Free Web NovelChapter 44: The Entrance to the Tomb of Heart (2)
Beautiful? The word immediately sparked her curiosity.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and peeked toward the newly opened passage. The moment she saw what was beyond it, her breath caught in her throat because the sight before her was nothing like what she had expected. freewebnøvel.com
Instead of darkness, skeletons, or something terrifying, she found herself staring at something so breathtaking that she could barely look away.
"How did they make something like this?" Cerus murmured in amazement. Unable to hide his curiosity, he became the first to step through the doorway.
Inside the chamber, there were no fires or anything that could be lit to provide light. Yet the walls, floor, and even the ceiling were covered in countless sparkling lights that looked like stars scattered across the night sky.
The colors ranged from red, blue, and green, creating a dazzling view that looked like an entire galaxy trapped beneath the earth.
For a moment, Maeve forgot she was standing inside an ancient tomb because it felt as though she had stepped into another world.
"It’s probably lighting stone," Ikarus said as he looked at the glowing walls. "Didn’t Father tell us that if we dug deep enough beneath the volcanic mountains, we could find stones that shine forever after they’re crushed into powder?"
Cerus slowly turned in a circle, his eyes reflecting the colorful lights around him. "If that’s true," he said softly, "then whoever built this place must have used an unbelievable amount of it."
The moment Axan stepped into the chamber as well, Maeve finally noticed the dozens of stone coffins inside.
They were arranged in large circles that slowly grew smaller toward the center, and at the very heart of the chamber stood a single coffin. Unlike the others, it sat alone in the middle of the room.
"It was Takra," Ikarus said softly as he walked over and stopped in front of the central coffin. "Our great ancestor who was the first to unite all the people living around Lumivale Forest."
Maeve looked at him in surprise. "You weren’t originally one tribe?"
Ikarus smiled at her question. "No, we weren’t." His gaze drifted toward the surrounding coffins. "From the beginning, our people shared the same skin color, but even then we lived separately."
Maeve followed his gaze as he looked around the chamber.
"There were many settlements scattered throughout Lumivale Forest. Some lived near the volcanic mountains. Some lived close to the rivers. Others settled deep within the forest itself."
"Were they enemies?" Maeve asked.
"Sometimes."
Cerus shrugged as he walked between the stone coffins. "People always find reasons to argue. Food, territory, hunting grounds, pride..." He glanced at her and grinned. "The usual things."
Ikarus folded his arms. "Most conflicts weren’t large enough to be called wars, but they happened often enough."
Maeve nodded slowly. To be honest, that sounded familiar. After all, no matter what world she was in, people seemed to have a talent for fighting each other.
"Then what did Takra do?" she asked.
Ikarus placed a hand on the central coffin. "For the first time, he convinced the settlements to work together."
Maeve blinked. "Just like that?"
Ikarus laughed softly. "Of course not. Do you think people suddenly become reasonable overnight?"
"No," Maeve answered. "I don’t think so."
A small smile appeared on Ikarus’s face. "It took years," he said. "Some people followed him willingly. Others didn’t. Some challenged him. Some even tried to kill him."
Axan picked up the story from there. "Our settlement used to be much larger because all the tribes of Lumivale Forest became one. But when the world began to die, our numbers slowly fell until only the people we have now remained."
For a moment, the room grew quiet. The colorful lights continued to shimmer across the walls, reflecting softly on the ancient coffins.
"Well," Cerus said at last, breaking the silence, "at least we still carry the blood of all our ancestors." He smiled lightly. "I think that’s more than enough."
"It really is," Maeve said.
The three men turned toward her.
She continued, "Back in my world, there were many times throughout history when populations became much smaller because of wars, diseases, disasters, and all kinds of terrible things."
"But people survived." A gentle smile appeared on her face. "No matter how difficult things became, people always found a way to keep going. They built new homes, started new families, and slowly brought their numbers back up again."
She looked back at the triplets. "So as long as your people are still here, I think there’s always hope and if whatever we’re trying to do here works, and if I can give you a descendant, then I think your tribe can become as large as it was before."
Honestly, it felt a little strange for Maeve to say those words.
Not long ago, she had been a complete outsider. She wasn’t from this world, she wasn’t born among the Azuryn people, she hadn’t even known they existed until a few months ago, and yet the more she learned about their lives, their history, and their struggles, the more she wanted to help them.
At some point, her feelings had changed without her realizing it. What had started as a ridiculous mission from Pinky—to increase the Azuryn population—had somehow become something she truly cared about. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
She wanted their people to survive, she wanted their children to grow up safely, and she wanted future generations to hear stories about Takra and the ancestors resting inside this tomb.
Maeve lowered her eyes for a moment. It was ridiculous, really. She had only been with them for a short time, but somewhere along the way, she had become attached to them.
After everything they had been through together in such a small amount of time, she simply didn’t have the heart to watch them disappear.
"So what are we supposed to do now?" Maeve finally asked, breaking the silence between them. "You said your ancestors would help reduce the pain, but how? Do we have to perform some kind of ritual to summon their souls?"
