168 The Fallen King (1)

[To the left!]

Link followed Ora's instructions as he flew with breathtaking speed. His mood was slightly down due to the scenes he came across.

On his travels back to the Kingdom, Link did not pay any attention to what was underneath him as he only looked ahead, missing the heart wrenching view.

City after City, Village after Village, Link saw completely fine structures empty without a single soul in sight. After the announcements, more and more people made their way to the Kingdom, seeking refuge in a well protected place. Even the occupants of large Cities did not hesitate to move.

[Keep going forward!]

As time passed, Link finally landed in a village. The empty buildings and lack of people made the area eerie. It reminded Link of the horror movies from his old world.

"Is it here?" He asked.

[Yes, i can sense it] Ora continued [Try looking around, for all we know, it could be a small rock on the side of the road]

"What the fuck am i supposed to do? Pick up every rock and check?"

[No, as long as you get close enough, i'll be able to know which item it is!]

The village's style was odd, as all the buildings circled around the center of the village. Link passed by every house, store and or structure, awaiting Ora's words. Slowly he started looking around the center of the village, finding a huge Well standing exactly in the middle. Statues and signs were erected around it as a form of decoration. The road was strangely clean and well paved, most likely by the residents.

The Well was big, as 4 mechanisms were set up on each side, buckets hung from a thick type of rope attached to each one.

"Woah!" Link muttered, approaching the Well and peeking in. "This thing is creepy. Why is it so big?"

The Well could probably fit an elephant inside. Link picked up a random rock and threw it down, trying to test something.

Blop!

After a few seconds, the rock finally hit the water as the sound echoed. Link had no issue with the dark, as he could see just fine, but one is never too careful. For all he knew, the water could be nothing but an illusion or some terrifying creature lived down there, especially after his encounter with that Void Worm.

"Let's go in!" Link muttered as he flew slowly down, hovering above the water surface. He looked down, then with a sigh he dove in.

For a Level 6 Mage, holding his breath underwater was easy. His body was no longer average, as he could survive without air for 2 days. He kept diving, unable to find anything of value or other paths anywhere around.

'This thing goes on forever' Link thought. He sped up as he zoomed through the water, hoping to reach the bottom anytime soon.

[I can feel it, we're getting closer]

Link saw no end in sight, but he noticed the Well was getting wider the more he descended.

'What the hell is this?' He muttered. The walls around him vanished as he entered what looked like an underground area. Water was everywhere but Link could clearly see some broken pillars and other structures weakened by the passage of time.

<Interesting!>

Houses and buildings could be seen everywhere with their walls and ceiling caved in. In the distance a mid-sized castle sat on the edge of this space. Its beautiful structure was ruined as walls and towers were nowhere to be seen.

[Head that way!]

Following Ora's instructions, Link sped up, reaching the gates quickly. He floated in and headed towards the closed giant inner gate. Half of it was rotted as he slipped through it. Giant set of stairs leading up with giant gorgeous pillars keeping the second floor up appeared in Link's vision. He started roaming every room on the first floor, finding some old ruined paintings, unusable furniture and a few decorative statues and weapons. Unfortunately, none of them were of any use.

[There!]

In the throne room, a giant golden chair sat with pride. Two Dragon statues sat on each side as they glared ahead.

[The throne!]

Link approached with care as he reached it. He gently put his hand on it and with a flash, a notification appeared.

<Collect All Fragments of Consciousness (3 / 10)> <Attunement> -- New --

'There we go' Link thought in delight. He did not like the place and couldn't wait to leave.

"Who Goes There!" A voice boomed across the room. Link teleported back in instinct as he was prepared for battle. Mana flew around, disturbing the water.

"Calm Down Boy" The voice spoke again. "I Mean You No Harm" A transparent Man appeared sitting on the throne. He had a Crown and armor on. His eyes were light blue and in his hand rested a scepter. His face had no features other than his eyes, it was a blur.

"My Name Is Adrian, I am The King Of Moradir!" He explained. "My Kingdom Fell To an Evil God. I Was Buried With All My Poor Citizens, Dying In Darkness And Agony!" He sighed. "You Are The First Person I've Seen In Thousands Of Years. Please, Have a Chat With This Old Man!"

Link was stunned for a moment.

'Is that a Ghost?' He thought, looking at the man with worry.

"I Am Not A Ghost, Son" Adrian Spoke. "I Am A Wraith!"

'You can read my mind?' Link asked.

"Not Read, But More Of Sense!"

'Aren't Wraiths crazed ghosts with a grudge?' Link asked.

"Indeed, But My Grudge Is Not With You!" Adrian spoke. "As Foolish As This Might Sound, My Grudge Is With That Damned God" Adrian chuckled. "Quite The Fool, Aren't I"

Link was puzzled for a second. 'No, i understand!'