After that we rested and explored the ruins left at the foothold of the Mountains, The church had already explored all these ruins and were estimated around more than 8000 years old, They explained various tribes and people who live in the Mountain.
After that we had a hearty meal and went into our tents.
***
The morning came, with sunlight piercing through the dense air around the Mountain.
The chirping of Chained Birds were heard all across the stronghold
Today was a rest day as Tomorrow all students are to explore further into the Mountain Path.
'Now the main question, how should I plan about this??'
I think they are keeping her in Research Facility, With what I have in mind the beasts start gathering at 8 pm and probably the same time Nolan's mother escapes.
Should I include others in my plan.
No, I have to. First of all I don't have enough power to take down even one of the priests in combat.
Nolan is must for this, I have to think of a way for him to see his mother. Vivi will also play a major role because of her Thread of Gate and Thread of Heal.
She can travel short distances with gate. And her Healing will also come in handy.
The biggest question was Phoebe and others, What about them?, Well They'll follow Vivi and Nolan Probably. I thought.
After Morning routine we went for breakfast as usual in the same group.
The cafeteria buzzed with low chatter, the clatter of trays and bowls filling the wide hall. The smell of warm bread and broth carried across the rows of long wooden tables. We had all gathered around one near the end, away from the crowded center a place where conversations could slip without too many ears overhearing.
Lex dropped his tray onto the table with a loud thud and slumped into his seat. "Tch. Yesterday was a waste. Church drags us all the way to the foothold just to look at ruins they've already picked clean." He tore into his bread like it had offended him.
"You weren't even paying attention," Lily shot back, brushing crumbs from the edge of her tray before sitting down primly. "Those carvings were older than anything we've studied here. More than seven thousand years, the priest said. That's not a waste, that's history."
"History written in dust," Lex muttered through a mouthful. "If the Church already dug it dry, then what's the point?"
"Maybe the point," Vivi chimed in, her eyes bright as always, "is that we were allowed to see it at all. I mean think about it. Tribes lived in those mountains long before the stronghold was built. Before the Church even existed. Imagine how they survived, the kind of threats they faced…" She leaned forward, practically glowing with excitement.
Phoebe smiled faintly, picking at her food. "Honestly, I liked seeing them. It felt… quiet there. Different from the stronghold."
Nolan stirred his bowl, thoughtful as always. "It did feel different. The carvings weren't just decoration. Some of them looked like warnings."
Lex groaned. "Here we go again. Everything's a warning, everything's cursed. Maybe they were just bored and doodling."
I smirked. "If they were doodling, they had a lot of time on their hands. Seven thousand years' worth."
"Exactly," Lily said, pointing her spoon like she'd just won an argument. "Which makes them worth studying. Unlike Lex's doodles in training notes."
"That was art," Lex said with mock offense. "You people just don't understand talent."
Vivi leaned across the table, her eyes sparkling. "Still, can you imagine living out there in the mountains back then? No stronghold, no walls, just… surviving with the tribes."
"Sounds like Lex's kind of life," I said. "Punching rocks, drawing masterpieces."
Vivi poked at her porridge. "So… the research facility yesterday. Anyone else feel like half of that stuff went right over their head?"
Phoebe tilted her head. "The glass chambers? They said they were for observing threads, right? It looked more like something out of a nightmare."
Lex chuckled, leaning back like he owned the table. "That's because you all weren't paying attention. The whole place is basically proof the church has control over knowledge the rest of us don't. If I had access to one of those chambers? I'd already be a layer two."
"Or a lab rat," Lily muttered, sipping her broth. "You'd be the first to volunteer just so you could brag later."
Lex smirked, unbothered. "If being first means being remembered, I'll take it."
Nolan stirred his porridge slowly, thoughtful as always. "I don't know… the facility felt cold to me. All the notes, all those strange instruments… not one of the researchers looked happy. It's like the place eats away at people."
Vivi leaned on her elbow, glancing at him. "You always notice things like that. I was too busy wondering how much food storage they must have just to feed everyone here."
"Speaking of food," I said, raising a spoon, "the cafeteria might be the only normal part of this whole stronghold. Four main areas, and this one's the only one that doesn't feel like it wants to suffocate me."
"Exactly," Lily said, pointing with her spoon. "The quarters are cramped, the open yard's all drills and watchmen glaring at us, and the prayer hall…" She grimaced. "I'm not even touching that one."
Phoebe's voice was soft, almost hesitant. "It was quiet though. Peaceful, in a way. Like the stillness before a storm."
Lex gave a short laugh. "That's one way to put it. Me? I'll take the yard over the prayer hall. At least in the yard, I can prove I'm better with a blade."
"Better at tripping," Lily shot back without missing a beat.
With Conversations back and forth we finished our breakfast headed for the lectures on drills and various training.
Nothing much happened after that,
The lecture's ended in the afternoon and we got to our own training.
I too trained for an hour or Two, constantly emptying all my essence and also trained sword techniques for a while.
And with that I went to rest.
***
I looked at my watch
7:00
I got up and began to get ready.
I placed daggers near my thighs and a longsword near my waist and as for the chain, I wrapped it around my body and over it put on the Blazer.
I walked out of my Tent and the evening felt strange, Even stranger than usual
The mountain evenings carried a weight all their own. As the sun dipped behind jagged ridges, the peaks bled into long shadows that crawled across the valleys. The air thinned, crisp and sharp, biting at the lungs with every breath. Even the stronghold's Lights, lit along the outer wall, seemed small against the vastness of the stone slopes.
The wind came alive at dusk threading through the pines with a hollow whistle, rattling loose rocks, and carrying with it the faint echo of beasts further up the cliffs. It was never silent here, the mountain breathed and shifted, as though ancient eyes hidden in the stone watched all who dared to settle at its feet.
Mist gathered low, spilling like a veil across the foothold paths. The ruins scattered near the base looked almost spectral in the twilight, their broken arches half swallowed by fog.
And with It the Came a loud noise.