed over it as a defence.

All powered by the thing buried under the city.

Most warlords stayed clear of the city as it was a futile endeavour to raid or conquer it. But this one showed too much confidence. He had begun to suspect that the warlord was being puppeteered by someone else, and the news of a potentially more powerful person was not welcoming at all.

At first, he had attempted to maybe apprehend the stranger, even though he might be stronger than Ymal alone, he was being empowered by territory, and so were his soldiers. The stranger couldn't hope to defeat the whole might of a territory-empowered soldier.

When the stranger had done what he did at the inn's room, Ymal had begun to feel afraid but had chalked it off as probably the use of a spell scroll. He had erred in the side of caution and decided against aggressively apprehending the man, but had still placed enough force to quickly subdue him in case things went south.

He had been hearing through one of the enchantments placed on Ali's armour, an enchantment that allowed him to hear through all his executors, so he wasn't that surprised but the fear he had tried to push down was beginning to rear its head when the man sounded unconcerned as he was approached by two executors, executors who would have made an ordinary man shit his pants. When the man said those cryptic words and then commanded to see him. Ymal knew the city's survival was now on a ticking clock.

He had then waited to see and get a feel for the man before he made any big decision.

Seeing the man now, he didn't know what to think. For a man who looked to be in his twenties, the grey hair and eyes he had was mystifying. A face that would turn any lady's eyes and at the same time terrify an enemy's.

Sharp and a handsome face with eyes that were like a door into a desolate grey world, even ymal shuddered from where he stood despite the distance between them. Those eyes could only bring desolation. His fear mounted.

This was no ordinary person.

It didn't take long before his assistant came in to inform him of the man's arrival at the door and was told to send them in.

His office would have been scary to some people, despite the lavish display on the outside walls of the temple, the inside was anything but.

Walls of obsidian black with flowing red lines crisscrossing around the room emitting low glowing light that would have been eerie to most people, the young man didn't even seem to notice it as he entered. The floor was made of black glass that would have made you feel like you were staring into the abyss. The young man crossed it without even batting an eye. A magically grown table of obsidian glass that curved inward was placed close to the window where Ymal stood. There wasn't much in the room other than the tea table placed on one side of the room and the giant mural of ymal drawn on the ceiling.

Three chairs were placed on both sides of the table. Ymal's chair faced the room's entrance with the double windows at his back, the other chairs were placed opposite him where the man then took his seat leaving Commander Ali to stand at the door inside the room.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Chosen Ymal and the young man studied each other, and what he discovered was not what he had expected at all. When Ymal was a boy and his family had first became a cult when they had taken upon their newfound duty as keepers. He had been with his father when the ascendant had sent down his avatar to speak with them. So he had seen what real power looked like, and now he was seeing it again in someone so young. A person so young who should still have been in the lord realm at the highest, yet Ymal knew this young man was far above it.

The man was the first to break the silence.

"Since I'm the one who came to you, I'll introduce myself. My name is Damien," He said that like it didn't mean anything.

Ymal sighed before he spoke. "I knew this day would come. Dreaded it, but still accepted the eventuality that it would come,"

The man frowned. "I would like you to expound on what you just said," He looked confused.

Ymal nodded. "We knew that eventually, people of your calibre would take interest in this city, despite all the defences placed on the city,"

"You mean what was placed on the city that deceives any scrying done on it?" The man asked.

Ymal nodded. "Can I ask what brought you to this city? I know that people of your status do not just up and decide to travel to a small city in the middle of a desert-filled continent," He knew he shouldn't be putting his nose in the business of higher realm individuals, but his curiosity needed to be sated.

The man studied him for a few seconds. When Ymal began to think maybe he had crossed a line, the man then surprisingly answered. "I was drawn here. I don't know why, but something led me here," He didn't add anything more. Ymal knew there was something more to that, but didn't pry.

"Was that why you demanded to see me?" Ymal asked.

The man shook his head. "At first, I had just planned to see the city and discover what drew me here, but another discovery made me seek you out,"

"Was it the information you got from the man you were seen with?" Ymal said, before explaining. "Soldiers around saw you speaking with him and then going your separate ways. He appeared with you at your rented room after you came back,"

The man smiled. "Smart, I like it. And yes, it was the information I got from the man" He nodded before continuing. "He was a spy sent by the Solarian empire," Ymal's heart froze and Ali jolted from where he stood. He looked shaken but still showed discipline and controlled himself.

The man then continued. "Apparently, their empire has been prophesied to be destroyed by a calamity that will stem from your city, and funnily enough, the solution to stopping this calamity is also from your city," He smiled like it was a joke they should find funny.

Ymal and Ali looked at the man as if he was mad, Ymal controlled his annoyance quickly before he brought destruction upon himself. "I knew a time would come when this city would face destruction, but I never envisioned it being destroyed by the empire," He looked defeated.

"When my family was given charge of this city, we were given two warnings," Ali looked confused. it wasn't a surprise, as only the Chosens, their inheritors and the head of the priesthood knew about their sacred duty.

"What were they?" Now the man sounded more interested.

"One. To never go under the city," Ymal said.

The man leaned forward.

"And two. To beware the comings of higher realm cultivators, As their comings would spell the end of the city, One way or another," The man looked thoughtful.

"I need to know, who created this domain?" He asked.

M

"We don't know his name, as he didn't tell us. What we know was that he was an ascendant from out of our world," Ymal answered.

"Why don't you then beseech him to aid you against the empire's coming?" Damien inquired.

"Because after he created the territory, he left. Didn't even connect the territory to him, as if he didn't want it to lead to him," Ymal said.

Damien looked surprised.

"Then where is it drawing power from, if not from the ascendant?" Damien asked.l

Ymal thought for a second before he answered. "We don't know what powers it, all we know is that it is being kept under the city,"

There was scepticism on Damien's face when looked at Ymal. "I don't know of anything powerful enough to keep a territory powered for days, talk less of years," He said.

Ymal sighed before he explained. "You know this desert-filled continent isn't natural," He asked.

Damien nodded. "One moment the continent was filled with life. Jungles and forest covered the continent, the next, a cataclysm ripped through the continent, changing it all into a desert, causing a continent-wide magical storm that changed the animals as an after-effect.

Only the humans were spared from the transformations, but they weren't exempted from the destruction in the aftermath, killing seventy percent of the population on the continent. The ruling speculations around the world is that it was caused by the world spirit, whom the people in this continent somehow angered,"

Ymal nodded. "the event wasn't caused by the world spirit,"

Damien was deep in thought as he said.

"Nothing other than the power of an ascendant can desolate a continent like this, except," His eyes then widened and he looked down as if he could see through the temple floors into the earth.

Ymal nodded to confirm. "Something crashed into the continent from outer space, and the effect was what you see today. Not long after it happened and the magical storms were beginning to settle, the ascendant appeared and led us to the city. We were given information about the city and freedom to settle in, but we were told never to go under the city,"

Damien's eyes were filled with awe. "Then.....

Everything was beginning to come together in his mind.

that me–"

Suddenly

BOOM!

The whole city shook.