Chapter 350 - Arts
The lift’s descent stretched on for some time, accompanied by the low murmur of the others’ conversations and the hum of the platform’s workings. Gradually, the smooth stone walls changed. Pale, etched surfaces gave way to glimpses of a sheer black expanse veined with faint golden filaments — like strands of frozen starlight embedded in the dark.
Then, the shaft opened up.
The walls vanished entirely, and the lift emerged into an immense, yawning cavern that extended in all directions. Great columns of sculpted alabaster rose from unseen depths, disappearing into the distant shadows above like petrified trees propping up a sky of stone. Bridges, terraces, and suspended walkways spiralled through the air in complex configurations, their railings adorned with crystals emitting a soft emerald glow.
Far overhead, the ceiling itself shimmered — not with crystal, but with thousands of drifting runes and arcane diagrams. The proverbial constellations painted in liquid light. They pulsed in sync with some unseen rhythm, and every now and then, those filaments of golden light streamed from them, trailing down through the dark like celestial vines.
A soft breeze stirred Scarlett’s hair as they descended further, carrying the vague scent of metal and something subtly sweet, like distant incense. She took in the scene silently, eyes moving across the architecture.
“This is…wow,” Kat breathed.
“We’ve seen some incredible stuff around you, Red, but this is definitely top three,” Rosa added, her voice unusually sincere.
Allyssa squinted skeptically, disbelief plain on her face. “I don’t get it. How is it even possible to build something this massive? And we’re supposed to be under Lake Rellaria?”
“It does beggar belief,” Arnaud agreed thoughtfully, studying the dancing symbols above. “One must wonder what purpose such a space was meant to serve.”
Scarlett looked over the edge of the platform, towards the terraces suspended above the seemingly bottomless void. It was true that the sheer scale of this chamber was a lot to take in. It made one feel small. Even in the game, the sight had left an impression. It was one of those moments that stuck with you, whether rendered in pixels or witnessed in person.
She hadn’t been entirely sure this was where the lift would actually lead, but she was glad it had. It gave her a better sense of where in Beld Thylelion they were.
The lift came to a stop with an almost unnoticeable click, sliding neatly into a carved indentation at the heart of a circular platform. Behind them stretched only darkness, the walls lost to shadow.