Chapter 107: Aftermath
[Palace of Perpetual Rain, Silver Valley.]
Beneath the Rain Hall, the floor was an architectural marvel, narrowing into an artificial pond made inside the palace itself.
High above the floor, the dome of the Rain Hall took the full force of falling river. Tons of water struck the curved glass and stone in a continuous, roaring sheet, then broke apart, spreading throughout the mountains of Silver Valley.
The rain fell inside the walls of the castle, water drew in sleek and elegance, flowing continuously, and sweeping the dark marbled floors of the castle.
Below it all was the Rainwell.
The chamber was enormous and deliberately dark. Little torches burned here, the only light came from the faint glow of water reflecting candles placed on wall stands all over the chamber.
Water moved across the floor, and collected into the pond in the centre of the chamber, gathering into shallow streams streams that ran down endlessly into the pond.
The pond’s edges were carved from black stone worn smooth by years of water friction. The water inside was warmer than the rest, fed by heated runes beneath the castle.
Steam rose in thin hue, barely visible in the gloom.
Ymir sat in the water up to his chest, spine resting against the curved rim. His head was tilted back, and eyes were half-lidded.
In his hand was a letter, with the sender’s name ’Darin.’
Along the far edge of the Rainwell, the Rain Lion rested.
Dark black fur, heaved boned built for power, and golden eyes staring at the hypnotic flow of water.
This one never left Ymir’s side when he was in the palace. It was not merely a pet. It was the head of the pack, a walking beast of the valley.
His size was twice the size of an average Rain Lion.
Rain Lions are oddly enough...already thrice the size of normal Lions. But their leader was a walking beast.
"Purrr-~" The Lion purred with a slight growl and laid on his side, as if falling asleep.
"..." Orochi looked at him in disappointment.
He was also relaxing in the pond, sitting opposite to Ymir.
His arms were spread, long black hair drifted in the warm water.
"So..." Orochi spoke, breaking the silence.
"What’s next?" he asked.
Ymir opened his eyes and flicked the letter toward him with two fingers.
"They figured out that the cause are beads," Ymir said.
"Already?" Orochi asked, almost impressed.
"Your students are something, I have to admit," he said.
"Wasn’t one of my students. The one who figured out the beads was a monk child named Jinhai." Ymir replied.
"A child?" Orochi tilted his head.
"The same child that requested expedition." Ymir added.
"Ah, the one whose expedition you acknowledged despite it coming through unofficial channels..." Orochi remembered.
"Unofficial? I always follow the rules," Ymir squinted his brows.
"Yeah, whatever... I wasn’t asking about expedition, my question was related to what’s happening in the Kingdom." Orochi replied.
Ymir closed his eyes and went into deep thoughts.
"Hm?" Orochi tilted his head, as if sensing a new presence in the Mountains of Silver Valley.
His eyes narrowed, and looked at Ymir with confusion flicker across his face for a brief moment.
Then...he just scoffed it off, and shook his head.
.-.-.-.-.-.
The Carriages of the Covenant came to a halt at the entrance of the mountains.
Rain fell in thick drops.
*Ghrumble*
Thunder rolled through the peaks in long, low waves.
The air itself felt heavy, and the continuous light from the lightning kept the fleet on its edge.
The gates of her carriage were opened by one of the Knights. They had formed a cover of aura around the fleet, so the rain did not fall over them.
She stepped out, wearing a black gown, and translucent silk veil resting over her head and shoulders. Her violet hair strands fell over her sides.
’Goodness...’ She was amazed at the eerie sight presented to her.
The mountain rose steep and close, dense with long, lush green trees whose trunks were black with moisture.
A single smooth stone staircase climbed upward into the mist, its surface was worn almost glass-slick by years of endless rain.
Thunder rolled spontaneously.
’This is where the Palace of Rain is?’ she thought.
"This is so...scary..." Violet heard the mumbling of a woman beside her.
Violet turned slightly towards the woman.
The woman who had spoken wore a simple black dress beneath a long black coat. Dark shirt, long frock, and her hair was a striking grey, cut cleanly in bob, and her eyes were a pale, slightly blue shade. She looked to be in her mid-thirties.
She was Theodosia Verona. Recently appointed as a high-Priest, taking the managerial position of Ferrey.
Theodosia belongs to the house of Veronas, a dukedom situated east of Arterris.
She was the second daughter of Duke of Verona.
She stood close enough that the aura barrier still covered her, arms folded against the cold that the rain carried even through the shield.
"Indeed..." Violet agreed.
What looked like a single staircase, was not what it appeared.
One step branched into several, those several split again, overlapping, rising at odd angles, and vanishing into the fog.
Looking too far ahead made the eye lose its place, the mountain itself seemed to shift whenever attention wandered.
"How can there be a castle here...?" Theodosia asked.
Violet studied the deceptive path for a moment.
"Do not look at the whole path."
The fleet turned toward her at once.
"It is an illusion of the mountain," Violet continued. "Follow only the step directly in front of you. Nothing else."
"Stay behind me, and do not break your formation. Do not trust your eyes beyond the next stone." She said.
She figured out the illusion of mountain in a single glance.
Theodosia looked at Violet with eyes wide in amazement.
Without waiting, Violet stepped onto the wet path.
The rain continued without a pause. And thunder kept rolling, flashing lights on the ground, seeping through the space between the branches of trees.
The climb ended at the edge.
The path simply stopped. Before them stretched a massive waterfall, so wide and heavy, it seemed to cut the mountain in half.
Tons of water fell with crushing force, vanishing into a black chasm of cliff. As if swallowed into base without a trace of splash or pool.
Only endless fall, or deafening descent.
Beyond the water, were a pair of enormous stone gates, visible through the torrent.
Thunder cracked directly overhead.
Suddenly, the holy knights reacted at once.
Steel skidded from the scabbars in a single motion, and blades came up in defense.
Their aura flared along the edges of their weapons.
Theodosia’s hand moved instinctively toward the small dagger within her coat.
Violet turned around slowly.
From the darkness shading into the forests.
One pair of golden eyes opened.
Then a second pair.
Then a third pair.
More followed, five, seven, eleven, dozens and dozens of golden eyes until the blackness on either side of the staircase was filled with them.
The shapes behind those eyes began to emerge from the rain, and shadow.
Massive black furred forms, heavy boned and muscular, each already three times the size of an ordinary lion.
Each moved without a sound, despite their size.
They were Rain Lions.