Chapter 402: Archaic
ARTHUR SPENT LITTLE TIME to check the rest of his body.
A little flex of his muscles before he hopped in place, swiped the air, and performed two spin kicks. The winds shifted just as he expected them to. After some more trial and error, he confirmed what he had suspected: his body retained its strength, both physically and spiritually.
That was a relief. The last thing he needed was to find himself weakened or vulnerable in this time period. Now for his final test.
’Tamashii...’
His vision swept the terrain around him as his eyes stretched beyond what was visible to the naked eye. He scanned the land, the trees, the rocks, and the sky. Exactly as he had already known, this was indeed the Land of Birds. Only, it was before he had constructed his country.
Without a doubt, he was in the past. But it wasn’t yesterday, like he had tried to go. The time he found himself in had to be somewhere earlier, or perhaps even a different timeline altogether.
"Hmm..." he considered.
Time travel was indeed unpredictable, and knowing the exact period could change a few things. To figure it out, he decided to venture toward the nearest settlement, if he could find one.
North was the best option, so he moved with his Tamashii active. As he progressed, the terrain shifted into more hardened ground. There were still no signs of any other intelligent beings.
Continuing onward, the landscape changed again. This time, the terrain became more mountainous with dense forests covering the slopes. The trees were tall and thick, and their branches intertwined to form a canopy that filtered the sunlight.
From a distance, Arthur saw what looked like a temple perched on a ridge. It was an imposing structure, built mainly of wood, with a roof that curved upward. The sight drew his curiosity.
As he drew closer, he confirmed that inside the temple—through the walls—there were beings who resembled monks. But something was off about them.