Chapter 10: Assumptions

This time, it was Will's turn to speak. He began by introducing himself and his companions, assuring everyone that his intentions were nothing but peaceful from the start. He also shared his initial plans before approaching the group, providing them with some context about his actions.

"You should have been more clear, sir," Noah complained, his tone slightly whiny.

Will chuckled in response. "I thought I was already being straightforward earlier, considering how easily you all engaged in a battle of words with me."

Amelia and the others blushed, realizing their impulsive behavior.

Amelia took the initiative and sincerely apologized on behalf of everyone. She also decided to apologize to Rayana once again. The rest of the group quickly followed suit, realizing that they couldn't always rely on Amelia to take responsibility for their mistakes, especially since this was the second incident today.

Will smiled and showed signs of forgiveness. In truth, they had also enjoyed the banter with the group once they confirmed that there was no third party or anyone observing with malicious intent.

Despite their previous disagreements, the rest of the group understood and trusted Will. They had all witnessed how Will had reacted when they were in danger and his attempts to rescue them. Despite a rocky start, there was no denying that Will was a good person at heart. He could have chosen to abandon them when the situation with the artifact started to change, but he chose to stay and try to save them, just like the rest of his group. This act of bravery and selflessness earned him deep respect from Ethan, whose strong sense of justice was a direct result of his parents' influence.

Rayana's gaze landed on Oliver. This man, who appeared physically weaker compared to Will and his other companions, was also noticeably pale, much like her. She remembered how he had called out to her, his voice filled with concern, warning her when the artifact flew in her direction.

Rayana expressed her gratitude with a bow, and Oliver nodded in acknowledgement, recognizing her appreciation.

Oliver Hamilton had a slender build, with a pale complexion that contrasted sharply with his jet-black hair and his glasses gave him a scholarly appearance. Coming from a prestigious publishing house, Oliver had grown up surrounded by books, which had shaped him into somewhat of an introvert.

The eye conversation between Rayana and Oliver went unnoticed by the others. Even if they had noticed, only the two of them would truly understand its meaning before they looked away. In that brief exchange, they both realized that they connected more with each other's demeanor than they did with the rest of the group.

Will started to share the insights he and Oliver had gathered. He hypothesized that the builders of the place they were trapped in were also outsiders to this world. One of the murals depicted their transition from a different place. What alarmed them was not the fact that these people seemed to possess various abilities. The murals portrayed epic battles involving individuals with diverse abilities. They inferred that some of the abilities were related to nature, some involved the use of weapons, and the rest were difficult to decipher. These mysterious abilities might have been too complex to be represented in murals, and their understanding of the other symbols was limited.

This was why Will had instructed Max, Luke, Jack, and Sam to increase their vigilance, craft weapons, and ensure everyone's safety.

Oliver also reported that most of the murals highlighted the heroism of the people with abilities in war. However, there didn't seem to be any depiction of them losing, or perhaps they chose not to include it. He also noted that despite the place being in ruins, there was no evidence of damage from a war involving abilities. It was possible that they had fought and been wiped out elsewhere, or this place was simply abandoned, and their colony had migrated to another location.

At this point, Jake chimed in. He had also been exploring and gathering as much information as he could. He observed that the general build of these species was similar to humans.

Will and Oliver had also noticed this uncanny resemblance, but they didn't mention it due to a lack of concrete evidence. They had referred to them as "people" to indirectly inform everyone about the general form of these species.

"Did you discover something else?" Amelia directed her question at Jake.

Jake took a moment before responding, "I think they might have come from Earth as well." The room fell into silence.

"Why do you believe that?" Will asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Jake explained that during his exploration, he had ventured into a different area of the vast dome. He then asked Will and Oliver to confirm whether the people they had seen in the murals with abilities had symbols on their bodies.

Will and Oliver exchanged glances, understanding the implications behind the markings. However, they decided to postpone confirming their suspicions until later allowing Jake the chance to lay down his analysis.

"There were indeed some markings. Initially, we assumed they were associated with the tribes they belonged to. The part we explored showed no signs of people without markings. What we have seen so far are wars among their own kind."

Jake disagreed and mentioned that he had seen a mural depicting people without symbols, showing no signs of abilities.

"Are you certain there were no signs at all?" Will inquired. This time, Oliver pressed for answers. "Try to recall it carefully. Some of them might have had abilities that were difficult to depict in the murals. Perhaps you misinterpreted what you saw." Oliver patiently described other possibilities to narrow down their conclusions. However, Jake turned his head sideways and spoke.

"I'm certain they were ordinary people. But they had something on their hands connected to those with abilities. Afterwards..." Jake took a deep breath before finally providing his final conclusion.

"They seemed to have fought against one another, but on one side, the ordinary people stood behind those they were connected with and used them to fight."

Once again, silence enveloped the group. This time, their minds were filled with speculation about the mural that Jake had described, and a sense of apprehension began to creep in about what it could potentially signify.

"I'd also like to add something," Oliver decided to speak up and inform the group about another issue they had noticed in the murals.

Everyone turned their attention towards him. "If anyone has knowledge about mythical creatures, we should be prepared. The people with abilities are not our only concern at this point."

"What do you mean, sir? Like dragons and unicorns?" Ethan exclaimed with a mix of disbelief and denial, unable to fully grasp the idea or perhaps unwilling to consider the possibilities.

"I can't say for certain if they were dragons and unicorns, but one thing is clear: the mounts they were riding during the wars were definitely not ordinary horses and birds."

A wave of frustration washed over everyone. What kind of fantasy world had they stumbled upon? While they might have been thrilled to discover the existence of mythical creatures under different circumstances, their current situation only added to their worries about the dangers that awaited them outside the dome.