Chapter 2: The Search

The sun hung over the sky, emitting its radiance upon the denizens of Mage'arth. The lands were filled with its brilliant ray, as light illuminated everywhere.

The desert was especially receptive to the heat that emanated from the golden ball of light in the sky as it shone onto the sands that were spread as far as the eyes could see. The desert was full of harsh winds that carried tiny particles of dust as they brushed past everything in a fluid-like procession.

The sands were so hot that they would sting, if not burn, the feet of any sojourner who dared to walk on its path. It was the great Tesla desert, after all.

A peril to travelers, and a barren wasteland stretched on for miles. No creature in sight, no signs of life, Just golden sand and harsh winds that blew around in a circle.

However, despite the extremely dangerous and forbidden nature of the desert, a figure appeared to be traversing it. The shape resembled a human, and upon closer inspection, it really was one!

Clothed in a thick turban to shield his face, as well as a light, yet meticulously sewn, cloth to cover the body. This human walked steadily across the sandy plains.

 

His body structure made it clear that he was a man. He had a tall, yet slender gait, with a slightly hunched back, he tightly gripped his walking stick which served as his only support. A look of determination could be seen through the little opening in his turban which showed his eyes.

Despite the harsh welcome of the desert to him, the man refused to give in. He limped as he walked, displaying his exhausted state, but he showed no sign of surrender.

Nothing but silence could be heard for miles, save for the howling of the wind and the movement of the sands. The crunching sounds made by the man's heels as they stepped on the sands also seemed to give off a slight sound, but since his steps were small and careful, the sounds that his footsteps made were buried by the more pronounced sound of the wind that seemed to scream at the man to leave!

"I'm not wrong… I'm not wrong…" The man whispered under his breath.

His voice sounded strained and hollow. Was he trying to convince himself of something, or was he already certain of it? Anyone observing him would not have been able to tell.

Bringing out his hand from within his large outfit, the man brought out a piece of parchment. He opened it wide so he could see and confirm something, perhaps something he had missed.

Drawn on the parchment were strange symbols and texts of old that appeared to have been deciphered by the vagabond in the desert.

Clenching his fingers tightly on the parchment, the man regained his resolve and kept moving.

"If it was an easy find… then it would have been discovered by now!" He groaned.

There was a reason why such treasure had remained buried for so long. It was the same reason why he kept having the same dreams every night and began acting on them for over ten years.

Ten years, he had dedicated himself to the cause, and finally, he was at the final scene. All he needed to do, was to find 'it'.

"Huu… Huu…" Strained breaths escaped from his mouth and nostrils.

"I won't give up… I'm not wrong!"

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Just like he had been telling himself… he wasn't wrong after all!

He found it, the place he had been searching for, for so long. Using the coordinates he had deciphered from ancient texts, he carefully analyzed every detail and they all pointed to the very spot that he was standing on.

One problem remained, though…for, as far as his eyes could see there was nothing but sand to be seen. Even the place where he stood was filled with nothing but sand.

His body twitched and sweat formed on his face once again. He could feel the sting of the sun intensify, as though the golden ball of light was sneering at him.

However, instead of hanging his head as a result of the crushing weight of failure that he was feeling, the man let out a smile instead.

It wasn't just a normal smile, no, it was a mad grin that caused his lips to curl into one very wide curve. From underneath his turban, this smile of his evolved into something more.

"Kekeke…Kekeke…" He started to chuckle loudly to himself.

Had he finally gone bonkers?

Failure sometimes drove people mad, especially when they had dedicated so much time and effort to the cause. Was that the case with this man?

No, it was far from it actually. This was not a laugh of insanity… it was that of relief and even better, victory!

"Yes! This is the place, all right!" He smiled, bringing out the very same parchment from earlier. But this time, he squinted his eyes to make out some tiny texts that were written at the very bottom of the parchment.

They were scribbled hastily and with terrible handwriting. No doubt, they belonged to the man.

However, since he was staring at his own handwriting, the man couldn't care less about the unrefined nature of his writing. What mattered most were its contents.

"Sha Naqba Imuri Tesla Taruth Irum…" His hoarse voice picked up slowly as he started to chant words that would make no sense to a normal man.

His serious tone and determined demeanor, however, showed that what he said was way more than gibberish.

"…. Des, Ka… Lamark, Tarium… Pandora!"

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As soon as the last words were spoken, he shut his lips tightly, and once again, silence prevailed.

For a moment, nothing happened. Literally nothing, there were no winds, no stinging pain, no sound… even the hard breathing coming from the man couldn't be heard!

And then, after moments of silence, a shocking phenomenon emerged!

>HRRUUUUUMMMMM<

A loud hum sounded, but before the man could figure out what it was, the very sands he stood on parted and the man fell into the gaping hole that appeared.

"A-arhhhhh!!!" He shouted in shock, as he fell into a darkness that seemed to be never-ending.

The ground that had opened up instantly closed, leaving him trapped as he fell. His screams still filled the air, or rather what was left of it as he descended rapidly.

Usually, there would have been a >SPLAT< sound which indicated his death after falling for so long and without a soft surface to cushion his landing.

However, the moment he touched the ground, his body didn't feel any pain or any other sensation in the slightest.

"Oomph…" He felt boggled by what had just occurred and quickly sprang up to his feet.

He had descended from what could be calculated as a few stories, yet he didn't feel anything! That could only mean one thing… he was in the right place.

He couldn't tell, though, since he was surrounded by pitch-black darkness. Since there was no source of light, he couldn't see his left from right and was trapped in a state of absolute blindness.

Suddenly, even that changed!

>VWOOOMM<

Lights appeared in the form of dark flames and spread onto the candlesticks that seemed to decorate the area. The candlesticks were fairly large, and some were almost as tall as he was.

The flames were purple and had a tiny hint of blackness in them, making the light they provided for the man barely bright enough for him to navigate his way through the strange area.

The lights trailed straight down and lit up the path that he was to follow. Knowing no other way, and feeling like he was being guided, the man obeyed and walked down the lit path.

"It's cold…" He muttered, feeling a sharp contrast in temperature compared to how he was being scorched while aboveground.

However, the more he walked down the path, the colder it became until it became unnaturally chilly.

He could see his breath at this point, but the man wasn't planning on giving up now. Righting his turban around his face and bracing himself, he kept moving and looked around him.

He saw strange murals on the grunt walls.

Drawings of seven shadows and seven pillars of light. He couldn't completely make out the images since he was in a hurry and even the lights weren't doing a good job of keeping the whole area full of illumination.

Taking steady steps, he walked and walked and finally got to the end of the light. As soon as he did, another set of dark flames burst forth and shone on an altar. The flames this time were purely black, and the fumes coming out of them were so sickening that the man felt like he could die from it.

The altar was arranged like a precipice, one that had several layers of platforms, with the topmost being where the flame burned brightly.

Around the altar were tiny candlesticks that burned brightly with darkness. At this point, the man trembled. The strength he had held onto for so long finally failed him and he collapsed to his knees.

"Haa… Ha…" He gave strained breaths, trying to keep his sanity after inhaling so much of the smoke that was coming from the black flame.

>HUMMMMMNNNN<

A low hum came forth, calling his attention back to the alter. The man's eyes bulged the moment he saw something emerge from the black flames. It was beautiful, yet forbidden—masterful, yet twisted.

The object that came from the black sparks of fire floated and moved of its own accord, advancing to the strange man's location.

"T-this is… this is it…" He whispered in near disbelief.

The man was shocked beyond comprehension. To think that such a legendary object was in his line of sight and even levitating toward him… it was simply unbelievable.

>HUMMMMNN<

The object hummed even more as it warbled, having a deep, dark, and forbidden glow hidden underneath.

At this point, the man didn't care anymore. Lost in its spell, he lost all patience and stretched his hand forth in order to reach the cube that was also drawing close to him.

The very box of darkness that contained all the evil of the world, the primordial source of darkness and wickedness that twisted all that was good and turned it evil… that was what this man reached out for.

Pandora's Box!

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