Chapter 3: The Investigation
meanwhile hours later.......
The soldiers moved forward, silent as shadows.
At the front walked a girl with silver hair, her expression cold and unreadable. A silver cross hung from her neck, glinting under the dim cave light. In her hand was a sword, steady and unwavering - her resolve to fight whatever lay ahead was carved into every step.
She knelt, touched the ground, then brought her hand to her forehead, chest, and shoulders - a silent prayer, the kind whispered before war. Her long silver hair was braided into a single tail, swaying behind her like a commander's banner. Her navy-blue coat fluttered with each step, calm but heavy - like the storm she carried inside.
The soldiers followed behind her without a word.
---
Somewhere far away...
Leon had just reached home.
The air smelled of spices and warm food. His grandmother had prepared something for him - as always. But today, someone else was there too.
A girl with long red hair waited by the kitchen doorway. The tips of her hair were streaked with violet and blonde, like wild flames dancing at the ends. She was his distant cousin from his mother's side. Her name was Auriyana D .but she is usually known by Dayana or sometimes Dayu
Curvaceous, beautiful, and always full of trouble, Dayana was a month older than Leon - and she never let him forget it.
Whenever they met, it was never calm.
More like... a battle between snake and mongoose.
(Writers note :they are usually fighting like pokemon😏)
"So, what happened, arrogant shit ?" she asked, arms crossed, lips curled into a sly smile mockingly . "How was your so-called school?"
"Still alive, huh?" she continued, eyeing him up and down. "Did the teachers finally give up trying to fix that brick personality of yours?"
Leon dropped his bag by the door and walked past her with a blank face.
"Still obsessed with your hair dye, huh? You look like a fruit salad."
Dayana gasped, mock offended. "Excuse me, peasant! This is called aesthetic rage. Educate yourself."
From the kitchen, his grandmother chuckled softly.
"You two are exactly the same as always."
Leon walked past them and entered his room without another word.
"That bastard..." Dayana muttered, gritting her teeth.
---
Leon dropped onto his bed with a sigh.
"I missed you," he murmured under his breath.
Because deep inside... he still remembered the day she died.
Died in his arms - before he could say something important.
Yet here she was again, just as annoying as ever.
His face twisted into a small, grumpy smile.
"Oh, right..."
His eyes widened.
"My father's journal!" he remembered suddenly. "Where did I put it?"
He dropped to the floor, reaching under his bed.
There - he pulled out a thick, worn-out book.
The cover was labeled:
Journal 1 - Ruins of the Forgotten Gods
---
Date: 2006/9/27
Today, we discovered an ancient ruin in the Tai Mountains, close to the Suicide Forest.
At first, we were just hired to explore the area. Nothing more.
---
Date: 2006/9/28
We went to the mountains.
The ruin was hidden inside a cave. On the walls, we found strange symbols and sigils - markings unlike anything we've seen.
It might be a forgotten language.
A new mystery begins...
---
Date: 2006/9/30
I recorded all the sigils.
There are 158 characters in total.
A language with 158 letters - I've never seen anything like it before.
---
To be continued...