A Gorgeous White

Chapter 330: Secrecy and Mystery

The rocks crunched, crushed under a pair of heavy dark boots. A figure's shadow crossed the border of the cave's entrance. The man stood, unmoving with an indescribable expressionhis features as hidden within the shadows of the cloth that hooded his head. With a body fully covered underneath a thick black cloak, his figure was hard to discern.

After a few moments, he raised his head, staring at the hollow darkness in front of him. He took a step inside...

Meanwhile, standing within the enclosed walls, hearing the faint drops of water, and seeing the hazy light of warmth caressing the walls in the distance as if beckoning them to come near. It was drawing them closely, making them look like moths desiring to approach the flame. However, none of them moved. They stood still. It turns out their fear was much more significant than some mere curiosity.

Unfortunately, for Moulin, it wasn't just that.

'Closer...'

The voice seemed to be carried by the wind. It was faint, making it hard to determine whether it was a man's or a woman's voice. Silver eyes shifted, turning to the men around him, but it seemed only he was the one who heard it. Confused, Moulin drew his eyebrows together.

'Closer...'

Who are you? Moulin narrowed his eyes. The youth's fingers curled and clenched tightly. But there was no response. Moulin only decided to ignore it.

Not long after, the men began to move. Because when they turned around with the idea of proposing to withdraw, they were shocked to see a wall. The passageway that they had taken was gone. This was no longer an ordinary temple. Dread filled their guts, and the feeling of being trapped and being unable to escape filled their minds.

Emlen sighed and reassured the men briefly while glancing at Hadrian. To his surprise, the Lord wasn't even paying attention to their situation. Hadrian was scrutinizing Moulin as if trying to drill a hole into the young man's skull. And Moulin was staring intently ahead as if in deep thought.

"My Lord..." Emlen called impatiently.

Wearing a blank expression, Hadrian and Moulin turned simultaneously to Emlen.

Raising his brows as if remembering their current situation, Hadrian indifferently faced the passageway before them.

"Kier..."

"Woof!" The wolf noised as he squeezed through the men. He lowered his snout and sniffed the stone ground. Claws were extended. Its sharp points scraped the stone beneath the beast as he moved. Kier raised his head to Hadrian.

With Hadrian's command, the men proceeded forward, walking towards the corner where the light touched. Their steps were unhurried and cautious as they warily kept their hands on their weapons.

"Ao..."

A meek sound came from Moulin's satchel, and he briefly looked at Snow with a frown. The little fox was peeking through the gaps of the bag's leather cover. His beady silver eyes blinked curiously.

Moulin walked towards the light. They turned to the corner.

Warmth touched Moulin's cheeks, enveloping him in soothing comfort.

There is beguiling serenity to bask oneself under the harmless light of day. Arousing the desire to sprawl on the ground with comforts, bathing under the gentle glow. Moulin would be a liar if he'd deny how much he wanted to relish the feeling. He missed it. The warmth brought comfort to him as much as he's with the cold. And he knew the others were feeling the same. Eight dreary years of shady vagueness had passed. Thus, it was normal for one soldier to miss the sunlight.

The men sighed as they felt the warmth. There was no threat from it. Advancing, they found themselves facing an arched doorway.

Moulin's breath left his throat, and his steps faltered. Sunlight brightened his luminous silver pupils, and his hand unconsciously reached out to grab Hadrian's. The man, wearing the same look of astonishment, tightened his grip around the youth's slender fingers.

"Wow..."

Moulin's eyes met lush greenery. Bright leaves delicately fluttered as vines crawled and swirled on old stone walls. Their path was cut off, and several feet beneath it was clear bluish water where delicate pink water lilies and lily pads floated on its radiant surface. Plants hung between the cracks of the walls where water droplets fell to the vast body of water beneath. One could see giant rocks, broken columns, and huge remnants of animal statues protruding from the water surfaces. At the end of the vast chamber, a massive graven image of a man whose back was embedded with the wall was in sight. Half the length of his long stone-carved hair of curls sank into the water, and his blank eyes were gazing downwards on the open palms of his hand that looked as if they were brought near to his face.

Although his features were godly, emanating a sort of delicate masculinity, the lower parts of his body were missing, and only his waist could be determined underneath the clear waters beneath. The crown of the statue's hair was embellished with a wreath of leaves. Its old age seemed to be evident from the evidence of deterioration and plants layering the place.

What had caught most of the attention of the men crowding the arched entrance was the giant hole in the ceiling, illuminating the mysterious chamber. The sunlight was unsullied and warm. Rays of light fell upon the clear waters, reflecting the glow unto the olden walls of stone. The more they stared at the hole, the more confused and shocked they were. They could even see an alternate version of the murky forest of Thundrei.

The clear blue sky and soft white clouds could be seen from above. The plants at the edges of the hole were greener, and even tiny flowers peeked down from the opening. The hole seemed to be several meters thick. They were within some underground chamber.

"This place..." Moulin muttered in disbelief. His eyes darted around the room with unconcealed surprise.

"Don't lower your guards." Hadrian warned, taking a step forward while surveying the area.

Since the rest of their path was found at the bottom of the groundwater, and they could stay cramped within the tunnel, Hadrian, a few others, jumped on top of one of the broken statues inside the vast chamber.

Moulin gripped Hadrian's arm as he curiously observed the little flowers floating on the water. He didn't think there was still plant life that wasn't corrupted within Thundrei. Throughout their journey, he didn't see even a single plant that was recognizable and healthy. The land was primarily barren and wasted. This was the first time Moulin had seen a pure untainted and harmless flower.

"Careful..." Hadrian's voice entered the youth's ear.

Moulin nodded in response as he continued to gaze at the flowers on the water. As the men curiously and cautiously explored the area, Moulin finally stared towards the stone statue. He patted Hadrian's arm, and the man reluctantly let the youth go, allowing Moulin to explore on his own. Of course, Moulin didn't forget to peck his cheek before separating.

Moulin climbed unto the giant hands of the human statue. He tilted his head curiously. Silver eyes deepened as he stared at the giant face before him. From this distance, he could reach the tips of the statue's nose if he wanted to. Obliviously, the statue looked as if he was curiously gazing at the slender maeruthan standing on his palms.

'Closer...'

Moulin stretched out his arm until his fingers touched the strange markings on the statue's chin. In fact, now that he's got a closer look, Moulin realized that the statue's face was filled with symbols. From afar, it looked as if there was nothing at all.

Suddenly, he felt a warm breeze move past his body.

"Moulin..."

The youth looked to the right and saw Colahn, the seer, climbing on the stone hand. The man exhaled sharply as he dusted his pants. Afterwards, he approached the third young master.

Moulin smiled. Passed Colahn, there were the twins, Tyve and Troid, arguing on the surface of a broken column. The two looked as if they wanted to push each other off the stone structure before calling a truce. They were still wary of the too-clear waters of the chambers.

When Colahn reached Moulin's side, he patted the young man's shoulder before facing the statue before them. "Do you recognize him? I doubt the young master has forgotten the knowledge from finishing all the libraries of the estate."

'Unfortunately, I didn't get to finish all of it.' Chuckling, Moulin smiled. Although his knowledge was a bit vague, he could still remember bits of it. Staring at the face of the statue, he muttered. "Galadin... God of seasons and forests..."

Colahn nodded, impressed. "Very good."

Moulin gently caressed the carved symbols beneath his fingers. As if remembering something, Moulin slightly turned his head to Colahn. "Why were you posted at the outpost outside of Helios City? You're hardly built as a soldier. Being one of the mages in the district would have suited you better..."

Colahn raised his brows. Then a fond smile replaced his surprise. "Still as direct as ever, I see."

Colahn stepped closer to the statue drawing silence between him and the silver-eyed young master. "Do you remember the head mage of our estate, Phaelona? "

Moulin blinked. "The female elf? Yes."

Come to think of it. Moulin hadn't seen her ever since his stay in Helios City. Where was she?

Sensing the questioning thoughts of the aphrodite maeruthan beside him, Colahn gave a sullen smile. "A few months after the Fraunces estate's fall, she returned to Thundralln to aid the research of creating a cure for the Kron. She was also helping your father's study."

Father's study...

Moulin revealed a worried look. Of course, Father was researching about methods of bringing mother back.

"The first year during the establishment of Helios, I wanted to go and look for Phaelona. Unfortunately, the news of Thundralln's downfall reached me. I wanted to go and look for her, but mages cannot leave Thundralln's walls unless they were a pathfinder." He sighed and fixed his glasses. "Fortunately, Lady Tessley and the twins were there to help me. As Sentinels under Lord Hadrian, they had me granted a position in the outpost, outside of the Helios. I've tried many attempts to travel, but all of them failed. I've kept withdrawing and returning to the outpost in the end."

"I see..." Moulin looked at him silently. He recalled how Colahn and Phaelona were constantly bickering in front of him. There was frequently a competition between them. However, it seems their relationship was much deeper than that.

"So Phaelona was helping my father..." Moulin said.

"Yes. Not only that, but she also discovered the rare artifact that could bring back your mother's body."

When his words ended, Moulin's eyes widened. "She did?"

Colahn nodded. "She knew where it was, but your father lost contact with her."

Of course...

Moulin sullen lowered his head. Before they left Helios, his father told him that the artifact was located within one of the temples in Thrundralln. Unfortunately, the kingdom had disappeared. How are they going to find it? Emlen was the one that held all his father's notes and documents. Perhaps, this brother of his knows some hints and clues about the fallen kingdom.

Exhaling deeply, Moulin turned his heels and faced away from the giant face behind him. On the other hand, Colahn remained, glancing at the young man with a pitiful sigh. Although it was a miracle that their youngest master had returned, there was still one precious person who was lost.

Colahn fixed his glasses and looked up. He abruptly froze in his place.

Moulin was staring at a strange scene before him. The men, including his brother and Hadrian, stopped moving, staring at Moulin's location with deep penetrating eyes. They looked as if moving an inch would cost them their life.

Why were they staring at him like that?

Unknown to him, a pair of glowing giant eyes were staring at the young man's back.