Chapter 11 – The First Steps
Adrian, stepping out of the house, looked out at the scene of destruction before him.
— "What kind of war would it take to kill the being that created all of this?" — he said, staring at the vastness of the divine domain.
Cordelia:
— "Adrian, let's go!"
Adrian:
— "I'm coming."
— "How long have you been here?" — he asked as he walked behind her.
Cordelia:
— "I've been here for a month. Feels like an eternity," — she replied.
Adrian:
— "I see..."
Noise — Arr… Arr…
— "What was that?" — Adrian said, turning in the direction of the sound and spotting a group of soldiers, like the ones who had attacked them, gathered in front of a ruined castle.
Cordelia:
— "Looks like they've regrouped over there. Don't make a sound and follow me," — she said as she sneaked through the ruined streets.
She glanced back to make sure they hadn't been spotted.
— "Looks like we're safe for now," — she said.
Adrian:
— "Wouldn't it be easier for you to just use your powers and wipe them out?" — he asked, confused.
Cordelia:
— "Adrian, you need to understand that in this divine domain, those soldiers are just weaklings following the orders of that thing in the castle.
If I kill too many of them, I might attract it — and if we don't know its power, we're all dead.
Then I won't find my parents, and you won't find your legacy. Got it?"
Adrian:
— "Got it," — he said, looking seriously at Cordelia.
Adrian (thinking):
"I let myself get carried away after defeating those two soldiers... Cordelia is right. This place is dangerous. One mistake and it's all over."
I need to be more careful from now on. After all, this place was built by a god...
Who knows if the diary's protection even works here? What if I'm killed instantly by a monster before it can activate?
Cordelia:
— "So you understand now, right? I'll go left and you'll go right and search for clues.
We'll meet back here in four hours, before it gets dark," — she said, leaping onto a rooftop and disappearing from Adrian's view.
Adrian:
— "Alright... let's look for clues," — he said, turning toward a pile of ruined houses.
He went from house to house, searching.
— "How many hours have passed?" — he said as he ate some of the food he brought.
— "It's already been two hours of searching... Alright, let's keep going."
Adrian walked slowly until he saw a faint glow drawing him in.
He approached cautiously to see what it was. The light came from inside one of the abandoned houses ahead.
He moved closer and slowly opened the door.
Inside, he saw a skeleton sitting at a table, with a glowing stone in front of it.
Adrian stepped forward to confirm and saw that the figure was indeed dead.
Then, he turned his attention to the stone.
— "This must be the power stone Cordelia was talking about…"
He approached to take it and noticed a note underneath.
Adrian picked up the note and looked at it.
— "This is..."