Advent of the Three Calamities

The shouting continued long after Rhizen turned his back on his opponent.

Tharvek watched from the railing, his gaze following the man toward the exit before returning to the defeated warrior. Blood ran down the warrior’s chin as he struggled to raise his head, yet nobody moved to help.

"His victory stands."

The Elder’s voice carried across the arena, cutting through the noise as he rose from his seat.

"Have the injured man taken away."

Several attendants finally stepped forward. Tharvek watched them lift the warrior onto a stretcher before turning his attention toward the opposite platform.

"You seem rather concerned."

Tharvek said, his soft voice reaching the Elder despite the distance. Even now, a smile lingered across his lips.

The Elder spared him a glance.

"The last time, you had someone kill the man he spared."

"Ah, that."

Tharvek waved one hand, his fingers resting loosely against the stone railing.

"It was just a little thing. Nothing to be concerned about, right? Plus, I haven’t done it this time, no?"

The Elder remained standing for a moment longer, studying him. Eventually, he lowered himself back into his seat while an attendant hurried toward Rhizen’s exit with the victor’s reward.

Tharvek paid them little attention.

His eyes lingered on the blood left in the sand, his thumb slowly rubbing against a worn groove in the railing before eventually coming to a stop.

Across the arena, the Elder beckoned an attendant closer.

"Bring me Rhizen’s records. All of them, and not just his victories. I want everything that you know about him, and the information on how he came here."

***

The air grew colder as I descended. I used the Azure orb within my domain to slow myself while several threads stretched beneath me, brushing against the walls. The shaft was narrow near the top, but gradually widened as I went lower.

There were grooves along the walls and pipes, though most had broken apart or been filled with hardened sediment.

’This really was a well.’

But whatever water had once been here was long gone.

My threads eventually touched the bottom, and I lowered myself the remaining distance before landing on a layer of dry grit. By then, the noise from above had disappeared completely.

For a moment, I stood still and listened. There was a faint current against my face, but no footsteps or voices coming from anywhere nearby. I sent the threads outward, searching for a way ahead.

’A dead end?’

The threads traced a curved wall surrounding me. Apart from the shaft overhead, there didn’t seem to be another opening.

That couldn’t be right.

The air was coming from somewhere, and the tunnel I had found from above had to connect to this area. I pressed my hand against the nearest wall and moved slowly around it, letting the threads search ahead.

"Human."

Owl-Mighty’s voice reached my mind.

"I know. Give me a moment."

I stopped when a thread slipped into a narrow seam beside my hand. Unlike the cracks above, this one was straight, running down the wall before turning sharply along the floor.

I pushed a little farther, and the thread passed through.

"...There."

Something shifted before my eyes as a thin line of white light appeared along the seam, revealing a slab of stone standing slightly away from the wall. The gap was barely wide enough for me to fit through.

My brows furrowed. I had already searched this exact spot, and even now, when I used [Mana Sense], there was nothing beyond the stone. However, the thread had clearly entered a much larger space.

’A concealment formation?’

It would explain why I hadn’t been able to detect anything from above.

Still, I kept my hand against the wall for several seconds before sending more threads through the opening. They found a floor, several steps, and another wall farther ahead.

Nothing inside moved.

After waiting a few more seconds, I turned sideways and slipped through.

The difference was immediate.

The stale air inside carried a faint metallic smell, while thin white lines ran along the walls, providing just enough light for me to see.

Looking back, I found that the opening resembled an ordinary doorway from this side. However, several intricate markings surrounded its frame, most glowing faintly except for a small section near the bottom.

I crouched to examine it.

’There are Outer Runes mixed into this.’

I didn’t understand the entire formation, but I recognized enough to know that forcing my way through it would’ve been a terrible idea.

Thankfully, part of it wasn’t working.

"...Lucky."

The word sounded strange as I muttered it, but I stood up a moment later.

The steps led downward, opening into a broad chamber supported by thick stone pillars. Deep channels ran along the floor, dividing it into several sections, while the remains of metal gates stood between them.

’A reservoir?’

No, judging from the passages branching out beyond it, this had probably been part of something much larger.

I walked along the raised edge of one channel, looking at the pale deposits stuck to the stone.

There were small footholds cut into the sides of the channel, giving people a way to climb down. The stone around them had been worn smooth, showing they had been used many times before.

I glanced toward a blocked passage, where a thick wall had been built across an older archway. The stones didn’t match, and neither did the white lines carved over them.

Someone had changed this place quite a bit.

The channels were old, but the changes made to them weren’t. In several places, the newer sections cut straight through worn carvings, ran across the pillars, and continued into the passages ahead.

"Human."

Owl-Mighty’s voice reached me again.

"Later."

I continued ahead and followed the newer paths whilst keeping [Lament of Lies] active.

There were three passages on the opposite side of the reservoir, two sealed with stone slabs covered in the same markings as the entrance.

The third stood open.

"...Again?"

I stopped before it and examined the markings. A small part of the formation was dark, but there were no cracks through it, nor any signs of the stone having been damaged. As far as I could tell, the strokes were complete.

"Why are we able to enter?"

Owl Mighty’s voice reached me once more.

I was about to dismiss it again when its next words made me pause.

"...Are you sure this place isn’t something the man above can’t find?"

The words made me stop.

"For someone who seems to know everything, finding a place like this should be easy."

I didn’t answer immediately.

No, it was more because I couldn’t find any words to reply.

The owl was right. Tharvek clearly had eyes and ears everywhere around this city. He had been looking for this place for such a long time, and yet, he wasn’t able to find something like this?

’I don’t believe that.’

And yet—

My gaze shifted toward the passage.

I spread my threads ahead and continued.

"Human."

I couldn’t stop.

The floor beneath my foot softened for a brief moment. Looking down, I caught a glimpse of red sand before the stone returned, but I didn’t stop.

The passage narrowed as it descended, the white lines growing denser along the walls. Several doors stood on either side, but most opened into empty rooms containing little more than broken shelving or stone benches.

I checked them anyway.

There was nothing.

’I’m getting closer. I’m sure I am... I can feel it.’

It was hard to describe the reason why I was so confident, but I just knew.

And I didn’t want to stop.

At the end of the passage stood a larger door, its surface covered in tightly arranged Runes. Unlike the others, it remained shut. I approached carefully, stopping when my threads brushed against the threshold, but nothing happened.

To my left, a shallow room opened off the corridor. A stone bench stood against its far wall, with several metal fixtures set into the floor beside it. I almost walked past before something caught my attention.

"...."

There was something on the wall above the bench.

At first, it looked like damage. A series of shallow scratches, partially covered by one of the newer white formations.

I moved closer and followed the scratches along the walls. One line curved downward before turning back toward the rest of the pattern, but stopped just short of connecting with it.

My breath caught at the sight.

I knew that shape.

’That’s...’

The lower part always looked unfinished until the next line connected everything. Once it was complete, the symbol looked almost exactly like two letters.

’Em.’

Much less than a symbol, it was an abbreviation.

An abbreviation for my name.

"Noel..."

I reached toward the wall, my fingers hovering just above the damaged section.

For a moment, I forgot about the doors behind me. The scratches were uneven. Some were barely visible, while others had been carved deep enough to leave pale dust along the edge of the bench.

I tried to picture him sitting here. How long had it been? Had he been conscious when they brought him down? Had he—

Krrrrr—

My hand stopped as something heavy began to move behind me. Slowly turning my head, I watched the large door at the end of the corridor begin to open.

White light spread along its frame as the stone pulled inward, revealing another passage beyond.

"...."

The sight made me freeze.

Why did it open?

The door moved steadily until there was enough space for a person to enter, then stopped.

"..."

I didn’t touch it, and I was pretty sure I had not activated anything.

My threads spread toward the opening while [Mana Sense] searched everything around me. Just like before, I found nothing beyond the door.

Nevertheless, it remained open.

My gaze shifted toward the white formation beside me. The lines were intact, just like the ones around the previous entrances.

Nothing had worn away or broken.

So why did it open?

The thought came to me slowly as I looked back the way I’d come. That opening in the well wasn’t something anyone could have found just by searching the ruins. If the entire formation had still been working, there might not have been an opening there at all.

Tharvek could’ve stood in that well and found nothing.

And yet, I had been allowed through.

’The Great Sun.’

My mouth went dry.

They had warned Tharvek about coveting the elixir, then handed him something that could lead him straight toward its source.

I’d thought he had sent me because he was afraid of Dawn. Perhaps that wasn’t all. Perhaps he’d wondered why they had given him such an opportunity in the first place.

"Human."

Owl-Mighty’s voice reached my ears once more.

"I know."

My voice sounded steadier than I expected it to.

I looked at the scratches beside the bench, then back at the open door. Noel had been here, and whoever was doing this knew that I would recognize it.

"...So that’s what this is."

I remained standing in the corridor, staring into the passage. None of this was a coincidence.

Someone was showing me where to go.

The Great Sun was aware of my presence.

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