Xerxes finally understood the severity of the sanctuary's power, the reason it brimmed with such overwhelming force. Even for a tier 4 mage, maintaining focus was a struggle.
The ambient energy felt like a tangible presence, distracting his thoughts and pressing down on his mana and physical strength.
But for someone like Daryul, he remained upright. Unaffected.
Xerxes grunted, his muscles strained as he fought to keep a fixed posture. Daryul glanced back over his shoulder, utterly nonchalant. "Powerful, is it not? This sanctuary houses precisely 1,027 artifacts. Its collective wealth rivals that of the Rutherford family, they actually own part of this room."
"The Rutherfords?!" Xerxes questioned through gritted teeth. "That family of bankers, I hear that they are a family as wealthy as an entire kingdom."
Daryul acknowledged his statement with a nod.
Xerxes frowned, observing the thousands of artifacts flowing in deliberate and intentional movements, which seemed to resemble a shape. It was the great tree of Eros.
His thoughts strained, this sanctuary was named Luminaria, perhaps after the Lord of Light's name, Luminare, her place of worship being in the Elven nation of Eros.
'What was the correlation between the two, and why would a sanctuary that 'belonged' to her be so far, all the way in a central kingdom like Baratheon?'
It wasn't only he who held the same thought; Xerxes could feel the weight of Airi's questions flurrying in his mind.
'Could the room, the Lord of Light, Eros, have a connection to Airi and her mission?' The query was so pressing that it almost made Xerxes forget why he was in this room.
Shaking his head, he tried to stand straight and calm his breathing. However, Airi wasn't able to do the same; it seemed as if she were in a trance, but Xerxes couldn't focus on that right now.
This room felt like it was doing more than simply weighing an indomitable pressure on them, it seemed as if..
"It feels as if the room is draining your magic, emptying your soul perhaps?" Daryul stated, as if answering Xerxes' thoughts.
His eyes widened, "This room is really able to do something as absurd as that?"
Daryul finally turned around, "Well, of course, this room was crafted by one of Luminare's seven children, Emanon, the Immortal Hammer. To be exact, by the 5th aspect of Baratheon 2 centuries ago, Reiark the Dwarven Aspect of Baratheon, who wielded one of the cardinal weapons of the Lord of Light."
Aspect was an ancient word, belonging to the extinct fairy race. It translated into 'King' or 'Blessed by power', and it represented what the continent had in today's world.
Per Kingdom, the strongest of mages reigned supreme; they had to meet a certain criterion. They had to hold their primary mana at tier 1, their secondary at tier 2. Additionally, they all had to be proficient with their augmentation magic, ensuring it was at a standard of tier 2.
But that was only the base level. Each of them had to be a master of a weapon; it wasn't only sorcery that dictated their strength, but it was the steel they used to subdue an enemy.
Another ridiculous requirement was having at least 30 soul fragments that could all be utilised to a satisfactory standard; they truly were the pinnacle of strength of a kingdom.
Below them stood Vaisel Mages, and ironically enough, Daryul was the Vaisel Mage of Baratheon supporting the current Aspect, Mazium Forbringer. Despite not being an aspect he was no one to scoff at, he was still a tier 2 mage.
But the next words left Xerxes in even more awe, "Do not be mistaken, Xerxes, the 5th aspect of the Kingdom of Baratheon was perhaps the strongest aspect Baratheon had ever had. Wielding one of those cardinal weapons is a feat in itself; I doubt even Master Mazium would be able to hold a candle to this level of craftsmanship."
Xerxes took another moment to look all around him and had a slight theory. Could wielding one of those weapons, from an actual god, be synonymous with Aemon?
Aemon was the apostle of the God of Truth, presumably the line of gods who bore the name 'The Atasis.' It was the last name of his master, and he inherited the eyes of truth from him.
Instead of inheriting something physiological like eyes, mana could the children of Luminare, and everyone beyond that, like the 5th aspect, possess a weapon and obtain power like someone as terrifying as Aemon.
Or even Yves..
Daryul's voice interrupted Xerxes' thoughts, "Staying in this room... it will only cause your mind more turmoil, Xerxes. Trust me, I would know, it can drive someone...let's say crazy, so, what would you like?"
Xerxes relaxed himself as much as one could, it felt like he was close to discovering something. He was determined to speak about it with Airi, or even..Leiya.
Leiya, had to know what this could mean, there could be others out there. And Xerxes was sure, of something that he had been wondering about Yves.
Regardless of those thoughts, he knew what was to be done. "Maps, I need tracking artifacts, anything along those lines."
Peering into the abyss, Daryul smiled. Despite everything Xerxes was seeing, he still was adamant on receiving the map.
"What a strange child you are, Xerxes Draedon, but if that is your wish, who am I to break my promise?"
Using his canine, Daryul glided it around his thumb, drawing crimson liquid. Then, he extended his arm past the platform, dropping his blood far within the abyss.
Seconds passed, and no sound was emitted. Simply, the faint humming of the radiant power from the artifacts.
But then, ethereal sounds, ones that Xerxes couldn't even describe, echoed through the endless abyss of relics. Four of those powerful items then gravitated towards Xerxes, breaking their pattern that which they were moving in.
Daryul took a seat on the floor. "Feel free to read them. Remember, once you make your choice, the artifact is bound to your soul. Though I'm sure a mage of your calibre is aware of this caveat."
Xerxes nodded. Originally, he had thought artifacts were without descriptions. However, the creator of the sanctuary was able to break that rule of natural order. It was simply remarkable.
His eyes traced across the four objects that had a shimmering blue orb trailing around all of them, first he started from the left.
It was shaped simply, there was nothing unusual about its appearance. None of the maps had an unusual appearance. Then, Xerxes focused more intently, and he began to see strings of texts wrapping around the spherical orb of mana.
'This map cannot be destroyed by natural methods.' He acknowledged its durability but found the lack of greater utility uninteresting.
The artifact's purpose seemed limited, and he wasn't going to let his efforts in the tournament go to waste.
Then he moved to the next artifact, this one had an actual name, which gave Xerxes the assumption that it was stronger. 'Aurora's tapestry' What a strange name, Xerxes thought.
He quickly moved to the description, 'This map displays the path an individual will take in the next hour. There will be a description beneath of events they follow, but you will see exactly the point someone, or something, is within an hour, as long as you have met or encountered said thing.'
This artifact was a lot more interesting compared to the prior one, but Xerxes really wondered if what he was searching for could be obtained via this method.
It was a stretch, but he had to consider this one.
He moved on to the next one, which sadly didn't have a name, and the description was even worse, 'The map will return to you if you ever lose it'.
Xerxes sighed, finally looking at the last one, 'The peerer'. Xerxes then read the description, 'The weakest of them was cursed with need, forever shadowed by the blinding light of strength. To grant peace, a map forged in bitter mercy was created. It revealed the path to her deepest, most desperate desires. Yet, this was a chain, not a key. Thus, a covenant was etched to its very essence: once per day could the user could earn the location of anything or anyone, within the world.'
"Of course, the 2 named artifacts had to be the ones that leave me with an impossible decision." Xerxes said, frustration evident in every word.
He had to make the correct decision, who knew the next time he would be in this room. Aurora's tapestry and the peerer.
The peerer allowed him to find the location of anything. Anything within the world, and Xerxes would definitely need that. Who knew if Dorian, Aya and Vanessa were still at the guild?
Additionally, the description of it held many mysteries; he believed that if he was to advance within the artifact he could definitely learn more about the original possessor of it.
Not only that, if he was able to locate 'anything', then he could definitely fulfil what he needed from Baratheon and could move on to the next kingdom, which would be Amento, the kingdom of Elves.
But could he let up 'Aurora's tapestry'? The map was able to see the path of someone's future, albeit 1 hour into the future. He could see their location or, 'said thing', which he assumed were inanimate objects.
As good as it sounded, he wasn't sure if he had encountered the thing he needed in his lifetime, and what difference did an hour make? But then he could at least know what Leiya was doing, what Dorian, Aya and Vanessa were doing.
Was knowing what they were doing really worth it? Xerxes battled between the choice; he wouldn't know if he had ever come in contact with any of the other materials in his life, so by process of elimination, it had to be the peerer.
As much as he would love to read about the future, it seemed as if someone within his soul core could already read it, and that was enough for Xerxes. That was enough for him.
So he put out a hand and went to reach for 'the peerer'. He exhaled and then reached it, he felt the power flowing through him, through his soul core, until he felt it bind to it.
"I've made my choice, Daryul. We can leave," Xerxes spoke adamantly.
"You jest, surely?" He was simply in disbelief; he couldn't believe Xerxes would actually go through with it.
Xerxes shook his head, "I know what I need. I don't need superficial strength, my strength is enough for where I am, my swordsmanship is enough and besides, I have something priceless and unattainable."
Daryul acknowledged that fact, Xerxes made it known to most people. In the final battle of the tournament, Xerxes was forced to use Airi's power, a phoenix power. Those who were powerful, knowledgeable knew what she was.
She was an ancient beast, something that could grow more powerful than 99% of artifacts the world had to offer.
Daryul stood up and began walking side by side with Xerxes, until they left the room of the sanctuary, the power behind the doors being suppressed, allowing the two an easier state of breathing and standard.
Xerxes was ready to leave, but before Xerxes left, Daryul called out to him.
"What do you need the map for, Xerxes, my friend?"
Standing motionlessly for a moment, Xerxes' eyebrows fixed, "It is by another's will I have this map, I need to locate the ancient mineral, Moonshard."
It was the rare mineral, 'Moonshard', Xerxes needed. He was instructed by the being within his soul core to do so, and Xerxes didn't want to go against his decree again, the last time things didn't end too well.
Reminded of those devastating memories, Xerxes turned around and asked Daryul a question of his own, one that perhaps was a bit too outlandish.
"Allow me to ask a question of my own." Xerxes' voice was low, the words measured. The air in the corridor seemed to grow still.
The Vaisel Mage tilted his head and offered a smile, whilst placing his hands behind his back in a gesture of open patience. "I'm as open as a book, Xerxes, ask away."
Xerxes held his gaze, the calmness on his face fracturing. The memories of the fallen kingdom, broken promises, and cryptic messages pressed on him.
His next question wasn't born just out of curiosity, it was as important to him as getting back to Layne was. His voice became uncontrolled and sharp.
"Do you know what apostles are?" Xerxes asked, his heart beating a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
And the question seemed to strike Daryul where he didn't expect it. The dwarf's friendly smile didn't vanish, but it stiffened.
The warmth in his rosy eyes cooled by a single discernible degree.
The shift was subtle.
But to Xerxes, who was peering into his soul for any flicker of recognition, he may as well have shouted his answer.
Daryul definitely knew something about apostles.