Nightblade (Darkest night)-Chapter 149: Sanctuary

‎Morgan silently stared at his hand, pondering everything Sarenus had told him.

‎" Void World, energies... and Alsterius"

‎This was the second time he was coming across information regarding the mysterious stranger who had saved his life.

‎The man had claimed he was an old friend of the Thane family, or was that it?

‎The memory of what had happened after the hooded man had defeated Zagrul that night was slightly vague and foggy.

‎But he still clearly remembered his glowing golden eyes.

‎Just before he’d regained consciousness, the Drayghar king had mentioned one other important thing.

‎"These ruins contain some of that ancient knowledge I’ve told you about. It’s the reason you humans are so eager to find them," Sarenus said, shaking his head dismissively.

‎" Some for totally nefarious purposes, others for gain and others for adventure."

‎"But what you ought to know is that the temples are chests, and like every chest, you need one crucial thing to obtain whatever treasure lies within. And what do you think that would be?"

‎Morgan stared at him for a while, then snapped his fingers.

‎"A key?!"

‎"Exactly."

‎Morgan paced around the Void, his dark formless shape making no sound.

‎" So what sort of key would this be?"

‎Sareuns smiled, his fangs gleaming in a maw full of flames.

‎" That’s the tricky, or should I say interesting, part. The key can be anything, a simple key or an event. Unlocking the secrets of the temple could be triggered by an event, say for example, the death of a major player like the Bretnar king..."

‎Morgan’s eyes widened in surprise.

‎" Whoa... Does that mean that there are actually more temples and ruins like this?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

‎Sarenus nodded, yawning slightly.

‎" At the end of the Age of Knowledge, several sanctuaries like this one were created and stowed away in different places, some in strange reality warping dimensions... because knowledge in the wrong hands is nothing short of a catastrophe."

‎Sarenus yawned again, rubbing his hands tiredly.

‎" All this talk has got me tired. And I’ve put in a considerable amount of work today. I’d say I’ve more than earned my keep."

‎Yawning one more time, he gestured at Morgan.

‎"Off you go now, the seal on this sanctuary should be opening any second now."

‎" Seal...So this entire place is some sanctuary?"

‎The sound of approaching steps roused him from his reverie.

‎Talia came into view with the others following closely behind.

‎Cassius was back in human form, a tired smile on his face.

‎Amanda and Samantha looked slightly worse for wear, but aside from a few small cuts and bruises, both girls had no notable injuries to speak of.

‎Then, at the very back, Emily.

‎The Talented girl quietly approached him, coming to a stop a small distance away from him.

‎She gazed at him, her emerald eyes gleaming with residual power.

‎An awkward silence took root, with her staring at him with a stoic expression for a few moments.

‎Morgan raised an eyebrow in amusement

‎"You survived..."

‎Morgan nodded, getting to his feet.

‎" I guess, I did..."

‎Emily let out a sigh, shaking her head slightly.

‎" I’m glad you’re alive."

‎Morgan let out an awkward chuckle, offering her his fist.

‎"So am I. I have some extremely good luck, I guess," he said with a smile.

‎Cassius pulled him into a bear hug, lifting him slightly off the ground.

‎" Glad you made it, buddy. I thought you were a goner for a second back there."

‎Morgan awkwardly patted him on the back, gasping for breath.

‎Lucian rolled his eyes, clapping his hands.

‎" Give the man some room to breathe, will ya?"

‎Cassius placed him back down, patting him awkwardly.

‎" No, seriously, look at him. This guy is a freaking legend. He took a full-on hit from that Bretnar king," Cassius said, dramatically gesturing with his hands in the form of a fist.

‎"He straight up flew through a couple of buildings, literally, and here he is, in one piece like absolutely nothing happened!"

‎Cassius’ eyes’ widened comically, adding dramatic flair to his narration.

‎Morgan chuckled, shaking his head and sitting down.

‎"No, but seriously, look at him, not even a scratch, damn. That’s pretty insane, man."

‎Samantha waved at him briefly, then turned her attention to Emily. Amanda nodded at him slightly, then turned away, shifting her attention to something else.

‎" Are all you assassins like this, or are you a special..." Cassius furrowed his brows in thought like he was looking for the right word. He snapped his fingers, his eyes lighting up.

‎" That’s right. A special variety...yeah, a unique breed."

‎Morgan stared at him in amusement, even laughing at his antics.

‎"Cassius is right, you know," Talia spoke.

‎The scion was seated next to him and Lucian.

‎" How did you survive that? That blow would have folded and broken any other initiate. "

‎Morgan shrugged, smiling faintly.

‎" Well, luckily for me, I’m not just any other initiate. Plus, I don’t break easily. Probably runs in the family."

‎Talia stared at him curiously for a few moments, then turned away.

‎Lucian chuckled, adjusting his glasses.

‎"So what’s our next course of action..."

‎Just then, a low rumbling sound reached them.

‎They quickly shot to their feet, in alarm, instinctively searching for the source of the distance.

‎" What the hell is happening ?" Talia asked, drawing her blade.

‎A low tremor ran through the ground, rocking the remaining buildings.

‎Cassius closed his eyes, focusing on the sound.

‎A moment later, his eyes snapped open.

‎" This...the sound, it’s coming from the direction of the temple."

‎"Let’s go check it out then.

‎Without waiting for a response, Morgan got up quickly, springing in the direction of the temple.

‎"Is this what Sarenus meant...the sanctuary’s getting unlocked?"

‎All around him, the giant light pillars pulsated in unison, the obsidian crystals in their surface pulsing as one.

‎A few moments later, Lucian came into view a short distance behind him.

‎" You know, this could be dangerous!" he shouted.

‎Morgan laughed, continuing his mad sprint for the temple without stopping at all.

‎The ancient temple still stood, with only one small difference.

‎Its giant stone doors stood wide open.

‎Morgan came to a stop just before the threshold of the stone steps leading to the entrance.

‎In the courtyard, the eyes of the hooded statues pulsated with brilliant azure light, the light pulsing in sync with the obsidian crystals within the pillars.

‎Lucian came to a stop beside him, whispering.

‎"What the heck?!"

‎Morgan couldn’t blame him; it was quite the breathtaking scene.

‎A few moments later, the rest of the group caught up to them, stopping in their tracks as well with similar looks of awe.

‎Morgan beckoned to them, warily walking up the steps.

‎"Come, let’s go."

‎Inside the temple, the same phenomenon was happening.

‎The statue’s eyes were aglow with a majestic blue light, the combined brilliant light illuminating the inside of the temple.

‎The temple’s altar now glowed with ethereal azure light, with numerous symmetrical lines of brilliance running through it.

‎Just then, a powerful hum rolled through the temple, rocking it. The ground trembled violently, the tremor running through the temple’s foundation and dissipating through the rest of the city.

‎"You were right, Cassius," Morgan whispered.

‎" What the hell is happening right now?" " Talia asked, with her gaze fixed on the pulsating temple.

‎" My guess is something triggered this, and hopefully the temple’s altar is an artifact, and we get to go home..." Lucian whispered."

‎Morgan threw him a cursory glance, then shifted his attention back to the humming altar.

‎The runes were etched into the altar glowed, pulsating in a unique pattern.

‎The rumbling grew even more violent, the ground shaking even more violently.

‎"What do these symbols mean?" Talia asked, her gaze shifting between the others.

‎"And how are we supposed to know?" Lucian asked sarcastically, shaking his head.

‎Just then, Emily walked past them, her eyes glazed over, as though in a trance.

‎Samantha stared at her in surprise

‎"Em?"

‎Emily continued walking forward, like a marionette on strings, until she was right in front of the altar.

‎Then, in the next moment, she placed her hand on the pulsating altar.

‎In the next moment, her eyes lit up, glowing with ethereal blue light.

‎Her body violently jolted forward, trembling uncontrollably.

‎"What the hell?!"

‎Samantha ran forward, but in the next moment, Cassius intercepted her, barring her path.

‎"Stop! We don’t know what’s happening. Rushing in recklessly is only going to cause more problems."

‎Samantha drew her spear, refusing to back down.

‎"Step aside, Cassius! "

‎Cassius’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the tenebrous spear pointed at him.

‎"That’s my friend we’re talking about. Em’s like a sister to me!" Samantha screamed.

‎"Don’t make me do this?"

‎Cassius slowly raised his hands, taking a step back.

‎"I know, but I can’t allow you to do this, Sammie. Not until we know what’s happening for sure."

‎Just then, a shrill scream rang out through the temple. Emily’s body arched back, in visible agony, numerous blue lines flowing through her body.

‎Samantha’s face paled even further.

Lucian and Talia stared at the two in confusion.

‎She turned back to Cassius, her eyes glinting with light.

‎"I’m warning you, Cassius, if you don’t move, I might do something I’ll regret."

"Move aside, Cassius," Amanda said, her arms crackling with electricity.

‎Cassius closed his eyes, letting out a weary sigh.

‎" Girls," he muttered." Always so freaking unreasonable."

‎A split second later, his eyes snapped open, glowing with vivid orange light.

‎"Well, I guess I’ll have to take that chance.

‎He rolled his neck, getting into a stance.

‎"Besides, even with that spear..." he growled, his voice taking a darker and deeper edge.

‎"You don’t stand a chance against me."

‎" All of you, stop!"

‎Their attention shifted to Morgan, who was now standing next to the altar.

‎" I know what to do.

‎In the next instant, he placed his hands on the altar, his eyes lighting up with a blue light.

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