Chapter 78 A Strange Place
Spreading out before their eyes, was a magnificent visage of an ancient settlement carved into the towering cliffs of a vast cavern behind the dark cave…?
Light filtered in from unseen openings above, casting a warm glow on the intricate network of dwellings, bridges, and walkways that cling to the rock faces.
It was impossible to trace where the light was coming from, but it endlessly drowsed the scenery with a flawless illumination.
The structures appeared weathered and eroded, their stonework blending seamlessly with the natural contours of the cave walls.
Arched windows and doorways dotted the cliff-side edifices, hinting at a once-thriving community that made this subterranean realm their home.
Winding paths and rickety bridges interconnected the various levels, and verdant plant life clung to any available crevice, adding splashes of green amidst the earthy tones.
In the cavernous depths below, a sluggish river winded its way through the settlement, its waters reflecting the warm light and casting dancing shadows on the rock walls.
It was as if this hidden settlement had stood witness to the rise and fall of civilizations long forgotten.
Yet, even in its crumbling state, a lingering aura of mystery and wonder permeated every crevice and archway, that invited them in.
Northern and Night Terror stared for a while, bug eyed.
The point of entry of the cave where they stood was like a doorway arch.
Northern looked up, back and turned his head to the settlement.
'Perhaps this is a tunnel that used to connect them to outside world.'
No doubt about it, this must have been a settlement from when this dimension thrived, before the rift swallowed it.
Northern jumped and slipped down, landing on one bridge, luckily.
Night Terror landed with a heavy thud. And straightened up with an intimidating presence.
Northern glared and scoffed. 'Pfft, show off'
Without paying attention to it, the monster began to walk forward while paying attention to its surroundings.
'What does it even know around here anyway…' Northern grunted inwardly and began walking, crossing the bridge to enter into one of the doorways.
In the center of the chamber he entered, carved into the doorway was the statue of a maiden with a large bowl on her head.
When Northern stood before the strange lady, it was like she was kneeling before him…
'Feels strange…' he speculated and moved his eyes away.
Scaling towards the wall of the building and squinting his eyes to focus more.
He could see strange intricate carvings adorning the walls.
Northern followed through from the first imagery description carved into the wall.
He retracted his head after observing it for a while and tilted with slight shock.
'Murals?'
They were murals, work of arts that seemed to depict a story of some sort were inscribed on the wall.
Northern when he entered this place had no doubt that this place was a settlement.
But seeing this carvings, the statue. Moreso, the chamber had no single belongings that seemed to have been left by homestayers.
There ware broken and decayed table here and there, and overturned golden plates. But that was just it.
However, all corners of the walls were filled with the murals, seeming to have an endless story to tell.
The first image depicted a man chained with several ladies carrying bowls just like the one carved into the center of the chamber.
Northern moved close to it, leaning his head very close to inspect it.
There was a single man amidst two rows of maidens with the same bowl upon their heads, walking in their middle.
Then the next mural still depicted them walking.
Northern followed the murals till he got to the window of the chamber, jumped outside to see it continued but saw nothing left of it.
Then he looked down to the last chamber sitting on the ground. Where the river flowed from then he looked up… to the highest and largest chamber buried atop the cliff.
Nothing was extraordinary about the mural but like an enchantment, he had been seduced, wanting to know only two things.
Northern lowered his gaze again with the question, 'where were they coming from…and…' his eyes scaled up, '...and where are they going to.'
Gripped in the heart by curiosity, Northern jumped into the chamber, then began to hurry down the stairs that led to the cascaded down the cliff, connect each chamber to the one Directly support the authors on !
lower.
Eventually his legs stepped on the lowest ground level. cascaded down the cliff, connect each chamber to the one lower.
Northern looked around for a moment but couldn't see Night Terror.
He didn't care much about the monster, for there was another matter to tend to.
Maybe this was just a side of himself he never knew he had, investigating histories.
'I've always loved history back in university!'
Indeed, he always have. Engineering was just a path that boasted of more money, more prestige. Well, that got the better of him.
'The past is the past, let's focus on this mural in front of us'
Northern called himself together, slapping his cheek. Then he entered the first chamber.
From the first chamber itself flowed the narrow stream of water.
Northern arched a brow as he entered.
There in the center was the same maiden, with a bowl on her head.
The difference however was that this bowl was filled with water and overflowing downward.
A narrow cavity had formed on thr ground where the water endlessly flowed through.
Northern looked down and trailed the stream of water off with his eyes.
'The path way does not seem man-made…even the temple'
Maybe because he was an engineer in his past life, Northern was quite akin to some small details in this settlement or to better put, cluster of temple chambers.
This place lacked structural architectural design of at least for what temples that are built attached to caverns should be.
If anything, they looked like they had been cut out of the cliff itself which seemed so strange.
What colossal being would have been capable enough to sculpt out a cluster of temples from a cliff and pass a message of history with those tiny murals.
Northern did not know who it could have been but he suspected that the person was undoubtedly the peak of magnificence, even for a sculptor.