Chapter 30

Taking the map and studying it while plotting a course, I became increasingly amazed that I hadn't noticed this earlier.

"Tun, did you sense this thing with the labyrinth?"

"No... Perhaps those runes carved into the labyrinth walls were created for this purpose?"

"I think so too... And that same magic probably affected everyone inside the labyrinth. But the question is, how does it work?"

"Are you asking me?" my feathered friend asked, slightly surprised.

"Just thinking..."

Indeed, it seems a stroke of magical genius. I couldn't fathom how it had been implemented, although I couldn't claim to be an experienced mage or a scholar of magic.

"Ah... If only I had more magical tomes, since what I got from the Boltons was nothing but dark magic. And those I do have require very specific things..."

But soon, all thoughts turned to my current task, and what to do about it. After all, I would have to kill this creature, or else I would face the consequences of a magical contract.

As I continued following the map, I watched the monster's point approach me... until suddenly, the ground beneath me disappeared...

"BLAST!" I barely managed to shout as I fell into the trap, simultaneously reinforcing my body with magic and hoping I wouldn't die.

Surprisingly, I wasn't killed by the fall, thanks to being rolled along a pipe that appeared during my descent.

The moment of my landing was very uncertain, as I didn't understand where on earth I had ended up. And what could possibly await me here?

"Tun, did you manage to get in?" I asked my partner.

"I didn't make it into the hole you fell through."

"Can you still feel me through our bond?" I asked, quite concerned.

"Yes, and I'm following your trail."

"If anything, break through obstacles. Don't hesitate."

"Understood," Tun replied.

Meanwhile, as I looked around, I realized what provided illumination in this space. It was the runes, carved into the walls and ceilings of this structure.

"Very strange indeed..." I thought, as I couldn't understand what had triggered such a trap.

"And where should I go?" I whispered involuntarily.

The walls, as if conscious, intensified their glow slightly and showed that there was really no choice, as there was only one corridor.

"Well... There's the answer to my question." Saying this, I moved forward.

Just to be safe, I sent magic through my body as I walked along the corridor, also checking my surroundings. Empathic checks weren't particularly helpful, and magical checks provided very strange information. It was hard to discern anything beyond the general background.

About half an hour later, I began to feel, on some instinctive level, eyes on me, but I had no idea who or what could be watching. I couldn't use animals for scouting and checking the surroundings, as there were simply none.

This situation only heightened my wariness. Tense and ready for anything, I continued along the straight corridor. After some time, I began to see the end of the corridor and the room beyond it.

At first glance, the room contained only a strangely shaped altar, covered in the same inscriptions of unknown origin.

"Hm... I hope I find some answers in this room..." I thought, not knowing how right I was.

As I entered the room, I heard a voice, very strange:

"Vemu! Men gajamu..." but realizing I didn't understand, the voice stopped.

Before me stood a man much taller than humans, much taller, dressed in armor inscribed with the same runes as the walls. His face was not visible under the helmet, but his beard was visible... That he was not human was clear, as humans couldn't grow to such a size.

Meanwhile, the man, realizing I didn't understand him, just raised his hands to show he meant no harm. At that moment, I also showed in every way that I was against any violence. Apparently, I managed to convey this idea to the man, and he nodded. Then, turning around, he conveyed the thought that I should follow him. I nodded in response and followed him inside the room, where two women of the same height as the man were present.

By my estimate, the inhabitants of this room were about 3 meters tall, and it's worth noting that they were also warriors as they were clad in armor and held weapons.

"Who or what are these tall beings hiding from? Or what are they fighting?" I wondered.

After exchanging phrases in a language unknown to me, the man led me further. As we went deeper, I saw that there were once cities here, as I could also see the outlines of houses behind other corridors?

We were now heading towards the altar I had seen when I emerged from the dungeon. As we approached, my magical sense began to detect an interesting detail. This altar was a source of an incredible amount of magic, apparently powering the entire labyrinth...

Stepping up the stairs, the man kneeled and said:

"Thanu men! Tan menu selek lanun naman."

After these words, the altar, glowing a dark golden color, began to emit a huge amount of magic. Feeling no negativity from these beings, I did not interfere or prepare for a bad outcome.

Following the magical burst, a silhouette of a man of the same anthropomorphic race appeared, older and likely deceased. This spirit, after speaking in his language with the living representative of his race, turned to me and directed magic.

"Jing."

"You have been offered to establish a mental bridge for the transmission of the 'Arfen' language."

"Accept/Decline."

Without much thought, I accepted to create this bridge and, along with receiving knowledge about the language, I also transmitted Valyrian to the spirit. The spirit, surprised but graciously smiling, apparently established the same bridge with the two women and passed on the knowledge of Valyrian to them.

Having done this, he told the man to let him talk to me alone. Then, turning his ghostly gaze on me, he spoke in Valyrian:

"Welcome, Child of Destiny! My name is Avdeus. May I know your name?"

The spirit bore no hostile intentions; instead, he felt gratitude with a hope for something.

"My name is Daeron of House Targaryen," I said, nodding slightly. "Who are you? And how did you end up here?" I asked, having some thoughts on the matter.

"Most likely, the Arfen were those who built this labyrinth..."

"We called ourselves Arfen long ago when there was a flourishing city here..." his voice filled with nostalgia, and his emotions were a wild mix of good and not so good. "But our own greed destroyed us... And now only these three remain," he concluded, nodding towards the man and two women.

"I'm sorry for your loss... If possible, I would like to know how it came to be that you confined yourselves here? Wasn't your race the builders of this labyrinth?"

Avdeus, as if closing his eyes from horrific memories, simply said:

"It's all because of the Blind Demon..."

"The Blind Demon?... Is it somehow connected to the Blind God?" Such thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant.

"This creature, which we foolishly summoned into our world... No, not out of foolishness, but by the dictates of pride," the elder spoke melancholically. "But for you to fully understand the situation, I should tell you or rather show you why we summoned this Demon."

The elder concluded by touching my head, and at that moment, I saw visions before my eyes.

Jing

Avdeus is attempting to establish a mental bridge with you

Accept/Decline

As soon as I accepted the offer, images of Avdeus's past unfolded before me.

Overwhelmed by the influx of information, I involuntarily clutched my head, barely managing to keep my balance.

Arfen, the kingdom once located in the territory of Lorat, was more advanced in magic than other states, as magic was commonplace in those times. Researching magic was one of the most important parts of the kingdom's policy. Unfortunately, this research fervor played a cruel joke on the kingdom... That year, extensive research into other planes of existence was conducted, particularly, the kingdom's magicians tried to understand the nature of the Shadow Realm. In one such experiment, the researchers inadvertently created a huge breach from which demons poured into the territory of Arfen.

At first, the kingdom coped with what came from the other world, but along with the usual onslaught, something terrible arrived... The Blind Demon, the Demon of Despair, or as I knew him by a much better-known name... Ceius, one of the high-ranking demons described in a book I found with the Boltons. An entire page was dedicated to him in this book, describing his powers and weaknesses, and most importantly for warlocks, explaining how to make a contract with him.

From what I know from that book, it seems the Arfen were able to open a breach to the dwelling place of Ceius and his progeny. That these were his children, and not someone else, was evident because all these creatures lacked eyes. Ceius and his offspring oriented primarily through sound and scent, and also by the scent of souls.

The consequences of Ceius's invasion were tragic for the Arfen, as escaping the kingdom became impossible. Ceius, upon his arrival in this world, enclosed the entire area of the kingdom in a peculiar trap, and hence, escape was not feasible. The only option left was to fight to the bitter end, and initially, the humans managed to prevail, but the cost was exceedingly high. Ceius had numbers, and the humans were simply overwhelmed.

After some time, the magicians figured out how Ceius was creating his offspring, and to prevent further increase of these monsters, the people built the labyrinth. Since they still did not know how to kill the demon, and they couldn't fight indefinitely, the greatest minds of Arfen came up with a labyrinth that would constantly change its configuration in such a way that the demon could not find an exit. Since the demon had no eyes, finding an exit from such a structure was quite difficult.

The maintenance of the labyrinth was powered by absorbing Ceius's energies. The first few centuries went quite well, and most of the remaining population was alive. But as time passed, the number of people dwindled, and Avdeus learned the reason why. Ceius, apparently on the last vestiges of his strength, had cast a curse on those living in the labyrinths.

Unfortunately, he learned all this too late, and he was only able to save a few. Over the centuries, only these three remained.

Avdeus was the king at that time, and to somehow save his people, he decided to confine his soul in this altar. The few survivors turned out to be his distant descendants, as too many centuries had passed to speak of a direct line since his time.

From his memories, I also learned how this spirit was able to recognize in me the Child of Destiny. If I understood correctly, it turns out I bear a special mark indicating the touch of some Destiny.

"Why have you given me this knowledge?"

Avdeus, with a rueful smile, said:

"I am sure you will go to kill this demon, for otherwise, you would not have come here..." he was right, as in his memories, I found details about a setting that can empathetically sense a person's aura. "Besides the demon's death, I would like you to take the three remaining Arfen with you... Let them see the world, and survive."

The spirit was honest in his statements, and considering the information he provided, helping him in return was the only option I had.

Jing

Quest from Arfen

Kill Ceius 0/1

Reward: Magical Knowledge of Arfen

Accept/Decline

There was no reason to decline, and this way, I would also gain knowledge that could help me in the future.

"I accept, and I will help the Arfen by all means possible."

Hearing the honesty in my voice, Avdeus just smiled, and I, meanwhile, began preparing for battle.

"Do you need any help from us?" asked a gentle-toned girl who, I presume, was the daughter of a pair of Arfen.

"Do you have marble?"

"Marble?"

"White or shiny stones."

The girl thought for a moment and then said:

"Ah! Alabaster? We have some of those."

"Can you show me where these stones are located?"

"Yes, but why do you need these stones?" she asked, puzzled.

"This stone will help create something that can kill Ceius."

Hearing this, the girl was shocked, but after regaining her composure, she quickly led me to where the stones were apparently located. The adult Arfen, meanwhile, were talking with Avdeus. Seeing us and hearing the reasons we needed to step aside, they just encouraged us.

In truth, I wasn't lying about the marble, but I wasn't entirely sincere either. Because marble filled with magic and specific runes could cause harm to Ceius. The reason I assumed this would help is written about the small amount of magic. By my estimates, I had a decent amount of magic in my body, at least currently, I hadn't met any people or creatures who could defeat me in the amount of magic, except for Tun.

"Tun, have you found the entrance?" I asked my feathered partner. Earlier, I had asked Avdeus to make a passage for him so he could help us in case of need.

"Yes, I'm already near the three giants."

Meanwhile, our journey ended in front of a massive piece of marble embedded in the wall. Turning to me, the girl said:

"I haven't introduced myself yet, my apologies for that. My name is Diya, Diya Nobilis. The current princess of Arfen," she said, bowing.

Even under such a bow, she was nearly twice my height. I just smiled and said:

"Pleased to meet you, Diya. My name is Daeron Targaryen."

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Chapter 42 has already been published