Chapter 956: Taboo
Chapter 956: Taboo
Karyk was taken aback when he saw the face of the person standing before him. It was a face he could never forget because it was his own reflection staring back at him. In that moment, he couldn't help but wonder if Gabriel had somehow managed to find his way here, despite Karyk's instructions to seek safety elsewhere.
However, Karyk knew deep down that it couldn't be Gabriel. "No, it can't be him," Karyk muttered to himself, trying to dismiss the thought. The initial shock began to subside, and he started to believe that this was simply impossible. Even if Gabriel had wanted to reach this place, it would have been impossible.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Karyk mustered the courage to speak to the person who bore his resemblance. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice filled with both confusion and caution.
The man placed his hand on his chest, bowing gracefully. "I am but a humble servant," he replied. "A relic from a long-lost era."
Karyk had a lot of questions. Did this person bring him here? Who was he really? The man appeared real, yet Karyk couldn't shake the feeling that he was not real.
While he lacked the ability to discern illusions, he could sense that this wasn't an illusion either. As Karyk stood there, a sense of uncertainty washed over him. He couldn't help but wonder if the man before him was responsible for bringing him to this place. "Did you bring me here?" he asked the man, his voice filled with curiosity. In response, the man simply shook his head.
"A mere servant is not capable of bringing anyone here," he answered, his tone carrying a hint of authority. Karyk continued to observe his surroundings, his eyes scanning the room. It was not particularly large, measuring only three meters wide and two meters long. The space was completely empty, devoid of any objects, except for the intricate carvings adorning the walls. "If you had no hand in it, why was I the only person who came here? Why was the woman next to me pushed back?"
As he took in the carvings, Karyk couldn't help but wonder why the woman he had been with didn't accompany him to this place. His gaze lingered on the wall, searching for any clues or answers. The familiarity of the carvings and the overall atmosphere of the room struck Karyk. It felt as though he had encountered them before, although he couldn't recall where or when. To his surprise, Karyk noticed that the path he had taken to get here had vanished. The chamber now appeared to be completely sealed off, isolating him from the outside world. Despite this, he didn't sense any immediate danger.
"Why would an inferior species pass through the wall? That would be disgraceful."
"Am I not an inferior species to you then?" Karyk asked. Currently, he was weaker than the woman. He did not know the standard of this world, but could a powerful being like that Mother Whale be called an inferior species?
That tone was only suitable for two kinds of people here. The Children of Heaven or the Civilisation. He did not believe that he was talking to a Child of Heaven. If that was the case, he would have been killed or captured by now. Instead, there was no hostility. "You are the soul of this wall?" he asked. "A soul...? What an interesting term. That makes me feel like I am alive." The person started laughing. But beyond this laughter, his eyes were revealing pain and sadness. "You were left behind by the Civilization?" Karyk asked the man. "Don't tell me the so-called Children of Heaven are looking for you?"
So far, he could only take a guess. Even if this man was not the thing that they were looking for, he definitely knew where that thing was. "The Invaders? If they were looking for me, I would have long destroyed myself. As I said, I am but a servant of the Civilization, a guide with no importance for others."
"So you were left behind by the Civilization. In that case, you must know what they are after?" Karyk asked the man. The man smiled, gazing at the carvings in the wall. "I know what they are after..." "And that would be...?"
"The answer is all around you. All you need is to take a look around." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Karyk had already been observing the carvings. But he still could not understand. Most of these carvings were too vague. He could not even understand these characters. In some places, there were drawings of lightning strikes, and people being hit by lightning. But other than that, it was impossible to understand anything. "Sometimes, greed can be a person's biggest enemy. Even the great Civilisation could not survive the results of their greed. It is only a matter of time before the result of their greed swallows the entire world."
"Greed of Civilization?" Karyk's fingers trace over the carved marks on the wall. A vague feeling arose in his heart, but that feeling was still unclear. "I thought the Archangels were the greedy ones, who were after the treasure of the Civilization. Are you saying that it's not entirely accurate?"
The man did not answer. He only grew silent with time. "It is not my place to answer that question. If I even tried, I would disperse. I can only guide you towards the answer, because you..."
He did not finish his sentence. "If you want an answer, go to the center of the City. Experience the answer yourself. And you will understand the taboo that the Civilization touched..."
The man tapped the wall a few times. A passage opened in the wall. Unlike the passage before, the path now wasn't dark. Karyk could also feel that all his exhaustion and hunger had disappeared just like that. "If you can reach the answer, you will realize how futile it all was. You... Me... Civilization... Archangels... Nothing matters... What started, must end."