Chapter 97: Reasons
The edges of the portrait creaked and shifted as Mr. Gray stared at his own image displayed magnificently between the shelves.
“I appreciate the intent here,” Valens broke the silence a moment after. “Keeping to a certain air of mystery. I have found in my time here that almost everyone likes this sort of arrangement, but I’m not sure if that is entirely plausible, as it seems like you’re trying to leave me in the dark for no particular reason. We don’t know each other. What makes you so sure that I’ll keep my promise?”
“Sure? I’m not sure at all!” Mr. Gray shook his head. “A word is a fleeting thing, and I know for a fact that it would be pointless even if I were to force you to give a Divine Oath. And though you’re trying not to show it, I’m aware that you’re resenting me for putting you through that little test of mine.”
“Oh?” Valens arched an eyebrow. “It’s good that you’re aware. Still not an answer to my question, though.”
“I’ll give you an answer,” Mr. Gray said, his blue eyes narrowing at him. “You will destroy this portrait when it’s time, because so long as the anchors stand strong, they will keep trying to open that dungeon, and the only way to get rid of that terrible thing is to snap the threads feeding it.”
“What dungeon?” Valens frowned.
“The one underneath the Golden Cathedral of Melton,” Mr. Gray said. “The one that can only be opened from the Underworld. The Ninth Core Dungeon of the world.”
He began pacing around the room while Valens stood there, baffled by the notion that there was a giant dungeon residing underneath the very Cathedral in which that unstable Bishop lived.
Anchors? Like the one we found in the lair of the Weeping Horror? This portrait… is feeding it? What is happening here?
“Funny, isn’t it?” Mr. Gray laughed. “The Nine Gates of the Ancient Era are now hidden in broad daylight, under the cathedrals of the Divine Orders. Or why else would those greedy Caligians share the knowledge of their Gates with the others? They knew it was only a matter of time before the floodgates were opened. They knew Haven’s Reach would need people who could stand against the dwellers. A devious plot, isn’t it? Shame that the Ancients have begun stirring before they could get ready.”
Inferno tugged at Valens’s mind as he snapped his gaze at the portrait. It looked old. Brittle, even, save for the handsome face painted upon its surface. How could it resist the flames of his Inferno?
“Naive,” Mr. Gray said, sighing. “You think you could undo one of Resni’s bindings with mere flames? You two might share similar origins, but compared to him, you’re still a child, Mr. Kosthal, who has yet to realize his potential. You ought to be patient. Yes, a most important virtue many a man lack nowadays.”