Part 64

When I turned around, I gasped in shock. I hadn't noticed before, because of the chase, but the room we had just jumped into was three times the size of the old dome back home. Even the castle, which I felt proud of after creating it down to its minor details, was nowhere near as large as the structure we were facing now.

A great hall, far larger than the halls of kings and emperors, stretched on for hundreds of yards before us. In the middle of the hall, half a dozen tall pillars stood like monuments. They were carved out of stone but held the strength of iron. The stone walls held carvings of a great historical record, thousands of years worth of history carved into a rock that showed signs of age and decay. Dry moss hung along the top of the walls and crept in like bugs in the night, though the floor was devoid of any flora or garbage.

In the center of the ceiling, a large hole was open, leading to the surface. From it, the pale moonlight crept into the room like the beams of heaven, illuminating the room in a bright silver hue. Just below the hole, in the direct center of the large hall, was a gigantic statue.

The statue was tall, but it was also stout and muscular as it depicted an older dwarf. His beard, which had dozens of broken chunks missing from his figure, was thick and showed signs of valor. His armor, which was as thick as the muscle he hid behind it, was strong and rigged. His helmet, which protected what his beard could not, had a large open hole in the center to fit a small gem. His chest plate, which was the thickest part of his armor, had a similar hole in the center of it. The corners of his pauldrons were sharp as his ax, which he held at his side.

Although the ax was as tall as his body, much of the ax's head had fallen to the ground in chunks of stone. Only the center of the head remained, truly expressing the age of the statue. In the center of the head, another hole, almost like a keyhole, was placed to fit a small gem.

"Whoa," I muttered as I looked at the statue. Even though the statue was old, showing signs of decay both on the statue and through the remnants of the statue that had scattered across the floor, the statue still managed to retain its power and magnificence. I had no doubt that, when this dwarf was alive, he was considered a legend.

Hazel walked up to my side and held a similar expression of awe. Her's didn't last as long, though, as she quickly looked away and turned her attention to me. I turned to look at Hazel, my eyes occasionally stealing another glance at the statue.

"There's something you should know," Hazel told me. I looked at her, confused. The statue no longer held any interest for me, as Hazel had brought the atmosphere to a dreary state with a simple phrase, "Something is different with Icarus. I know he's changed, it's obvious just by looking at him. However, when I first looked at him, I felt something. It was primal, a hidden instinct of mine. I don't know why, but my entire body wanted me to kill him then and there."

"But you didn't?" I said. Hazel nodded.

"Had I not known who he was, I would've listened," Hazel told me. Then her expression turned even more grim, almost fearful, "We need to be careful. I might not be the only one that reacts that way."

"Understood," I nodded. I turned to look at Icarus, who was sitting a few feet behind us. Based on what Hazel said, I now had enough information to confirm what I was thinking of earlier. Icarus's new title,『 Heir of the skies 』, painted a giant red target on his back, most likely for all creatures that could fly.

Whether this was good or not, I could only let time tell. As I looked away from Icarus, I looked back to the statue and began to admire it for a moment longer. In the pale blue moonlight, the statue almost looked alive.

Then, as the moon reached its apex, it began to center itself directly over the hole. The blue light became brighter and parts of the statue began to glow. The three keyholes, where a small gem was designed to fit, began to glow bright blue. Then, at the bottom of the statue, where the stone dwarf sat on a stone pedestal, a series of letters began to glow. I looked at them, not recognizing them. They were straight and true, with hardly any curves. Some of them crossed each other while others fit together to bolden each other.

"That's dwarvish," Hazel said, "I only know a little, but do you still want me to read anyways?"

"Sure, thanks," I nodded. Hazel turned back to the lettering and began to read the message before the light from the moon faded.

"Let's see. There are a few words I don't recognize in the beginning, but it's followed by 'In remembrance of King Doragem, Lord of the Golden Mountains'," Hazel read. She looked up at the statue, then smiled, "It's a memorial."

"What do you think the three gem slots are for?" I asked as I pointed to the chest, helm, and ax. Hazel shrugged, then turned back to the writing, "The second half is the date. 'Year 578 on the twelfth day of footfall.' Damn, that's old."

"How old?" I asked. As I spoke, I immediately realized that I had no idea what year it was.

"Considering it doesn't mention what age it's from, it's safe to assume this statue was carved during the first age," Hazel said, "The first age started with the beginning of recorded history and ended when the human race won the great war, lasting 1010 years. We're in the second age, year 3025."

"One age has lasted over three thousand years?" I muttered with shock. Hazel nodded.

"Nothing has happened to allow the entirety of the world to agree on entering the third age," Hazel explained, "Something that big would have to change the world."

I nodded and looked down at the lettering to get a glimpse of how to read it. I continued looking at the lettering to compare the message to common. Suddenly, a notification appeared in front of me.

『 Skill: Basic Dwarvish, learned! 』

Suddenly, information began to fill my mind, almost like I was unlocking a lost memory that I had long forgotten. Images of dwarvish culture, history, and specifically the language began to fill my head. The information proved to be troublesome, as my mind began to hurt just moments after.

I experienced a similar thing when I learned how to use『 Acrobatics 』, but the experience then was so minor that I never really thought about it. For a moment, I held my head in my hands and groaned in pain.

"Are you alright?" Hazel asked. I looked at her, then nodded. By the time she spoke, the pain had already disappeared. I looked back at the dwarvish writing, then began to smile as I realized I was able to read it.

'Three gems for three gates. Before you lies the golden vault, built in remembrance of King Doragem, Lord of the Golden Mountains. Year 578 on the twelfth day of frost fall.' The text read. I was glad that I managed to read every word and was also surprised that I had managed to learn some parts of the text that I couldn't compare anything to in the first place.

Simply by this experience, I began to wonder how easily I could learn other languages. Maybe in the future, I could learn all of them? What if there was a language specifically for dragons? When I got home, I would be asking Aros about it for sure.

"First, let's get food," I said as I looked at the hole above us. It was a little small for my dragon form, but I might have the ability to fit if I squeezed. Icarus, on the other hand, was already looking at the moon with drool hanging from his mouth. Hazel nodded, then morphed into her dragon form. I did the same, then followed her up to get food.

Three hours later, after we ate, we returned to the statue and continued our exploration.

"Let's go find what those gems are for," I said, "Maybe it'll lead us to a gate."

Hazel nodded, then followed me as I walked around the statue and began to head to the other side of the hall. However, within ten seconds of walking, we were met with another obstacle. Three gates, each made out of solid iron, blocked our way. Each of them was twice my height and four times my width. Unfortunately, they were too small for my dragon form. Ordinarily, I would look at the gates and groan in frustration as I began searching for the keys.

However, while it might have been risky, I decided to go for the violent route. My gut told me it would be fine, so I moved. I stood a few yards away from the doors turning my body away from the statue. As I focused on the doors in front of me, I opened my mouth and let out a powerful breath attack that targeted the middle gate.

The gate practically exploded, flying off of its hinges for a moment before turning into a smoldering paste that stuck to the ground like glue. It didn't incinerate in an instant, as it was metal, but it did melt.

Then, while my attack was still going, I targetted the other gates as well. Both of the gates that were at the left and right of the main one shared a similar fate, melting as I unleashed a torrent of fire upon them. Once all three gates were down, I closed my mouth and looked at Hazel. With a single stare, we both agreed upon which tunnel to enter. Then, with our decision made, we began to walk through the middle tunnel.

As soon as we entered through the gate, however, something completely unexpected happened. We suddenly teleported into a bright environment, blinding us instantly. At the same time, a deafening roar entered our ears. The ground shook and the air trembled, though none of us were afraid.

"You dare trespass into the golden hall?!" A voice boomed, almost like an explosion. I felt the ground shake as the deep voice spoke, "Who are you and how did you- oh! Dragons!"

I turned my gaze toward the voice, blinking as quick as I could to get myself used to the light. Once I managed to make out a small figure the size of a man standing in front of me, the voice continued to speak.

"It's unheard of to have visitors. To think that my first visitors in three and a half millennia would be dragons! I'm honored," The voice spoke as they lowered their tone in respect. As they spoke, I realized their voice sounded rather young. The ground no longer shook as they spoke and the air seemed a little lighter, "Had you been any other race, I would've destroyed you within seconds. I'm glad that the only race that can survive my magic chose to visit me. Unfortunately, I do not know your tongue, so I would, unfortunately, have to trouble you to speak in the common tongue."

I blinked once again, then finally managed to get a good look at the figure in front of me. The room we were in was large, but only in terms of how high the walls grew. When I looked up, the walls seemed to extend forever, though the room's circular width wasn't that wide. As I turned away from the walls, I looked to the center of the room.

There, sitting upon a small wooden chest as if it were a lounge chair, was a young boy. Well, a golem in the form of a young boy. His stone skin was rough and old, but his youthful expression was still obvious to my eyes.

"Hmm? Why are you not speaking?" The golem boy asked, his voice worried and anxious, "I was sure that I was respectful. Have I offended you in some way?"

I sighed, then shook my head.

"Oh? Is it that you can't speak?" The boy asked. I looked at him, then nodded. Suddenly, the boy smiled, "So you're an outcast? How interesting! If the dragon race were willing to create outcasts, they must've done so accidentally. However, that would mean only one thing, one thing that troubles me dearly."

The boy looked up at me, his face sad as he spoke.

"They're all gone, aren't they? Your kin? I see you have two other dragons with you," The boy said. He looked at Hazel, then to Icarus, "Your wife and your son, perhaps? If none of you are speaking to me, it must mean you don't know how."

I nodded, though Hazel was behind me attempting to see through her embarrassment. She seemed flustered by the boy's words, though I didn't understand why. The boy quickly hopped off of the wooden chest below him, then turned to me.

"It's nice to meet you, then. My name is Vindalhall, the guardian for the golden hall's treasury," The boy said, "In the past, the dragons and dwarves got along as allies. They stayed in the same mountains and helped each other like brothers. Let me honor the strength of that friendship and show you how to speak. At the same time, perhaps you can return the favor to me."