Chapter 244 - The Forgotten Ancient Past
Lawrend raised his head and looked around them. There were rocks and boulders everywhere.
"Where is the ancient temple?"
"It sank into the mountain after so long. It's over here," she replied.
Lawrend looked at where she was heading. There was nothing there but piles and piles of rocks.
"I hid it under these piles of rock. I don't want anyone else to find it," she explained.
She started kicking the rocks away with her sharp talons. Before long, a short cave entrance lay in front of Lawrend.. He could see some sort of a hallway entrance inside.
"That's the ancient temple. The murals are on the front."
"Can I enter now?" Lawrend asked.
"Yes. You can enter now. Remember to use the ring. You simply have to pour mana into it," she replied.
"And also, the first trap requires you to wait for the sun to fall on the pedestal. The second one is a small puzzle. As for the rest, I don't know," she added.
"I got it. Thank you."
Lawrend nodded his head at her and entered. It was dark and dusty inside.
He opened his palm.
"+Lightning Ball+" Lawrend muttered.
This was the power of his imagination. He can create any form of a lightning spell as long as he can imagine. Of course, it had to be a spell lower than his current strength. For example, since he's a True Mage right now. He can easily imagine Beginner Mage spells. It was very convenient, and Lawrend liked it. He doesn't need to learn countless Beginner Mage spells as he would have.
A ball of golden lightning floated on top of his palm. It glowed like a lamp and lit up his surroundings.
"This is…"
There was a large wall in front of Lawrend. There was an entrance the size of a double door leading inside.
He walked towards one of the murals and inspected it.
In this mural, there was a sun shining directly above a mountain. As Clova said on the way, there was already a sun in the background of the mural.
"Where are we Lawrend?" Daisy asked.
"Inside the temple," Lawrend replied.
"We aren't in the forest anymore?" Daisy asked.
"Yes, why? We'll check out the feeling you said before when we return," Lawrend replied.
"No… I can also feel something in here. It's sinister. I can feel my soul shivering because of it," Daisy replied.
"D-Don't scare me like that, Daisy. What are you talking about?"
"The Heavenly Empress is right. I can feel the same. This being is full of evil aura. It should have committed countless sins throughout its life," Jasmine added.
"Proceed carefully, Lawrend. You might die," Daisy said.
Lawrend gulped. If two ghosts are telling you that you might die, that could only mean that you will die if you become careless. As a result, he took their words into his heart and reminded himself to not do anything reckless.
After checking this mural out, Lawrend walked towards the other one. This time, the mural was very different.
It depicted vast plains. There were crops planted on it. And in the sky, there was a huge rift. There were people on the mural bowing to the rift.
"What does this mean?" Lawrend muttered.
"Why does this seem familiar?" Daisy said.
She could feel that she had seen this scene before.
"Are you remembering something from your past?" Lawrend asked.
"No… I don't think so. It must be my imagination," Daisy replied.
"Well, okay. I'll enter the temple then."
Lawrend stopped looking at the mural and entered the entrance of the temple.
It was spacious inside. There was a pedestal at the very center of the room. At the very top, it was shaped like a dome with a small hole. The light of the sun passes through that hole and hits the floor beside the pedestal.
"I have to wait?" Lawrend muttered.
By the position of the sunlight on the floor, he would have to wait for a long time. He basically had nothing to do in here.
"Lawrend, look to your right. There's a statue," Daisy said.
He looked towards his right and saw a white statue. It was a face he was so familiar with.
"D-Daisy!?"
That's right. The statue was Daisy. It looked exactly like her. Except, vines were growing behind her to accentuate her beauty.
"It's me…"
"It's me…"
Both Daisy and Jasmine muttered in surprise. It was odd to see a statue of yourself in a place you aren't familiar with.
"The two of you are actually related to this place!" Lawrend exclaimed.
That means that they can help him. Exploring this ancient temple would be a breeze then. He wouldn't have to worry that much.
"W-What is this place?" Daisy said in a stutter.
Even Jasmine was dumbstruck. She looked like the Heavenly Empress, but she's not her soul-shard. She became confused about her own identity. What could she be?
"There's another statue on the left," Lawrend said.
He could barely see the statue with the limited lighting his lightning ball provides.
He walked towards it. Slowly, its appearance was revealed to Lawrend. It had the figure of a man, and the face was…
"It's West!" Daisy shouted with gritted teeth. Anger brimmed inside her eyes.
"Wait, could it be that the being inside this temple is him!?" Lawrend exclaimed in realization.
Since Daisy was able to stay alive, it should be normal to assume that West could still be alive.
"If he's here, you have to leave Lawrend! Leave fast! West would have definitely felt my presence. He would kill you without any mercy," Daisy said in a panicked voice.
"I will!" Lawrend replied.
He ran towards the exit of the temple!
*KSSSSS Boom!*
Suddenly, a large slab of stone fell from the ceiling and blocked the exit.
"What the f*ck! I'm doomed!" Lawrend exclaimed in anguish.
"Use the ring!" Daisy reminded.
Lawrend immediately poured mana inside the ring. It glowed a bright white light and covered his body.