The corridor was long. Nero walked for a few minutes before he began to notice that the fog was increasing, with no end to the tunnel in sight. He sped up, going from a fast walk to a light jog.
He had to balance the dangers of rushing, with the dangers of being caught in the fog once it returns. Once the actual fog returned, Nero doubted that Neophytes would be safe. Or maybe they would. After all, the monsters living in the lower levels of the city had been alive for centuries at the very least.
Whatever the trick of their survival was, he didn't want to experiment with his own life, so he could only speed up.
Soon he encountered a sudden, sharp right turn, which would explain why the end of the tunnel was not in sight. Yet after he turned, while he did spot the exit, it was far.
At that point Nero broke into a full jog, holding his dagger out in front of him and lighting it on fire. He was ready to face any threats that might come, but the corridor was completely empty.
The corridor opened into a vast, circular room, the fog within acting as a soft veil that added to the mystery of the place, its tendrils curling around the intricate carvings and high arches that lined the passageway.
The walls were a deep, polished stone, the colour of twilight, with veins of silver and gold running through them like rivers of starlight. The ceiling arched high above, supported by columns of pure white marble that gleamed in the diffuse light. The fog clung to the floor, swirling around the base of the columns, giving the room an ethereal quality, as if it floated above the ground.
In the centre of the chamber stood a massive door that pulsed with a faint, otherworldly glow, casting hues of blue, green, and violet across the fog-drenched room. But the door was slightly ajar, as if someone had managed to just barely push it open.
Nero noticed right in the middle of the door an Eldrim card was stuck, its image an abstract array of random colours, and the name of the card simply Test1. The most interesting of all was the card ability.
Ability: [This card produces a continuous stream of heat at exactly 27 degrees celsius for four seconds, then at 30 degrees for two seconds, after which it produces a chill at exactly 0 degrees for five seconds]
The card was the most absurd, useless card he had ever seen, and at the same time it was one that gave him immense reassurance. At a glance, it seemed like the card was used as some kind of key. But, much more importantly, it meant that Silas was likely still alive.
After examining the room and ensuring that there was no threat, Nero stepped through the door into the second chamber.
The room was larger than the first, its ceiling soaring high above, disappearing into the shadows where the light could not reach. The air was thicker here, the fog swirling in languid, silver-grey tendrils around his legs, as if reluctant to part and reveal the mysteries of the room.
The walls, too, were works of art, covered in murals, depicting scenes of battles, rituals, and the rise of an empire.
At the centre of the chamber stood three grand pillars, each one a masterpiece of craftsmanship and design. They were arranged in a perfect triangle, their bases rooted in the polished marble floor that gleamed like a mirror beneath the soft, diffuse light.
Intricate runes spiralled up their lengths, glowing faintly with an internal light that seemed to pulse in time with the beat of the room's silent, ancient heart.
Each pillar was adorned with symbols and figures, telling stories of a long-forgotten era. The first pillar bore the image of a great beast, its eyes glinting with a fierce intelligence as it loomed over a tiny figure that Nero felt like should be one of the Eldrim.
The second pillar depicted a sort of truce between the beast and the Eldrim, inscribing their agreement on a massive slab or marble.
The third pillar depicted the beast watching from a distance looking at the Eldrim standing amidst flames, its eyes filled with an ominous light, holding a card that crackled with energy.
Nero was instantly and greatly intrigued by the story, especially since he was just making out his impressions of the scene. What they could be depicting might be something else entirely. Yet whatever it was, Nero felt like it was a great, hidden secret.
His heartbeat quickened, but he forced himself to look away. He did not have the time to delve into these ancient secrets.
The door at the far end of the chamber mirrored the majesty of the pillars. It was enormous, made of the same dark stone as the pillars, but inlaid with intricate patterns of gold and silver that shimmered in the fog. The door's surface was smooth, but as he approached, he could see faint indentations—three shallow recesses, each the exact shape and size of the symbols on the pillars.
More importantly, this door too was ajar, with a card called Test2 stuck to it.
He was beginning to see a pattern. The doors likely could not be opened through simple strength, but required cards with very specific effects. That meant that unless one had special keys, or one was an artisan of great skill, they would likely not be able to pass through these doors.
Now Nero did not exactly look down on Silas, but he should not have been skilled enough to open these doors without at least some clues about the effects required to open them. Yet as Nero studied the room once more, this time in detail, he found no such hints anywhere - the door included.
There was a mystery here waiting to be solved, but since there was no danger, Nero just moved through the opening into the next chamber.
The third chamber… was different. Or rather, unlike the first two chambers, the third one had a walkway leading up to it, the walls of which were covered in beautiful murals, clearly depicting some kind of story.
The flow of images was not exactly clear, which was why Nero could only take a guess at what the story was telling. There were humanoid beings, which Nero could only assume were the Eldrim, all originating from one place, venturing out into the world.
One of them approached the large beast Nero saw depicted on the pillars in the previous chamber. Another one reached out towards the moon, or perhaps he reached the moon. It was difficult to determine what it meant.
Another found a tree so massive, its canopy cast shade over the surrounding mountains.
One approached a mighty empire, filled with towering buildings and massive castles.
Some of the murals blurred, as if someone had purposefully ruined them, leaving behind only small tidbits of what they actually held.
Among them, there was one that gave Nero pause. One of the Eldrim approached a tribe of savages, and from the way they were drawn, Nero could tell that they were meant to be humans.
Was this a summary of the Eldrims history?
Nero wanted to study the murals further, gaining insight into a potential history no one knew of, when a loud bang from the opposite end of the hall suddenly attracted his attention. With his dagger raised, Nero approached the end, resisting the allure of the murals.
The walkway opened into a room with a large glass window, looking down at something. What it was supposed to look down on, Nero could not tell for the fog obscured most of it. But what Nero could see were outlines of dark figures, fighting in the fog.
All sounds of combat were completely muted, which is why Nero was momentarily confused about what caused the sound.
As if to answer him, a Mutt was thrown up from down below, and slammed into the glass, producing a loud bang.
It seemed that Nero had finally found his targets. He searched for a way down, and found what looked like a service ladder of some sort in a corner of the room. He used Aether pulse and went down, reaching a small room that showed signs of combat.
He ignored the debris and searched for a way to access where he saw the fighting, but he kept running into walls, and the only available path led away from the fighting. With no choice, he followed the pathway that seemed to curve, ever so slightly till Nero completely lost his sense of direction.
He arrived at an intersection and paused. Nero was completely lost, with no idea of where he saw the fighting, which was not normal. Nero had an excellent sense of direction, so losing his bearings so easily meant that something was affecting him.
Nero suddenly felt like he understood why Bael and his team had lost contact so long ago. This chamber was disorienting those who entered it, and the thick fog wasn't helping either.
Nero took a deep sigh, then walked forward.