The Divine Hunter
chapter-582

Dragon Mountains stood in the northernmost part of the Continent, hidden in the mist. The legendary sorcerer, Alzur, walked into the depths of the mountains with Cosimo. They came to a silent, snow-covered valley hidden in a remote area.

Within the center of the valley stood a two-story tall black obelisk. Mana swirled around it, and there were no beasts surrounding it. Alzur wiped the snow off the obelisk's surface, staring at the complex, strange, and wriggling runes on it. "Not Elder Speech, not Northern Common Speech, nor is it Nilfgaardian language."

"That's the language of Dauk and Vorkers a thousand years ago." Cosimo looked at the map in his hands. "Geoffrey’s notes wrote of the legacy of these extinct civilizations."

"Cosimo, can the secrets contained within really let me see Lylianna again?" Alzur had a vacant look in his eyes, and he was dazed. The reason he kept on living was so he could see his lover once more, but she had passed decades ago. Not even necromancers could revive her.

The djinn left behind by Geoffrey could only cast its magic on nearby targets, and it had a lot of rules to follow. It was far from omnipotent. It could not revive Lylianna, but there was another record left behind by Geoffrey, and it lit hope within Alzur's heart.

"Dauk and Vorkers were the first humans to descend upon this world after the Conjunction. They lived in the Dragon Mountains as neighbors and believed in a goddess named Niya. The goddess of the east and the demoness of night, Lilit. The runes they left behind were used by archeologists to create the infamous Curse of the Black Sun, condemning countless girls to damnation. However, these civilizations disappeared overnight more than a thousand years ago, including the goddess they believed in. There must be an incredible secret unknown to anyone hidden within."

Cosimo held up his belly and circled the obelisk, musing. He read the runes. "A Dauk blacksmith picked up a red star that fell out of the skies. Within the star, a voice spoke in the language of ancient gods. 'I can grant you any wish you desire, but I require a sacrifice in the form of fallen souls.'"

The mention of a wish stirred something within Cosimo and Alzur, but they were worried they might get disappointed, so they held their anticipation back.

"And so, the blacksmith picked a target from his tribe and struck him down, subsequently turning him into a sacrifice. Not too long later, his actions were found out. He and the star were destroyed by Dauks and Vorkers. Or did they seal them?" Cosimo stomped his foot. "That's all the obelisk says." The power that chased away all the valley's beasts was right before him. "But according to Geoffrey's appraisal, the civilizations were destroyed because of this meteorite, and it might be right under this obelisk."

Cosimo sadly said, "Alas, Geoffrey died because of a magical accident before he could explore the secrets of this meteorite, and he left his legacy to me, his student." Cosimo patted the listless Alzur's shoulder. "We've collected twelve sealed bottles before coming here. It's enough to deal with most emergencies. If we can find the meteorite and harness its power, perhaps we can grant you your wish of seeing Lylianna again."

***

"This power destroyed two civilizations." Alzur hesitated. "What if its source is a powerful evil god or even a demon?"

"That's what I've been worried about. What we're about to do brings with it unpredictable dangers. We do not know if the thing we'll unleash is a box of wishes, or a crate of disaster." Cosimo said, "Fortune telling gave me no results. Whether we go on with it or not depends on you."

Alzur stared at his wizened, tired, but encouraging teacher, and he wanted to say something. For decades, Cosimo had been by his side, helping him, answering his doubts. He was Alzur's teacher and a father figure. He was Alzur's best companion in his experiments and his closest comrade.

"You do not have to say anything. You are my student." Cosimo patted Alzur's shoulder, then he stopped talking for a moment. A hint of sadness, for once in a hundred years, flickered on his face. "I do not possess your courage. I could never have summoned a myriapodan in a city like you did."

Alzur nodded. The feeling of despair returned once more, and he snapped his fingers. The snow underneath the obelisk was blasted away, revealing a flight of obsidian stairs leading downward. The sorcerers descended the stairs and pushed the black stone door at the end of the passage with their magic.

***

"Ilre," Alzur said. A ball of orange light floated over the sorcerers' heads, illuminating the chamber, showing them all its corners. It was a regular square chamber, and there were braziers in all corners, though they were dusty and covered in cobwebs. From the looks of it, it had been deserted for perhaps a millennium.

The light shone on the few vibrant, primitive, and rough murals. They were depicting some kind of sacrificial ritual. From the left, the first mural showed a group of barbarians in hide jackets and garlands holding up a huge platter filled with gutted grizzly bears, boars, and wyverns. They presented their sacrifice to a dark, naked woman in the center. Behind her was the depiction of a black sun. Sixty girls with golden crowns on their heads knelt around her, fallen in a river of blood.

The second mural showed a man holding up a diamond-shaped stone, then scores of holes opened up in the skies, releasing beams of crimson light. The red light shone upon the barbarians standing underneath a statue, and then they caught on fire. Eventually, they disappeared in the red light, leaving nothing behind.

Between the murals, a statue kept everything under control. She was curvy, seductive, gorgeous, and wore a golden crown on her head. A pair of goat's horns covered in runs protruded from her crown, and a pair of fangs were clasped over her lip, while a pair of batlike wings hung from her back. She looked like the combination between a higher vampire and a succubus.

Even though she was just a statue, there was captivating magic coming from her eyes. Any regular human would never be able to move their eyes from her once they had a look. But the statue had no warmth on her face. She was smiling, but it was a lonely smile, as if she was warning the intruding sorcerers.

The sorcerers would not leave, not when they were already at the end. They turned to the item sitting underneath the statue. An ebony box the size of a fist stood on the altar, and chains tied it down. After hundreds of years, the chains were already covered in dust and had rust on their silver surface. Despite the seals, the box radiated strange and powerful mana. The space around it collapsed and rebuilt itself from its influence.

The light and breaking space wove together a little domain that vibrated at a high frequency. The air around the box was rippling like the surface of a lake after it was kissed by a gust of wind. The box seemed to have a life of its own, shivering happily as the sorcerers watched it.

Rings of red light radiated from the box, and something formed in it. The chick of a falcon was trapped in its egg, struggling for life, shaking its body, but it couldn't break free. The chick chirped weakly, asking the sorcerers for help, but the sorcerers hesitated.

Roy, who was held by the mist, stared at the red light as well, and he felt a sense of closeness coming from it. It felt like he was looking at his twin, at his familiar yet unfamiliar reflection in a mirror. His heart, his soul, and his blood were shaking. Is that the Most High? The shard?

The light called out to him, but Roy held back his urge to respond. The sorcerers made up their minds, and a bright light of magic burst forth from their robes. The power of their minds, made into a pair of invisible hands by the element of air, flew toward the box, but before they could reach the statue, black light blinked, and an elliptical energy barrier appeared in the air, covering the statue and the box. Yellow bolts of electricity danced around the barrier.

The invisible hands were destroyed right away. The sorcerers exchanged a look. Alarm bells rang in their heads, and they stopped attacking. Once again, Roy saw something familiar.

Cosimo took a yellow porcelain jar out and took off its cap. The cap had a cross and an enneagram on it. Electric bolts swam around, and thunder roared. Then, a silver thundercloud appeared. The djinn extended its left claw at the altar of Lilit.

The air itself sizzled, and a purple bolt of electricity slammed into the statue like a meteor hurtling through the air, but the barrier reappeared, burning the lightning bolt red, halting its advancement.

The air screeched, and smoke billowed. Electric bolts writhed and thrust ahead at the black barrier like a viper, but they came to a stalemate. White-purplish and red lights filled the chamber.

The djinn opened its beak, letting out angry caws. It extended its right claw, and another bolt hurtled away at the statue. The barrier once again dispersed the impact to the space around it, and the chamber rattled, rumbling as if it were hit by an earthquake. Even the black box on the altar shivered violently.

The sorcerers quickly made gestures. Their rings and necklaces shone, and layers of shields appeared around them. The only one unaffected was Roy, the eternal observer. Lilit's statue gave him the same feeling he got from Freya and Melitele. This was a true god. She was the patron goddess of the legendary Dauk and Vorkers, but she was weak. Weaker than Freya or Melitele. Lilit felt like a mirage.

The barrier lasted for thirty seconds, and then an explosion rattled the air as the barrier shattered from the electric bolts' assault. Like a broken porcelain item, cracks appeared on Lilit's statue, and it quickly spread like a web. The statue shattered into pieces of debris, falling to the ground, and the box fell into silence.

The sorcerers had no respite, however. A great wave of energy surged forth. Black light appeared in the air, weaving a lifelike illusion in the air. The creature stood in the air quietly. She had horns on her head, a body that was to die for, and lips crimson as blood, but fangs glinted on her lips. Her eyes were as silver as the moon in the sky, and she looked at the sorcerers.

There was fury, despair, venom, and ice-cold power that could freeze the soul. An invisible wave of energy kept the sorcerers in place, and winds howled. Lilit opened her beautiful mouth, and a mysterious, dark, hate-filled voice echoed in the air, piercing the minds of those around, cracking their heads.

"Pot? piewórzpude? ko, dobrzeumrze?!" A surge of black light, almost impossible to catch with the eye, pierced the djinn, and the elemental exploded. The remaining light charged at Alzur, but for some reason, Cosimo broke free of his bondage and held up a barrier, then he stood before his student.

The black light rammed into his body, and the old sorcerer shivered, his face turning red. The chains tying the box down were breaking up, and a ball of crimson came running out. It was like a petite octopus flailing its tentacles. The octopus pounced on Lilit and flailed its tentacles, its suckers crunching like mouths, tearing away at the goddess.

The illusion let out a scream of despair before it broke into pieces and disappeared. The octopus slowly waved its tentacles, floating around for a moment. There was joy coming from it, but more than that, it was listless and weak.

"What is this thing? A meteorite?" Alzur said, his voice trembling. He held Cosimo up, but he didn't move.

The little red thing was like a blob of jelly, its almost transparent veins rolling around. It was almost adorable, and then the thing stared knowingly at the witcher hiding in the mist.

Roy was shaken, and his character sheet glitched uncontrollably.

The little blob of red's tentacles fell limp to its sides, and then it fell to the ground. The light around it strobed, blinking in and out of existence, as if the thing would disappear soon.

Alzur's heart clenched up. He went ahead and scooped up the little red blob. The moment he touched the thing, the octopus melted into a puddle of mud and merged with Alzur, leaving nothing behind. Alzur closed his eyes, then he stood frozen in his spot, as if falling into a stupor. As if he were accepting some message.

"Alzur?" Cosimo held his chest, huffing and puffing. He leaned on the wall, still wobbling, and he looked at Alzur nervously.

A while later, Alzur opened his eyes. Confusion flickered in his eyes, but then he regained his composure. "Worry not, Cosimo. I have never felt better. It feels like I’ve been reborn." Alzur clenched his fists, a smile curling his lips.

"What was that light in the box?" Cosimo stared at Alzur's eyes, reconfirming that this was the same person he knew.

"The meteorite that's written on the obelisk, but it calls itself Most High."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Hard to explain. It now lives in my body and soul, akin to something like an appendage. It relies on me for survival. I can harness its power as I wish. Once it matures and awakens its true power, it can, with a special way, realize all our wishes," said Alzur confidently. "But this involves the mystery of the Dauk and Vorkers' destruction as well as Lilit's fall. I will explain it on the way back."

"All our wishes? So Geoffrey's testament is right." Cosimo's voice was shivering, and his wrinkles seemed to wriggle. He bent over and coughed violently, clapping his hand to his mouth. When he removed his hand, there was blood in his palm.

"How do you feel?"

"That illusion was probably the image of Lilit, goddess of the east. She stayed here to seal the Most High you talked about. Because of our blasphemous actions, she cursed me." Cosimo frowned. "She's weakening me continuously, but no matter. I can still hold on."

The sorcerers tossed the shards away and left the underground chamber.

"We need some assistance. It requires enough nutrients, and we cannot collect it fast enough by ourselves."

"Let's meet some old friends, then. They deserve closure as well."

***

***