It has been a day since the First Breath sweep the entire world.
Yet the sky hasn't changed, the white sphere is still prominent and pulsates with the raw power of the world, and even the Storm Moon has been stuck in the sky, helplessly radiating its energy longer than it used to.
Such events could only be attributed to the Second Awakening of the world.
But as the world drowned in a momentary pause of the night, the Supernatural rejoices, their powers are fixed at the peak, and now there seems to be a gathering at a secluded spot in the center of three borders.
Right at the edge of the Vampire, Werewolf, and Demon's territories lies a place.
Compared to the other places that were also shrouded by the darkness of the night, this place is darker and more eerier. It's a deathly creek, light seems to struggle to penetrate this place, and the mutated animals inside are contorted more monstrously than usual.
Anyone that saw a glimpse of the place would feel danger and uncomfortable hollowness.
Dark mists clouded the entire place with a wavy haze.
It was naught but brief seconds that the wet ground was not hidden by the dark mists, and there seems to be scorched bones scattered around the side, some of the humanoid remains were left in an unnatural position.
Many of them seem to be reaching out, running from something, and desperate for help.
Nobody knows how long these humanoid remains have been here.
But despite the mystery of time and uncertainty of their demise, the pure fear that must have been present in the last moments of their lives is still radiating and can still be sensed through their broken expression, their terror is palpable.
Additionally, the background sounds of the place also haunted more than the sense of eyes.
Only the splashing sound of water hitting against rock formations from the streaming river that has its water tainted with the color black, as well as the crooked sound of mutated animals can be heard inside this place.
It's obvious that this place is no ordinary place, a place reeking of death.
Even though the place seems to be inhospitable for lives other than the fiercely mutated animals roaming the place, there were a couple of figures, striding along the creek without much worry in their eyes.
Judging from their appearances, these three figures should be Demons.
Upon the First Breath happening and reducing the energy level of the world drastically, King Saruth, or simply Saruth right now has given a notice out to the other Supernatural Races for the Godking Summit.
With such a big event for the Supernaturals, a meeting is needed to be held.
Conflicts are bound to arise if they let the natural course takes its action, there's always bad blood between the races, and needed to be suppressed before unnecessary losses make things more complicated.
Saruth and Azzen are walking behind Elder Tilrith, acting as two bodyguards.
"Have all of them replied to your announcement, Saruth?"
"Werewolves and Vampires have replied and stated that they will come, but the Undead hasn't reached out to us yet. Maybe there's a problem with their awakened Elder, but I'm sure Lax'rad will reach out to me soon"
"Good, we need to devise a plan quickly, or the Executor might be well-prepared first"
Upon hearing this, Saruth and Azzen bowed slightly in agreement.
But as the three of them are walking along the endless creek deeper into the abyss, Saruth noticed a glint of something sinister from the shadows to their left, watching them with pure malice, and inducing an uneasy feeling even in the hearts of these Demons.
It was some kind of worm, an elusive creature, and its metal-like body blended with the dark.
Possessing an ability to camouflage perfectly inside the darkness of the place, alluding to its appearance, and making it close to impossible to catch sight of it. The only reason Saruth can spot it is because this creature wanted to be spotted.
"We call them Passues, groomed by the Ancient Humans" Elder Tilrith suddenly said.
She then glanced at the creatures that are increasing in numbers, eyeing them from the side like a sentry to something even more sinister, "In a term you can understand, Passue is akin to a version of Golem or Gargoyle exclusive to the humans. Almost indestructible, and can kill even eleventh-rank entities"
"E-Eleventh-rank...?" Saruth gasped as he sucked in a cold breath.
Although he could feel that these Passues are not something normal, his body jolted with the electricity of fear when he heard what Elder Tilrith said. Now, the Passues become even more horrifying to him.
Elder Tilrith smiled when she can feel fear coming out of Saruth, and even Azzen.
"Don't worry, Passues won't attack us" She comforts.
Nodding his head stiffly as her comfort doesn't seem to be reassuring at all, Saruth then said, "I've heard of the place that we're going right now, and it should belong to the Ancient Humans. So why don't these Passues attack us?"
"Passues are made specifically to kill other Ancient Humans" Elder Tilrith replied.
Upon hearing her statement, both Azzen and Saruth frowned as that doesn't makes sense to them at all. If this place belongs to the Ancient Humans, then why would they need to make these Passue, it doesn't add up.
But this makes Elder Tilrith chuckles, she expected such a reaction.
Glancing over to the Passues with her purple demonic eyes, she then explained, "Ancient Humans are not peaceful, they are at war against each other. We are not slaves back in the Radical Era and the earlier part of the Era of Might, but we're also not the strongest. In the Ancient Humans' eyes, only a very small fraction of us are considered a threat. Because of that, we're not targeted"
Now that the two of them get the rough picture, it starting to make sense.
Looking over to the remains that were scattered along the way, Saruth then thought as he pieces the information together, 'So that means these remains belong to the Humans...? What did those Passues do to them to put them in this state?'
Just as he thought of that, he shifted his attention back to Elder Tilrith.
"Oh, there's actually one creature we need to be wary of. It's the Passue Matriarch, it's even stronger and attacks anything in sight except for the chosen Ancient Humans" Elder Tilrith mused, putting her index finger on her chin.
Although she seems to be nonchalant, Saruth and Azzen got goosebumps from hearing that.
But Elder Tilrith laughed sweetly straight after as she finds it quite fun to tease these two young Demons that haven't actually met with the early Ancient Humans before, "I'm joking, there's no need to that stiff. Well, not entirely. Anyway, it would be foolish of me if I'm here with you if it's true"
"E-Elder Tilrith, don't joke with us" Saruth smiled wryly, he almost had a heart attack.
Just then, he caught a part where another question popped into his head.
"But Elder, what do you mean by not entirely?"
"Oh, that. The Passue Matriarch is real, she definitely is somewhere inside this place. But the Ancient Humans are gone now, she's probably either inactive or dead right now. No food sources, it happens"
"P-Probably?"
"Don't worry, you're fine Saruth. How old are you anyway? You're still like a baby"
"I don't keep track of my age, but I think about a thousand years?"
"Almost a thousand years? Right, you're still pretty much at the rebellious stage of your life. How about the new demon, Azzen? I'm sure you're from the Vulvazith Clan, so you must be quite old. But weird, I've never seen you before" Elder Tilrith asked again, squinting her eyes while looking at Azzen.
Upon hearing this, Azzen could only smile awkwardly, he doesn't even know his lineage.
"I- I'm not even a year old, Elder..."
"What?! A newborn?!" Elder Tilrith gasped in shock, she wasn't expecting this kind of answer. "Then what are you doing here, you still need to cultivate your demonic body first. Go back to the castle, a newborn shouldn't be outside"
As she said that, her wrathful eyes then shifted and landed on Saruth.
Stopping in her tracks, she then points at Azzen before she asked, "Saruth, you know about this and still send him outside? He's a newborn, a very young one at that, and yet you let him step out?"
"E-Elder, he's strong, there's no other choice in this era" Saruth replied helplessly.
It's true that in the Demon Race, sending Azzen outside to fight is basically immoral, regardless of how strong he was. Azzen is still an actual baby, and that alone speaks volumes as to how bad what he did was.
Saruth's excuse didn't budge Elder Tilrith whatsoever, and her expression darken.
Psshhh!
But Elder Tilrith wasn't persuaded by his excuse in the least, his excuse fall flat and incite the opposite instead. Radiating a malicious presence, her body then burned with purple demonic energy.
In a fraction of a second, she seized Saruth's neck and hoisted him up off the ground.
Boom!
Under the wrath boiling inside of her when she realized what Saruth did, Elder Tilrith clenched his neck harder as her demonic wings spread behind her, "You know that Demons below the age of 100 are not permitted outside, and yet you use Azzen for battles? On top of that, you have the audacity to give an excuse?"
"Is that how you act as a King, Saruth?!" she added, and her energy blasted powerfully.
Due to the comfort of being a King and the breeze of the new Era, Saruth forgets that this kind of thing really matters to the Elders. Now he remembered it clearly, this is a mistake that he had made.
For the Elders, it'll be better to perish rather than let Azzen fight in the frontline.
"M-Mercy Elder Tilrith, I- I was n-not thin- *hahk* thinking straight"
Albeit the urge of crushing Saruth right here for the disgusting act that he did, Elder Tilrith bit her lower lip and threw him to the ground strongly, creating a huge crack and rumbling the serene of the creek.
Crash!
Exhaling roughly, she then looks over at Azzen with her sharp eyes, "You, go home. Now."
Upon hearing this, Azzen glanced over at Saruth.
Seeing that Saruth is nodding his head despite the pain, Azzen quickly looks back at Elder Tilrith, "Y-Yes, Elder. I'll go back immediately as you said" he replied before he quickly scurries away.
Since he was born in the new era, he doesn't really know anything about the past.
Azzen only knows the ones that Saruth has told him. So seeing the situation has escalated with him being here, he decided that it would be best for him to leave lest Saruth will be in even more trouble.
"Let's quickly move, don't make me say twice" Elder Tilrith instructed coldly.
Ignoring the excruciating pain from the foreign demonic energy that infiltrates his body and burns his body from within, Saruth forces himself to stand up and follow closely behind Elder Tilrith to continue their journey.
Not long after, the two eventually reached the center of the dark creek.
Both of them finally reached their destination, the two raised their gaze to look at a place that looks to be Stonehenge in a circular formation. Yet on top of the circular rock formation, there are also numerous towering statues.
Each one gave off a sacred feeling, hiding countless ancient memories and depictions.
Peering through the gap in the circular stone formation, Saruth and Elder Tilrith could make out a roundtable tucked away inside. Seeing that they were the first ones to be here, she then glanced at two rocks aligned in such a way that they formed a pattern.
Approaching one of the rocks, she then reaches out her hand to touch the rock.
Elder Tilrith was nervous while she was trying to touch the rock, her hand trembled visibly, yet when her hand caressed the surface of the rock, a smile can be seen blooming on her face, "It seems like the Ancient Humans indeed has gone extinct..."
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