Wolfram stopped in front of a huge stone arch just before the entrance to the city. Just as he guessed, the letters engraved on it read Erythera. Who would have thought they would find this city here? It was like reliving the plot of one of his books in person. He felt like pinching his arm to make sure it wasn't a dream, but Arwin was standing right next to him, so he had to act professionally.
He would have been happiest to leave his second-in-command with Yuuri to explore the city freely on his own, but Conrad wouldn't let him go alone, so he had to take someone with him. Arwin was a much better option compared to Eckbert, who, even after so many years of service, still acted stiff around him.
"Are you sure that leaving him with His Highness is a good idea?" Arwin looked back as they passed under the archway. Eckbert walked a few steps behind the others, who were also heading for the main road, stiff as ever.
"This is a good opportunity for him to get used to it. He can't act like this all the time." Wolfram merely waved his hand at this, but Arwin continued to look uncertain. "Don't worry about it so much. It's just a walk around the town. A little time with Yuuri won't kill him." He sighed and moved on, making his subordinate move as well.
They followed a wide road paved with black stone, passing white marble houses. In front of each of them was a colonnade, and their wide entrances led to inner gardens. It was unusual architecture, quite different from what he had encountered before.
Each of the buildings was richly decorated, with reliefs on the facade, floral patterns on the columns, and carvings on the pediments. Wolfram wondered how many sculptors must have worked on one building.
In addition, the entrances to the interior of the buildings looked as if they had no doors or gates to prevent people from the street from entering the gardens. Which could be like normal gardens anywhere else if you don't count the metal sculptures that look like trees and bushes taking the place of real vegetation.
Wolfram peeked through the windows visible between the columns, but even sending fireballs there, he could see little inside except the ceiling and sometimes walls.
Every few houses, smaller roads diverged from the main road, leading deeper between the buildings. It's likely that if he went farther along it, the houses would look simpler, and maybe the windows wouldn't be so high up, allowing him to examine the interior more closely without going inside. But for now, they didn't turn there. The road to the academy was simple, and it was better not to deviate from it for now if they didn't want to get lost. They only had three hours, after all.
The road began to slowly widen until it finally turned into an alley. Along it, metal trees "grew" between huge statues made of black stone. Each of the sculptures wore the same simple armor that appeared to be made of leather (although it was actually stone), but the facial features of each figure were different. Wolfram wondered if they were monuments of some specific individuals, perhaps a squad of soldiers who achieved some sort of honor, or perhaps their sculptor simply wanted them to stand out. Most of the statues held swords, but occasionally there were spears and shields alone, almost as large as the figure holding them.
The statues towered over him, several meters tall, all staring ahead with serious faces and drawn weapons, paying no attention to them as they passed by. It would be mildly disturbing if they did pay it, though.
They finally reached the main square, paved with a geometric mosaic, with a long, half-sheltered building on one side, its flat roof supported by a row of columns. Here was most likely the central market, judging by the scattered stalls. In some places, it was possible to see what was sold on them - ceramics, metal ornaments, dark stone figurines, most of which shattered. The place looked as if people had hastily fled it, not paying attention to where they were going and what they were destroying.
What happened to the residents of this town? This square was a clue, saying that whatever made them disappear occurred suddenly. Maybe some kind of catastrophe? But why didn't it destroy the city? All the buildings were in almost perfect condition as if their construction had been recently completed. Only the wood bore the marks of passing time.
Wolfram didn't look around for too long, instead entering one of the other alleys leading away from the square.
Even without looking at the city from above first, he would still know where to turn. He once found its plan in a library collection at his father's temple and had looked at it often since then. It was definitive proof of the existence of Erythera. Something that would be a mere fairy tale supposedly invented only to fool children would not be found in such a serious place - all the knowledge collected in the temple libraries was considered sacred. However, finding the city's plan and finding the city itself were two completely different things. No one would laugh now that these were merely childish fantasies.
Wolfram hoped to find much more lost knowledge from ancient times in the library, which would make this discovery even more satisfying. Perhaps there would be a history of the city? Who founded it, and why did they decide to do so at the bottom of a lake? The air bubble made him assume that water had been here all along. But thanks to what amazing magic is it working if it had been able to persist for so long?
Even if there are readable books in the library, he probably won't be able to go through them thoroughly in three hours. That's why he'll have to figure out a way to convince Gwendal to let him come back here. After all, Wolfram knew the most about the place, so it should be obvious for him to lead an expedition to explore it. Not to mention that it was discovered thanks to him.
He stopped in front of the entrance to a vast building. The edifice had three floors, and, as with any other building, there was an ornate colonnade in front of it. On the pediment were sculptures of presumably scholars, men and women, in clothes that looked as if someone had thrown a bedsheet over their shoulder and tied a string around their waist. People here had a strange style of dressing.
He entered the inner garden. On each side was a semi-sheltered passageway full of carved columns. Along the walls were many doors of various sizes, some single, some two-winged. However, only in front of one stood a pair of stone guards. And since this place was guarded, it should be the most important one.
Wolfram approached the massive doors made of dark wood and with iron fixtures, glancing briefly at the stone statues. They were not as big as those along the alley but still taller than him by at least two heads. He pushed the door, which, after using a bit of force, gave way, and entered the atrium.
Above his head was a skylight that may have once let sunlight in, but now darkness hovered there, and the room was illuminated only by fireballs.
Although the building was richly decorated on the outside, on the inside, it was rough, its interior seeming almost unfinished. Their footsteps echoed as they stepped on the cold stone floor, peering into the entrances they passed. There were letters carved above each of them, and the rooms they led to were full of massive stone bookcases.
He knew the letters - it was an alphabet he had already learned - but some looked a tad different from the ones he knew, and some he didn't recognize at all. How long ago must they have been engraved that the language had managed to change?
But it was certain that he had found the library. The words above the entrances proclaimed: philosophy, literature, politics, and geography. He wanted to look in the latter section. Maybe there would be some maps that would help him learn what the world looked like in those days. But he didn't have time for that now. First, he had to find what he came for, and only later, when he had some time left, would he look into other things.
Still, when he found the elements sign, it was much harder for him to resist looking inside. He will only see what might be in a section described like this and return to his search. Maybe he will even find something useful there.
Unlike the libraries he had seen so far, this one had no books. Instead, the shelves were full of clay and stone tablets and wooden boxes that looked like wine boxes.
He took one of them in his hand and struggled to read the letters carved into the wood. The box did not fall apart in his hands, but it looked like it might do this at any moment, so he still had to be careful with it. Judging by the musty smell mixed with something earthy, the library's collection was already starting to fall apart. Wolfram hoped that something had survived that he would be able to read. At least the tablets looked to be in good condition, although they were probably too heavy to carry now.
Inscribed in the wood was most likely the title and author of the work, " Essence of Water, by Darius." The name told him nothing. After sliding out one of the box's walls, Wolfram found a scroll inside. The yellowed paper, thicker than what he usually saw, was rolled up on two pins made of bone. The whole thing was tied with a strap, which had to be untied to unroll the scroll and read it.
Wolfram closed the box for now and put it on the shelf. The paper looked fragile and would probably shatter if he tried to unroll it now.
He walked deeper into the room, glancing at other boxes occasionally, but their contents were in similar condition. The only difference between the various pieces was mainly their ornamentation. Some of the scrolls were rolled up on gold pins; some were tied with beads of precious jewels.
The letters on the plates were tiny, and much of it was blurred, so it took him a long time to read even a sentence. Therefore, he also shelved them for the time being.
He finally reached the back wall, where several desks stood, barely supporting themselves under their own weight. Behind the high window stretched metal greenery, creating ghostly shadows under Wolfram's fireballs, which were still hovering low over the city's buildings.
He decided to check the last scroll and turn back.
As he reached for the wooden box, the gemstones on his wrist glowed. He furrowed his eyebrows while looking at the bracelet, but nothing else seemed to have happened. So he raised his gaze and tried again to pick up the scroll.
The wood lying on the stone bookcase seemed to him to be in much better condition than a moment ago. It was as if he no longer had to fear that it would crumble. The room also became brighter, and even the musty smell was gone.
"Ah, so some adventure on the ocean?" An unfamiliar voice resounded behind him, and Wolfram shuddered and quickly turned around.
A man was standing at one of the desks. A desk in perfect condition, with a stack of scrolls and sheets of paper lying on it, illuminated by the bright sunlight streaming through the window.
"There is no reason to be surprised." The man said, in a friendly, merry tone. "That His Highness is a lover of adventure and treasure hunting is common knowledge among all tribes." He laughed softly. He was older, with gray hair and a short beard. Wrinkles formed around his clear eyes, and his gaze was gentle, almost fatherly. He wore clothes similar to those worn by the figures carved above the entrance to the academy. Under the white sheet, however, another, darker-colored one slung over the other shoulder. And the belt he wore was wider and more ornate.
"Who are you?" Wolfram asked uncertainly, walking over to the window and looking outside. Among the metallic plants roamed similarly dressed people, the sounds of their conversations reaching his ears. Philosophical discourses? And probably something about mathematics.
Instead of a watery firmament, a cloudless sky stretched over the city. However, the water did not disappear completely - huge masses of it formed some sort of cliffs encircling the city. A sight both amazing and disturbing. Wolfram did not understand how people lived here. At the mere sight of this mass of water, his stomach went up to his throat, and he had to turn away from it.
But that meant that water really was here all the time. Maybe this bubble of air was something of a safety measure if this water suddenly collapsed on them? Is that why the residents fled? But they should still be safe here.
"Oh, I'm just one of the teachers here. Nobody important."
The man was definitely talking to him. So it wasn't just a simple vision where the surroundings didn't react to him. It was all too real, as if he had suddenly moved to that moment, just like that time at the residence. Fortunately, this man didn't seem to want to attack him.
Still, he knew who Wolfram was. Or he assumed he knew. Had he mistaken him for someone else?
When Wolfram looked down at himself, nothing had changed in his appearance. He still had the loose clothes he had changed into before going below the lake and the bag on his shoulder.
"If I may ask. Since His Highness is going to search the ocean, may I assume it is for the purpose of looking for a wedding gift?"
Wolfram tilted his head, not knowing how to answer or react. But it would be good for the man to keep talking. Maybe he could get more information from his words. So he nodded slowly, and the teacher chuckled again.
"Just as I thought. To be honest, not too long ago, our king also looked here. He wanted to find information on where he could obtain fire crystals similar to those already possessed by His Highness." He pointed with his head toward Wolfram's wrist and paused for a moment, looking closely at the bracelet.
Wolfram also looked at it but wasn't sure what made the man curious about it.
"It looks like it's almost discharged. Not surprising, with so much usage lately." He walked closer to Wolfram and, asking for permission first, lifted his hand and looked at the two gemstones up close. "Unfortunately, I don't know much about water crystals, however, I think I could be useful in this matter."
"Useful?"
"It would be an honor, Your Highness." The man let go of his hand, bowed his head, and walked over to the desk, searching through the pile of papers lying on it.
For a moment, Wolfram stared at him until something else caught his eye. Someone walked between the bookcases not far away, paying no attention to them. He disappeared from view as quickly as he appeared, but for that brief moment, his face could be seen. A very familiar face.
Wolfram needed to shake it off. There was no way Otwin was here, even if it was an academy. In addition, one that existed thousands of years ago. Probably his mind concluded that his teacher would fit in here and placed him in this vision.
"As a matter of fact, I've been doing some research on the flow of maryoku lately, and I've found some of the most suitable places to charge fire crystals." The teacher turned away from the desk with the scroll in his hand. "Then, if Your Highness would like to accept it." He held out the scroll toward Wolfram. "It would be a truly wonderful honor, knowing that I have been of use to you."
Wolfram stared at the scroll for a moment, the white paper wrapped by a red ribbon, and reached out and took it. He was already about to open his mouth to thank the man, but –
"Captain!" Arwin ran out from between the bookcases. Wolfram didn't quite know where the man had been until that moment.
Everything had returned to its earlier state. The decaying desks, the musty smell, the faint light illuminating the room. Only the scroll in his hand was still in perfect condition, the same as in his vision.
"Wolfram." Arwin grabbed him by the arm, an expression of concern painted on his face.
"What happened?"
"Flare."
Wolfram barely restrained himself from cursing. He tucked the scroll into his bag and set off almost at a run to the atrium. He walked out into the garden and was about to leave the academy grounds, but something made him stop.
"Wolfram?" His second-in-command looked at him uncertainly as Wolfram returned to the library entrance.
"What happened to the statues?" he asked, looking at the empty pedestals.
"I... don't know. I didn't hear anything."
"Where did that flare shoot from?"
"Near that building on the hill."
"Let's go."
He took off running again, his friend right behind him. They turned toward the central square, and when the road turned into an alley again, the pedestals on which the stone soldiers had previously stood were also empty.
What had happened to them? They didn't just come down and go somewhere, right? On the other hand, what must have happened that forced Eckbert to shoot a flare?
He sped up, finally reaching the square. He hesitated for a moment - none of the roads led directly toward that hill. In the end, he chose the one that led the closest and set off again. Here, too, the statues were missing, but he quickly learned where they had gone.
A unit of black soldiers blocked his path. At its very head was a statue twice as tall as those standing along the alleys, significantly towering over the buildings around it. He held a giant shield, lowered casually by his side. The rest of the statues stood behind him in a triangular formation; the farther the rows, the smaller the soldiers.
Wolfram stopped and watched the stone troop standing in front of him, which had not moved in any way so far. But since these statues were standing here, that meant they could move.
His first step forward caused no reaction other than a warning to watch out from Arwin. But when he had covered half the distance between him and the first monument, it finally moved in a way Wolfram did not expect.
The black stone soldier knelt down on one knee, putting his shield aside, and bent his head in a bow before him. Wolfram watched in shock as the rest of the statues did the same.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he muttered, stepping even closer, but none of the statues moved again, stuck with their faces turned to the ground. He finally touched the first one, but that didn't trigger anything.
"Maybe we'd better find another way," said Arwin.
"We're not sure they won't be there either. We need to check on Yuuri as soon as possible."
"Do you want to go between them? What if they suddenly get up and attack us?" Arwin did not look frightened but seemed not to know what to do. Every now and then, he would put his hand on the hilt of his sword and take it from it. His weapon would do nothing against the stone, but it was a learned habit.
How long would it take him to melt the stone? If anything, it would be their only option besides running away. Still, he would prefer that there will be no confrontation.
He looked at the largest soldier. Why was he kneeling in front of him? If it was going to be some kind of gesture of appreciation, there was something he could try.
"Out of the way," he ordered, in the same tone he used to lead his own soldiers.
The statue moved again. He grabbed his shield, stood on his feet, then moved aside. The figures behind him did the same, clearing the way for them.
"Great," Wolfram muttered, moving on. He wasn't sure how it worked, but he would be able to experiment with it later. For now, he had to check on Yuuri.
They reached another wide square, which stretched in a semicircle. In its center was a circular platform with stairs leading from each side. Yet this place was completely empty, so Wolfram ran across it, looking for a path that would lead him to the building on the hill. He hoped everyone would still be there. Yuuri had an unpleasant habit of not staying in one spot. Another flare hadn't appeared, so if no one were where the first one had fired, they would have to search the entire city. With the stone soldiers around, it might be difficult, given that he didn't yet know how they functioned.
He stopped and turned around as heavy footsteps sounded from the street he came from. Great, those statues are going somewhere again. Fine, they can do what they want. He had no time for them now.
He found a wide street leading directly toward the hill. In the distance stood a row of statues blocking the road, but Wolfram was relieved to see the rest of his group standing a small distance before them.
"Yuuri!" Wolfram ran up to them, looking closely at him and Greta. Fortunately, they both didn't look injured. "What happened?" He turned to Conrad.
"We were worried when those statues started moving, and we figured it was the fastest way to get you back." His brother smiled apologetically as Wolfram glared at him.
It was reliving that nothing had happened to them, but they should scare him so much.
"Did you do something that triggered this?"
"We wanted to go see this temple, and when we started to approach it, these statues suddenly appeared." Yuuri pointed with his hand to the stone soldiers.
Those stood as a wall on the road, in front of them one of the largest, similar to the one from earlier with a shield, except that he was holding a sword.
"Maybe they don't want anyone to go in there." Wolfram took a step in their direction. He was curious to see if they would react the same way, but Conrad grasped his arm.
"We don't know what it is, so it's better not to approach them."
"It's all right. We came across a similar blockade, but they didn't do anything to us and got out of our way."
His brother raised an eyebrow in confusion, but after a few seconds of staring at each other, he let him go.
"But be careful."
Wolfram nodded and moved slowly toward the statues. Just like the previous time, as he began to approach them, the first statue placed its sword on the ground in front of him and knelt down, bowing its head.
A cry of surprise came from Yuuri, and after a moment, he was already standing next to him. Wolfram again commanded the statues to get out of their way, and they did so too.
"Do you think they can be controlled somehow?"
"It seems so. Someone must have ordered them not to let anyone into this building."
"Such statues are probably much more effective, especially since they continue to stand guard even after so long." Yuuri approached the nearest soldier, who fortunately did not react to him in any way.
Wolfram wondered if it wouldn't be better to order them away somewhere so they wouldn't be disturbed for the time being. Keeping them around when he still didn't know how they worked wasn't the best idea. Send them back to their pedestals? But maybe it would be better to keep them all in one place. The main square should be big enough to accommodate them all.
All the statues turned in the direction from which Wolfram came and began to march slowly ahead.
"What are they doing?" Yuuri stepped back, dodging the moving statues.
"I thought it would be good for them all to gather in that main square, but I'm not sure if that's where they're heading."
"Should we go check it out?"
"Don't you want to go see that temple?"
Yuuri looked toward the hill. He no longer looked so excited about visiting.
"Since it's so heavily guarded, who knows what else might be inside. I'd rather not endanger Greta."
Wolfram smiled at the little girl, who pouted her lips in displeasure.
"Don't worry. We'll take you there after we make sure everything is safe, okay?
"All right." Greta sighed resignedly and slumped her shoulders.
"I don't think staying here much longer is a good idea," Conrad said.
"Do you want to go back now?" Wolfram turned to him. "I haven't had time to check the library thoroughly yet." He put his hand on his bag. He only had that one strange scroll he'd gotten from the man in the vision. On the other hand, judging by the condition of the collection, he wouldn't be able to read it now anyway. He had to find someone who knew how to handle such old things and bring them here. "Fine, let's go back." He said finally before Conrad had time to utter another argument. "But let me make sure that these statues are actually listening to me."
"We can check it on the way."
Greta grabbed both Wolfram and Yuuri by the hand and walked between them as they walked back toward the main square.
She told Wolfram how their tour went. They looked inside one of the buildings, where all the household equipment was still there. A lot of them looked much different than the ones they had at home, but they could still recognize their purpose. Greta, however, was most fascinated by the murals depicting realistic vegetation and how they contrasted with those made of metal outside. They discussed with Yuuri whether it would be possible to grow trees at the bottom of the lake.
Judging by his earlier vision, Wolfram wondered if it would actually be that difficult. Maybe it was just such a trend in architecture. He decided not to mention what happened in the library or the scroll for now. It was too strange and would probably only worry everyone unnecessarily.
They reached the square, where black stone statues stood in even rows. The two largest, one with a shield and one with a sword, stepped forward as Wolfram approached them. It seemed they really were his personal army. But why did they obey exactly him? Hardly likely just because he approached them first. In such a situation, they couldn't be too reliable.
"Maybe we get Greta out of here first?" Yuuri said before Wolfram tried to do anything with the statues.
"You're too overprotective. I'll be fine," Greta protested.
"We're under a huge mass of water, not knowing how it stays in place and between stone soldiers who somehow move. I have every right to be overprotective." Yuuri turned to Wolfram's second-in-command. "Can you take her away from here? I'll be calmer when she's in the tunnel I created."
Arwin looked at Wolfram, who nodded, and asked Greta if she would go with him. The girl pursed her lips and looked as if she was about to throw a tantrum, but one look from Wolfram made her calm down.
"You are terrible," she said and followed Arwin.
"I think she's starting to enter that troublesome period. Fortunately, you have a lot of experience with it, so you'll probably know how to handle it."
"Do you want me to kick you again?"
Yuuri laughed, stepping closer to him.
"What do you want to do with them?"
"I think I'm going to have them guard the city so that no one from the outside slips in here and destroys anything or, worse, steals something. Places like this will probably be a haven for bandits."
"I don't know if there is anything to steal here. I didn't see anything valuable except marble."
"There were a lot of valuable things in the library. But a stubborn enough thief will even strip the entire building for marble."
He had to properly distribute the statues throughout the city. Given its location, guarding only its borders might not be enough. Who knows what ideas people wanting to get here will come up with?
He began counting the statues first and checking their types. They came in three sizes - two huge ones, those guarding the alley and those that stood by the library. With swords, spears, and shields. Wolfram was curious to see how they fought, but instigating a sparring match between them now was not the best idea. To be fair, the mere sight of moving statues might be enough to frighten uninvited guests.
Yuuri walked among the statues as Wolfram counted them. Conrad stayed close to him, looking suspiciously at the figurines. Wolfram should ask him for a plan of the city, which he had drawn earlier, so that he could more easily deploy the soldiers.
For some reason, Eckbert also stayed close to Yuuri. Wolfram furrowed his brow.
His subordinate always tried to avoid the king, so that alone was strange. Wolfram doubted he would like him so much during this short walk through the city. Besides, since Arwin was now gone, Eckbert should stand by his side instead.
He was about to summon him to his side when he saw a blade appear in the soldier's hand.
"Yuuri!" He lunged forward but stopped in horror when Eckbert jerked Yuuri and put a dagger to his neck. Eyes full of madness looked at Wolfram.
"Let him go!" Conrad shouted, drawing his sword and approaching them. Eckbert, however, pulled Yuuri between the statues.
The expression on Wolfram's subordinate's face was twisted and strangely unnatural. He was breathing heavily, yet said nothing. What had happened to him? It was impossible for him to act like this on his own. Wolfram had known him for years and knew what he was capable of. He may have felt uncomfortable around Yuuri, but not to the point of wanting to hurt him.
"Eckbert," he said calmly, taking a step forward. "Calm down. We both know you don't want to do this. Put the weapon down and let's talk, okay?"
The man's breathing quickened even more. His hand began to tremble.
"I'm going to kill," he howled as if speaking was difficult for him. "I have to kill him." He moved his hand back a bit as if preparing to stab. "I have to."
"Eckbert, wait!"
The soldier moved his hand, but the stone statue behind him was faster. A heavy hand came down on his head, knocking him to the ground, and Yuuri immediately jumped away. Conrad ran up to him and pulled him towards himself, shielding him with his back and continuing to aim his sword at Eckbert.
The man did not move. He lay in a rapidly expanding pool of blood, the back of his head completely smashed. He was dead.
He had been killed by that statue. The one that Wolram now had control over. It had killed his subordinate.
He took a few steps back, still dazed. Since it was just a tool he was now commanding, that meant he had killed him. His own soldier.
He turned on his heel and fled the square. He didn't know why or where. All he wanted was to be as far away from that place as possible. He didn't hear anything and saw almost nothing. He just ran.