Entering The City

This walk ended up lasting a full three days, shocking both Siar and Minos, neither of them having expected to spend so long just walking by this wall.

Of course part of the reason they took so long was because Minos was moving so slowly, but even then, that was incredible.

Based on a quick estimate by Minos, if a mortal were to run around this city wall, even if they had infinite stamina, it would likely take them weeks.

Fortunately their torment finally came to an end, and after three-days, a large entrance came into sight.

The entrance consisted of one massive drawbridge at the center and two small doors on each side, likely for guards.

The drawbridge was currently pulled up, whereas the two doors were tightly sealed shut, making entrance from either impossible.

But it went without saying that that wasn't going to stop Minos, so after heading to the small door, Minos controlled his Nux into a key-like shape before he got to work trying to open the door.

While he could have just used his strength to kick it down, he didn't want anyone who came after him to know that someone was already inside, so he preferred a gentle method that left no clues.

After a few more attempts, Minos finally got the shape right, turning his Nux key to the side and unlocking the door.

The door didn't lead directly into the city, rather the walls themselves had an interior that was completely consumed by darkness.

Any lights that once existed in this place had long since gone out, but Minos had an abundance of Shining Talisman's, so this wasn't a problem.

Pulling one out from his spatial ring, he promptly activated it, allowing him to see the interior that stretched far out into the distance, likely wrapping around the entire wall.

While he was a bit curious as to where this tunnel went, now wasn't the time to explore, so he quickly found the other door and did the same thing.

With the key-shape already known, Minos just slid his Nux into the hole before quickly unlocking it, finally opening up to a grand city that was completely desolate.

Compared to Aleph City, this place was even more decadent, the roads paved in marble and the roofs capped in gold.

On top of that, the houses all seemed a bit small, as if they weren't made with humans in mind, which caused Minos to almost instinctively think of the Lukalu people.

However the complete absence of people made it impossible to know who truly once inhabited this place, and it also made the glamorous city somewhat eerily, giving someone the feeling that something was deeply wrong here.

Compared to the outside of the walls, where one could at least occasionally hear the roar of beasts, this place was completely silent, lacking even the sound of mice scurrying through the roads.

"This place is strange. Something feels wrong." Siar said from Minos's shoulder as she lifted her weak head and looked around.

"It's the silence. Even if this place is empty, there should still be some small creatures living in the gaps, but nothing…" Minos replied, causing Siar's pupils to slightly dilate as she realized what he was implying.

"Do you think there's something here that keeps life from spreading?" Siar asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"It's possible, but we won't know unless we go deeper. It's best I leave you in the walls for now, I'll pick you up if there's no danger." Minos said, as he headed back for the wall interiors.

"No need, I want to go with you." Siar said firmly.

"Don't argue with me. I'll need all hands free if there really is something here, so this isn't only for your safety, but mine as well." Minos said, shaking his head.

Despite wanting to say something more, Siar finally swallowed her words, knowing what Minos was saying was true.

However after so many days of traveling with him, not to mention being kept safe by him, Siar didn't really feel secure unless Minos was around, not to mention, she didn't want him to face danger alone.

But like he said, she wasn't capable of helping him in her current form, in fact she was more of a detriment than anything else.

With that in mind, the best help she could give was to stay silent and listen to Minos's words, which is what she ultimately did.

After finding a spot deeper in the wall's interiors, Minos gave Siar some food and a couple Shining Talismans before he finally left.

Seeing his back disappear into the darkness, Siar could only pray for his safety, hoping that whatever existed in this city wasn't dangerous.

…

Back in the city streets, Minos readied his Heaven-Sundering Sword before he began walking across the paved roads, his eyes opened wide and constantly scanning his surroundings for any danger.

But even after walking deep into the city, nothing happened, relieving Minos's tension slightly.

Of course that didn't mean he let down his guard, but rather, he felt that whatever danger existed, it likely didn't exist in the outer city or at least it wouldn't come out in the morning.

Either one could be true, but since things were safe for now, Minos decided to check the buildings to see if he could find anything valuable.

Unfortunately, even after entering dozens of homes, he found nothing other than cobwebs.

Much like Aleph City, this outer-ring seemed restricted to the lower-class, so it was likely the real valuables were at the core.

Scaling up a multi-floor house, Minos peered out into the distance with his telescope, seeing a grand palace that was dotted exactly at the center of this grand city.

It went without saying that the palace was likely the place of most riches, so Minos immediately set it as his next goal.

Jumping back down the building, Minos began heading out, his pace neither fast or slow, always keeping his guard at its highest.

Even though he wasn't moving at his top-speed, Minos was still traveling very fast, and after a half day, the grand palace finally appeared in front of him.

Minos had been watching the houses as he traveled, and they all had the same feature, being that they were clearly made for smaller creatures.

The palace was likewise no different, and even the grand-doors made to showcase the emperor's prestige were smaller then one would typically find on a human-made palace.

This was now the third time that Minos came across what seemed to be a place related to the Lukalu, making him feel like he had quite the fate with these people.

But it also made him more certain that the Lukalu people were truly no more, because if they couldn't even escape death in a place as secure as this realm, then there was simply no escape.

His blood couldn't help but slightly chill as he pondered what exactly caused such a brilliant species to vanish completely.

He originally thought humans replaced the Lukalu, slowly driving them to extinction, but by now he knew that was impossible.

After all, this realm seemed completely untouched by humans, but even so, the Lukalu were still completely gone.

Calming his somewhat anxious heart, Minos finally entered the place, walking through the halls as he looked around with interest.

As he walked down a grand hallway, Minos suddenly paused, his eyes attracted by the portrait hung up on the wall.

Just like he expected, this was a Lukalu person, and based on the crown on their head and grand robe, he was likely the previous emperor or king.

At the bottom of the portrait was a small inscription, and since Minos had already mastered the Lukalu people's language, he could read it.

'Lukalu Asmo The Great, Eleventh Emperor of the Lukalu Empire.'

Just like he thought, this was an emperor, and since he was the eleventh there must be ten more behind him.

Walking further down the hall, Minos found another portrait, and its inscription was much similar to the one before, only this was the tenth emperor.

As he reached the end of the hall, Minos finally gazed upon the first emperor, who unlike the others, didn't only have a small inscription, but had an entire tablet dedicated to his accomplishments.

'Lukalu Luka The First, First Emperor, Founder, and Sage of the Lukalu Empire. With a brilliance that transcended his peers, Luka The First pioneered many of the greatest inventions of the Lukalu people, slowly pulling his people out of the mirth of ignorance and into the radiance of wisdom. May his genius forever be the shining light of the Lukalu people, guiding them forward through eternity!'

Beyond that, the tablet listed many of Luka's accomplishments, including creating a lot of the knowledge Minos had previously studied, causing him to look at this first emperor with admiration.

To be able to bring his people to such heights, it went without saying that Luka was one in a billion, a king amongst men.

Unfortunately, even for as brilliant as he was, he still couldn't stop the slow demise of his people, causing his efforts to eventually amount to nothing.

Letting out a sigh, Minos couldn't help but feel the fickleness of life, and be reminded that greatness was no guarantee of eternity.

No matter how great you were, as long as you were dead, your efforts, your creations, your history, it would all be wiped out with enough time.

Even your name would be forgotten by the annals of time, reducing what was once a world-changing figure into a fragment of what once was…