“We’ve removed your seal, but if you attempt anything foolish, we’ll know, and we’ll take immediate action.” Humphrey looked Catherine up and down.

  Catherine looked down at her wrist, watching as the restrictive green seal gradually diffused. Upon seeing this, she smiled softly in return.

  “There’s no need to act rash, my days of violence are long behind me.”

  Before she could step forward, Humphrey abruptly extended an arm in front of her, preventing her entry. “You said you know much about history, correct?”

  “I do, that’s why you trusted me to be brought here under close supervision,” Catherine replied.

  Humphrey looked down the hidden staircase leading into the darkness. On either end of the staircase were the dragon-wax candles, which remained unlit. He remained stationary for a moment or two before sighing.

  “According to our resources, these ruins date to the Khorvithian period—maybe even before such a time. We could only tell that due to the dragon-wax candles.”

  “Ah.” Catherine walked up to one of the candles, running a hand along the red and blue wax. The wax was blended with traces of black and mottled, cracked stone.

  “This is most likely before such a period, or at least the early years of the Khorvithian period. I’ve read accounts regarding the trading routes of the Adligon Clans, who were the backbone of this niche. Following the Cataclysm, the Adligon Clans were among the first to reemerge from the ruins, and the first ones to notice all the dragon corpses due to the seismic event.

  “One of these traders said that harvesting dragon scales from the corpses was much easier than farming the ones of a slumbering dragon—or lord forbid one that’s awake.”

  Humphrey nodded as he listened to Catherine’s insight. As the both of them descended into the darkness, Humphrey lit the lantern in his hand and looked around.

  “Me and the platoon split into groups, with one walking deeper into the ruins… I stuck with your friend, Ayumi. She said very interesting things about you.”

  “What things?” Catherine raised an eyebrow, a wave of slight trepidation washing over her.

  “Only good things for the most-part. She said you and your husband Carter are the luckiest couple around.”

  Catherine’s cheeks flushed a little upon hearing that. “Is that so?”

  “Yes, but I’d recommend we stick with the task at hand. We’re in an underground system almost as old as this very kingdom.”

  As they walked in silence through the ruins, Catherine felt an inexplicable chill course down her spine. She took a small breath in, feeling the icy air of the underground ruins seep into her throat and nasal passages. It was dusty and clogged down there, a silent testament to how long this place had been left discarded.

  “May I ask… how did you discover this place?” Catherine asked.

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  Humphrey stopped in his tracks for a moment before speaking. “It was an incident involving a loss of control. The owner of this establishment—Madame Fitzgerald—had lost control due to an abnormal surge of emotions… We don't know why she experienced such emotions, but we can deduce most of the supernatural occurrences within this manor are due to this place.”

  “If that’s true, then these ruins must be very, very powerful,” Catherine’s voice carried a faint pang of worry as she ran her hand across a stone pillar.

  “It didn’t stop there, though. Captain Silas experienced an almost hysterical fear, almost using a powerful relic on a nearby Pollinator, almost injuring him. He’s currently isolated back at the cathedral, and we have plans to probe him for possible intelligence,” Humphrey explained.

  “Hysterical fear?” Catherine looked back at Humphrey. “Do you know what caused it?”

  “Only a small tidbit of knowledge has been supplied to us through the words of another Pollinator on site. When they escorted him from the underground structure, he said he had seen God, and that He was… terrifying.”

  “See God? Impossible, no one can gaze upon a deity without suffering major effects. Mental stress is a pinprick compared to what I’ve read from myth.”

  “He said that this God looked like a mix between a bat-demon, a goat, and a human. And that an army of the dead stood behind Him.”

  “Army of the dead…” Catherine repeated the phrase under her breath, trying her hardest to recall knowledge adjacent to such a description.

  “As far as I know, there’s never been a God of the Dead. As far as spirituality is concerned, nobody can ‘rule’ death, death is the force that will drag down everyone—it’s the singular inevitability in the universe.”

  “Mother Nature has lived for thousands of years, and no accounts say that She is dead. To an extent, we believe in the status of godhood, concepts like death simply fade away for them,” Humphrey continued, callously observing the ruins.

  “Then we can only guess one thing… the essence of a very powerful being is down here.”

  …

  “Damn, I feel like I hadn’t had anyone fresh stop by in a good minute,” Aaron groaned as he leaned up in his bed, looking at Shinso, Aizawa, and Olivia.

  Aaron’s gaze immediately fell on Shinso, taking note of the boy's exhausted state. “He doesn’t look too fresh, eh?”

  “It’s… complicated,” Shinso answered, a small, twitching smile forming on his face.

  “We also came here to see if Shinso suffered any injuries from an incident involving a bike, correct?” Aizawa looked at Shinso, nodding his head.

  Shinso registered Aizawa’s logic almost immediately; they didn’t want to concern Aaron with a story that Shinso had been held captive by ambassadors to be used as a political tool. Shinso could only nod back, faking a groan of pain as he rubbed his lower back.

  “Ah, the bike… I could only dream of having one as a kid.” Aaron’s tone became reminiscent as he smiled.

  “May I ask how your heart is doing?” Olivia swiftly changed the subject.

  “My heart?” Aaron looked down at his own chest, smiling. “They actually said they got the issue all fixed up, but I’ll need to remain here for a while longer in case somethin’ goes wrong.”

  “Does Oboro know this information? If he did, why not go and tell us?” Aizawa asked.

  “Actually, I’m the first ones tellin’ y’guys,” Aaron replied with a smile.

  “So Oboro doesn’t know yet?”

  Aaron nodded. “Correct. Though, I’ll tell him when he comes to visit tomorrow morning. Now, I recommend you and Shinso get his injuries checked out… don’t want the kid gettin’ too bruised.”

  Aizawa nodded with subtle compliance. “We will, have a good night.”

  As the two of them left the room, now Olivia and Aaron sat alone. Olivia leaned in closer, her brows furrowing in concern.

  “Can you move much?”

  Aaron lifted both of his arms, placing them behind his head as he smiled. “Yep.”

  “That’s good.” Olivia heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing Aaron’s mobility.

  “Now, I’m curious, what did the medical staff do to assess the issue?”

  Upon hearing the question, Aaron’s lower lip twitched slightly. “They… they didn’t do much besides continue their research. I’m gonna be honest, the doctor’s worry about me; they don’t know how much longer I have.”

  “So you lied to Aizawa and Shinso? Why?”

  The older man sighed softly, frowning. “I know, I know. I didn’t want to endure their reactions; it would make my heart ache… and my heart’s already working like a cog right now.”

  “Take a second to imagine their ache when you’re dead in the ground just like your friend. While Isaiah was… kind of messed up, you never exhibited many signs of instability.”

  “Don’t say shit about Isaiah like that! Yes, I admit he was sort-of loony in his head with all of his science doohickey, but when we were kids, he was the best friend I’ve ever had! Now that I think about it… I’m better off dead in the depths… where I’ll be free of sufferin’ and can sleep for eternity.”

  Olivia fell silent, taking in a small breath to collect her thoughts. “You’re not alright, I can clearly tell you that.”

  “You’re no doctor, Olivia,” Aaron said with a slight scowl.

  “I’m a nurse… a nurse who takes care of young children who’ve scraped their knees… I can tell when a child is imagining their dead parents, and I can tell when one is lying right to my face. But, in a way, we’re no different than children, you’re no different from a child in a sense… the minute we entered your room I could tell something was wrong with you, but I didn’t want to say anything yet until I could confirm my suspicions via this conversation.”

  At that moment, Aaron’s expression softened, and he leaned back in his bed, making a noise that sounded almost remorseful.

  “I-I’m sorry… I don’t know what got into me just there.”

  “No… it’s fine, Aaron. Just let the doctors continue their work, and I’ll make sure they take extra care of you, alright?”

  Aaron nodded, his expression unchanging. “I hope you’re right…”

  Olivia stood up, walking over to the door as she smiled. “Rest easy.”