Chapter 826: High Order (Ch.827)
"Xenon... Xenon wake up." Neveah shook Xenon awake, her brows furrowed in concern.
His expression was contorted almost painfully, there was a layer of perspiration over his forehead and his fists were tightly clenched by his sides, like he was struggling to restrain himself.
Jian crouched beside him, brows furrowed.
This wasn’t even the first ti this was happening. It had been a few nights already since he began having night terrors and with each day, it grew even more concerning.
Whenever he woke up, he couldn’t recall exactly what he had been dreaming about that distressed him so badly. And while he had concluded his proximity to witch territory just made him uneasy, Neveah was convinced there was sothing more.
"Xenon...wake up." She tried again, cupping his cheeks.
"Wake up, Xenon."
Xenon gasped, his eyes snapped open and he shot up. He glanced around wildly, his breaths coming out in rapid pants.
Neveah held him, rubbing soothing circles down his back. "Breathe my love, breathe..."
He did. Slowly, his breaths cald and he clutched Neveah tightly, like that was the only thing keeping him rooted.
"The sa night terror?" Jian asked.
Xenon nodded, burying his head into Neveah’s neck. His inhaled deeply, and then exhaled a shuddering breath. Neveah’s heart constricted.
"We can’t let this continue. We have to get him back to the Keep." She said to Jian. "Get Everon back to take a look at him. He’s barely slept in days."
"I’m fine. It’s just a nightmare." Xenon murmured, shaking his head slightly. "We can’t leave without finding the witch rune. If Beoruh gets his hands on it first, it will be a disaster."
"But..." Neveah began to protest but Xenon hushed her.
"What we have to do is far more important. And the sooner we complete it, the sooner we can be out of this vicinity. The terrors will go away on their own. A few nights without sleep won’t be the end of ."
She hesitated, exchanging a look with Jian.
"Xenon is right. The terrors started a few days ago, when we got within the vicinity of Ebon Hollow. It must be linked in so way." Jian decided. "We will find the rune and leave as soon as possible."
Neveah sighed but she gave in.
"Where do we search today?" She asked.
"We’ve gone through the ruins of two of the four grand temples and there’s been no sign of it. There are two grand temples left."
"If we still can’t find it, we might have to search the entire ruins of Ebon Hollow." Xenon relayed.
"We will fare better with more hands." Neveah murmured.
"But that will also draw attention. If soone other than Beoruh realizes the witch rune is still in Ebon hollow, it will be detrintal." Xenon reminded.
"I just... don’t know why my magic won’t guide us this ti. I’ve tried everything. Even Devirld doesn’t know the way."
Jian nodded. "The rune has long been dormant. My guess is, it leaves no magic traces."
"I think it’s about ti I stop relying on magic and do it my way. The way that cos natural to ." Neveah decided.
A short ti later, Neveah scanned the ruins. Her wolf form made everything seem much clearer. Her senses were sharper and the world ca into an entirely different perspective.
She had beco too dependent on Devirld, on sensing magic... feeling it like she felt the chill of the wind brushing over her skin, without even having to try.
But before there was ever magic, there was only her. Her wolf and their natural advantages. In all of the stronghold, she was probably the only one who could sll magic.
’What do you think?’ Neveah thought to her wolf who was on the surface.
She didn’t respond imdiately. But after a short ti she did. ’The stench of dark magic and ash is too strong, it’s overwhelming.’
The rubble crunched beneath the weight of her paws as she went through the ruins of the final temple.
The afternoon sun was sweltering hot. Neveah was almost convinced the rune truly didn’t exist in Ebonhollow, but that was when she picked up on it.
As her paws crunched another pile of rubble, a distant hush of wind wafted through a hollow space. Neveah stepped off, eyes furrowed as she scanned the ruins she had been standing over.
The ground trembled and a strong wave of magic shifted the pile of rubble until solid ground ca into view.
Only it wasn’t solid ground.
"A hidden entrance..." Xenon murmured.
Neveah exchanged a look with Jian. She shifted back to human form and stepped aside. Xenon pulled open the trap door camouflaged as solid ground and with a creak and a groan, it ca open.
A strong stench of death and burnt flesh surged out and Neveah turned her face away quickly, her hand going up to shield her nose. But it didn’t do much to keep the stench from invading her senses.
Xenon peered down at the tunnel-like entrance, his nose scrunching up at the stench.
"Maybe you shouldn’t go down there..." Jian suggested. "Your sense of sll has gotten even more sensitive."
Xenon agreed. "He’s right. I can stay up with you. Or go in alone."
Neveah knew they were still worried about what had happened when they were ambushed by the rock golem.
"No. We stick together." Neveah shook her head, sucking in a deep breath of the cleaner air before she climbed into the entrance after Xenon.
The descent was long and dark. Her eyes soon adjusted to the darkness but she kept her mind focused on a careful climb and not the slick substance coating the iron bars leading down. Whatever it was.
After what felt like forever, she felt Xenon’s arms reach for her, she let go of the bar, and he guided her down till her foot touched solid ground. She stepped away to let Jian leap down.
Only then did Neveah take in their surrounding. The first thing that struck her was the unnaturally cold temperature. Her breaths fogged instantly. It was far colder than Dragon Keep, or the Dunes in winter. Like they had just walked into an ice field. But in reality, they stood in a moderately sized hall, with runes etched into the walls all around them
Neveah shuddered unconsciously.
Every inch of the walls were covered in runes of all kinds. Whatever they were, they must have been responsible for the freezing temperature. But that wasn’t even the most off putting thing.
Since they arrived at Ebonhollow and began their search, the devastation the city had suffered was obvious. But Neveah had only seen a few signs of the death...a few remains here or there, half buried beneath the rubble.
At tis like that, Xenon and Jian would fall eerily silent.
Neveah had been guilty to feel grateful that most of the remains were buried too deeply underneath the rubble to be seen, or had weathered away in ti.
Thousands had died here. If they ca upon every single remains, she wasn’t sure how much more damage it would do to them.
But in this mont, her sense of relief instantly disappeared. Because all around them, were bones and remains of the dead.
Skeletons well preserved deep underground, so still had more form and hadn’t weathered down to bones completely. They were almost too perfectly preserved, so much that one who had known them in life could possibly find so recognition.
And it wasn’t just one or two bodies. It was at least a dozen.
Priests, Neveah guessed. Judging from their robes that were still intact.
Behind her, Jian exhaled sharply. "The High order of Witches... the ruling council of Ebonhollow."
Neveah’s heart sank.
Soone who knew them in life... Jian and Xenon had seen centuries. They were that ’soone.’
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