The devils agreement

"You don't know what that is?" The grey face sounded confused.

"Can you tell me Elder?" Ares asked; whilst the situation was bizarre this was the closest he had gotten to finding anything out about the magic circle so far.

"Firstly tell me who you are, and why you are here." The face demanded.

Knowing that there was little he could do otherwise Ares explained everything to the face. He explained that this was a collapsing dimension and that he and others were there to explore and look for ancient magic.

After Ares finished explaining he noticed the face looked far dimmer then before. It was as if it had aged countless years.

"So, we have fallen. Now even this facility is collapsing. It was all for nothing." The voice replied sounding forlorn.

"Who are you Elder?" Ares asked looking at the now dim face.

"It matters not, I am a piece of history. Even my name does not mean anything anymore. I am but a memory of someone who once walked these halls." The voice finished.

"What is the Saints token?" Ares asked again hoping for answers.

"A Saints token provides the last will and testament of a Saint; they often passed them to their successors when they were about to die. I don't know which Saints token you have; only that for it to be able to block my mental attack it must have been someone powerful. Judging from the marking, you have less than a year before it kills you." The voice said.

Ares froze; he didn't understand at all. Why was a will going to kill him? What was a saint?

"Why will it harm me, what's a Saint?" he asked in quick succession. He would have been more polite but his eagerness to find the answers burst out.

"You haven't heard of Saints? They are powerful mages." Once more the voice sounded confused.

Ares ran through what he knew of the grading system.

"Elder did you mean Arch-Magicians? They are the most powerful mages around." Ares said adding his own knowledge

The voice scoffed.

"Arch-Magicians are the most powerful! How pathetic! Magic in your age has fallen so far that some half-rate mage can be considered strong. They are nothing to me and I am nothing to a Saint. Do not let your closed view limit the future of your magic; Arch-magicians are far from the peak." The face continued.

"The Saints token you have contains a vast knowledge of magic; it will first provide tiny amounts of clarity letting you learn magic quickly however if you do not have sufficient power it will soon exceed what your mind can take; at that point you will not survive. If you do not become a magician within a year, you will suffer the consequences."

Ares stood shocked; he had barely started his magic journey and now he was being told that he had to become ridiculously more powerful within a year or he would die. Nonetheless something deep inside of him told him that this was the truth. Perhaps he would have preferred to die in ignorance he briefly thought.

"Is there anyway to help me elder?" Ares asked praying for a miracle

"I cannot solve this; I am barely a fragment of a memory now." The grey face said.

Ares hung his head.

"I can however offer you an opportunity." The face added after a moment of hesitation.

"This facility has some of the experimental tests we were conducting at the end of the war. Of course, it was abandoned when everyone left. However, some of the artifacts still remain on the lower levels."

Ares frowned; already he realised something was wrong. The light guild had never mentioned different levels. It seemed some information had truly been selective in its nature.

"If it is still there, one of these artifacts will help you become stronger." The voice ended.

"How can I get there? And what is it?" Ares asked.

"It is unfortunately in the most restricted area of the facility; whilst I imagine that some of the defence mechanisms are no longer functional the more deadly ones will remain in place. I can provide you a map but as to how to get around them. I cannot help." The face said.

"The artifact is known as the time pagoda." The voice said pausing.

"Even we had limited understanding of the pagoda; it was found in an ancient ruin. We did however find its use was unparalleled. It can allow anything that enters to live ten-thousand days while only a day goes by outside. What's more living objects do not age within its walls."

Ares thought to himself that this was a chance for him to truly become stronger; it did however seem too good to be true. Was there really a magic artifact that could practically stop time?

"Of course, nothing comes without a price." The face added interrupting Ares thoughts.

"What price?" Ares asked.

The voice became cold.

"While I know that the world I live in has ceased to be; I cannot let your brethren take the secret magic that remains here; if used by the wrong hands the entire world would be corrupted. I want you to stop them all; a spell is set up to destroy the entire facility in the restricted area if you wish for the time pagoda you must complete this task."

Ares frowned somehow he felt like he was making a deal with a devil. Either way he had little choice now he understood the truth behind the Saints Token.

"I agree." Ares said.

"The deal is made." The face agreed. Ares felt a sharp pain in his head as the knowledge of the map was imprinted in his mind.

"My energy reserves are empty. I trust you will not betray our agreement." The voice said its voice becoming fainter and fainter until it disappeared.

"I wont" Ares muttered in reply to the now quiet room.