Chapter 79: Chapter 154 – Keepsakes

“We better get to work then,” Asterios suggested while looking around. “There are quite a few things here to move and store. If we don’t want to learn the hard way if people can come in, we gotta get moving.”

“Do we even have enough space?” Selene asked, glancing at Miria.

“Yep!” The joyful panthergirl confirmed immediately, showing a big smile as her tail danced adorably. “I thought we would one day move things from the last place we discovered so Dad made something akin to a study by the storage!”

Selene shook her head while chuckling softly. “Soon your house will become its own village with how much you are expanding it.”

Miria giggled as a faint blush surfaced on her cheeks. Asterios brushed through her hair, caressing her cute ears.

He smiled as their gazes met. “She is right, though. Maybe we should move some things to Selene’s mansion? I appreciate your dad doing so much for us but you guys are clearly going quite far. It might look a little weird from the outside.”

“It’s fine, Master! We have a lot of space around the house! And well… I kind of like having everything close… And being able to just go there and look through all the things…”

“As long as there are no problems, everything is fine. Just let us know about anything instead of trying to solve it yourself. I can’t keep putting so much burden on your family all the time.” 

“You are not burdening us, Master! It’s only natural because… you are… part of our family…” 

Miria’s voice grew a bit quieter and she glanced at Asterios with an upturned gaze with even more rosiness covering her face.

“Alright, alright." He left a quick peck on her cheek. "Let’s split up to cover more ground. We need someone to organize things on the other side. Do you want to do it?” He directed the question at the blushing girl.

“Yep! Leave it to me, Master!” Miria beamed a smile at him and jumped through the crimson gate, disappearing in a flash.

After she was gone, everyone exchanged a nod and grouped up. Amongst the remaining people, Selene, Umbra, and Bryn could move through the portals so each of them paired up with a different person to speed up the process.

To his amusement, Svertaniel assisted Umbra. Asterios knew how much the man enjoyed spending time in service of the shadowy familiar, and as long as the entity in question had no qualms with it, he didn't see a reason not to show some appreciation to the man who had and still was helping them a lot since the departure from the port town Nebula.

Selene and Bryn worked together with Silvia so that the fox lady could introduce their new friend to the little details about her and Miria’s realm, the panthergirl’s family, and how things were in general. It was the first time the Valkyrie stepped into a different world than hers or Ast’s, in a slightly different way than just being summoned by her master.

That left Asterios to partner up with Radir. It was a great match. The two could talk with each other about the books, notes, and other writings as they collected them, also discussing Ast’s Memory Seal and his general situation after the attempt to remove it.

The amount of material was around a quarter or a half time greater than the hideout in the beastfolk realm. Everyone had agreed to call them that after watching the unlocked part of Ast’s memories, learning at least one of the functions of those locked and secret places.

Nevertheless, they had to spend over an hour moving everything they could to Miria’s place while the cheerful panthergirl sorted it on the other side. 

She actually had some help after a few initial minutes. Her mother came in and joined in the activity, making use of the opportunity to interact with her shy daughter a little more, meeting Asterios, his other mate, and his companions too. 

Of course, Oria wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t weave some teasing into their cooperation, often distracting her too-shy-for-her-own-good daughter. Except for that, everything progressed in a warm and happy atmosphere.

After the mother and daughter duo finished placing down the last batch of books, Oria returned to her own responsibilities, not without throwing in a quick question about the kittens she would like to see soon, making Miria even more embarrassed.

In that way, Asterios had no doubts she and his mother would become the best of friends if they could meet. It was a funny thought and an extremely dangerous one. He could barely survive Kindra’s teasing. Another motherly figure poking fun at him would be way too much.

With the entire chamber emptied out, leaving just bare furniture around, everyone gathered in the very middle.

“Alright. Let’s go see those artifacts you guys mentioned earlier. Then, I can get to copying all the formations off the ground. That might take a moment.” Radir stretched a little.

“Is there a need to do so right now?” Miria tilted her head.

“What do you mean?” The demon man glanced at her in confusion.

“Umbra can just show us the perfect image of these whenever we want, no?”

~I can do much more than that,~ the shadow in question joined in and Umbra took off Ast’s shoulder.

The black, misty smoke spread out a little and soon formed an exact copy of the main array in the air right in front of everyone. There were no discrepancies. Everything was replicated to the smallest detail with the utmost attention.

“Well, I guess that could work too, and save a lot of time.” Radir smiled wryly, hiding the notepad he had brought out in the meanwhile.

Making sure that Umbra memorized every possible magical circle and formation, they moved to the vault together. Radir was instantly in awe the moment they entered the artifact storage. He quickly recognized a few of them as legendary trinkets and items often described to have been used by the Founding Ancestors, especially Eyla. Svertaniel began noticing it after his mention too.

“So. I don’t think we should take too many things. Do you have any idea if anything here is useful?” Asterios asked Radir as they walked around the displays.

“I don’t need to take one if you are considering me as a side in this,” Svertaniel interjected. “Artifacts just don’t work too well with my magic, except for my grimoire. And, I’m already receiving a lot.”

Asterios didn’t want to argue so he nodded. Then, his eyes moved on to Silvia. She met his gaze and showed a faint smile.

“I wouldn’t mind taking one, I guess. Perhaps as a souvenir from our first journey. I’m not really in need of artifacts and Father would definitely get anything I required.”

“You are in luck then,” Radir finally got a word in. “Most of these seem to have exactly that purpose. These are various memorabilia. With one or two more useful trinkets here and there. Judging by the looks, of course.”

“Let’s take an even closer look at them, then!” Miria exclaimed happily and ran ahead.

The vault was full of little items serving as the objects of memory, ranging from things of everyday use to magical weapons and artifacts. It wasn’t always easy to guess their main purpose and effect at a first glance.

So many things begged to be picked with their quirky or interesting design that no one could decide on what to actually choose. Fifteen minutes passed and neither Asterios nor Silvia made their choices. Only Radir got something in a flash, obviously connected to sealing magic. It was a weird quill he identified as one to trace runes and formations.

The search continued until Selene stopped by one of the small displays. Asterios and the rest of his summons noticed her suddenly freezing and approached the fox lady.

“Found something interesting?” Miria asked, peeking over her shoulder.

Selene pointed her finger at the glass showcase. “That material and pattern. I know it too well.”

Everyone from Ast’s group took a better look at the item. It was a piece of torn cloth, definitely coming from someone’s dress. Asterios immediately understood why it had caught her attention. Even he could tell that it had clearly been made by Spiritual Foxes. The design and material matched what Selene usually wore and what he had seen on Lerisse, their Matriarch.

“You don’t think that is…” he pondered out loud.

Selene’s finger moved down at the plaque embedded into the stylized pillar.

“From the first time Drahan and Eyla finally landed a hit on the fox-eared goddess,” Bryn read it out loud.

“Well. That leaves almost no doubt,” Asterios declared.

“Yes. While it’s clear that Kaguya didn’t live here with Red like back in our realm, it seems that she and the demon trio met at least a few times. Perhaps she was already with Red when he was researching Sealing Magic and came to visit now and then,” Selene shared her thoughts.

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“I wonder if there are more places like this if he was looking into more kinds of magic.” Miria leaned into Asterios while looking at the piece of clothing.

He scratched under her chin a little, evoking a quiet purr from the panthergirl. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see one in Bryn’s realm. Or in another one. Or even in mine but on a different continent. They did mention hideouts. Plural.”

“The biggest question is why?” Selene rubbed her chin. “Was he preparing for something? Looking for answers regarding something? Trying to grow even more powerful for some reason?”

“From the memories we watched, it looked like Master’s father wanted to stay undetected, away from the sight of his enemies, most likely,” Bryn joined in on the conversation. “I think Sealing Magic could serve that purpose very well, with the seal on Master’s memories and source being just a byproduct of it.”

“Pretty good point.” Asterios nodded. “Please, feel free to share more of your thoughts whenever you feel like it. You are a valuable part of our team, no matter how recently you joined it.”

Bryn showed a soft smile and nodded too. “Then, I could see Summoning Magic being useful for the same purpose too. At least, if it worked for him the same way it does for you, Master, with that traveling between realms.”

“Red was researching the passages and some other things in our world!” Miria almost shouted, letting out a gasp of realization. “It was alongside the effect True Dragons could have on it or something like that! This could explain why Master can get through the gate!”

“Certainly, the draconic lineage does influence quite some things from what we have seen and learned,” Asterios agreed. “And it was part of the reason behind his research too.”

“Then, if we follow that logic and assume the same purpose, the next one could potentially be Illusion Magic or something similar. It matches with the other ones decently well,” Bryn finished giving her opinions.

“I have a feeling we will find it in your world,” Selene said. “It’s an unfounded belief but it just somehow feels right to me.”

“There’s only one way we can find out.” Miria looked between them. “And I can’t wait for us to start!”

Asterios chuckled and patted her some more. “Soon. We have some things to do before that, and Bryn would have to prepare too. She would most likely be our main guide if she doesn’t mind, and that would take away quite a bit of her time.”

“Oh, I have no problems with that,” the Valkyrie quickly responded. “For the case of having to leave the ARK for a longer period of time, I can arrange everything beforehand so that my presence isn’t necessary. There are many capable valkyrja in the Council, even if some of them are a tad rough.”

“Thank you. We’ll make sure to help however we can. There’s no rush yet. I don’t want to go on another journey before Tina’s graduation. Who knows, maybe she will want to join us.” Asterios smiled, easily being able to imagine that turn of events, especially with what they had learned about the Dragon’s Bonding Ritual.

Leaving the ripped material alone, they resumed looking around while chatting about the potential magic in Red’s repertoire, trying to come up with the ones fitting his agenda from Ast’s memories. They wondered if he and Kaguya were still in hiding or if someone had discovered them after they had left Asterios in Teira.

In the end, after spending quite a bit of time in the vault, both Ast’s and Silvia’s sides picked something up. 

She chose a hairpin that changed the color of the wearer's hair when filled with a specific amount of mana. Everyone agreed that it was a useful find. Selene joked that she had gotten even closer to Asterios, with their similar clothing style and connection with fire not being the only most striking, matching features.

Miria decided on a beautiful hair comb. She had no doubt it belonged to Kaguya in the past, somehow ending in the hands of the demons. As much as she was beginning to hate the woman more and more, she wanted it to be a gift for Selene since the comb had a similar design to what she used.

A short argument followed about how Miria should have gone with something for herself instead, but Asterios arbitrated it fairly quickly and Selene accepted her friend’s goodwill with an appreciative smile. She could tell that brush was special in some way.

To not waste more time, they all made one more round around the whole underground complex to look for anything they could have missed and gathered back in the secret chamber.

“What do we do now? Walk back to the room we were teleported to?” Miria inquired curiously.

~One of the formations here looks to be based on a transfer spell too. It could potentially be the exit,~ Umbra responded, starting to hover above the array he mentioned.

“Okay. Before we try anything, let’s decide on our next course of action,” Asterios said, capturing everyone’s attention.

“I’m pretty sure I should be able to get us an audition with the Demon King in less than a week. The earlier we mention our discovery, the better. Lower chance of people breaking in here or just starting coming inside in bigger numbers,” Radir informed them.

“In the meantime, I believe this could be a good moment for me to return to Father and give him a brief report of what we have learned. And what I have learned,” Silvia said.

“Good idea. I can transfer you at any moment, after we get out, of course. Not much I can do for you, Radir.”

The red-skinned demon shook his head. “It’s not necessary anyway. Well, except for the travel after our audience. I could use some help getting to the Human Continent faster than weeks if not months.”

Asterios nodded. “Svertaniel?”

“I’ll remain here with you, and later after you guys move to another realm in search of more clues and answers too. I haven’t been on the Demon Continent for some time and it will be a good opportunity to catch up with some things.”

“Alright. First of all, we need to get out of here. Let’s see where this array is connected to, then.”

~I can tell that it links somewhere to the surface. The more accurate position is a bit too unclear due to all the disruptive magic around,~ Umbra said.

Everyone moved to stand over the wide patterns after his words.

“What now? How do we activate it?” Miria checked the patterns from up close.

“Let me try it,” Asterios said and began releasing some of his scorching hot aura, condensing it, and sending it to the magic circle.

In just a bit, the various rings surrounding the middle section lit up one by one and everyone was blinded by a flash of white light just like previously. They felt a strong pull but managed to stay fully conscious and focused while experiencing the trip a second time.

Less than two seconds later, they found themselves under the scarlet sky again, standing in the middle of the very same formation that had sent them under the ground. Numerous voices coming from countless people filled the air as many demons scattered over the entire inner part of the Ring City, each of them examining a piece of newly discovered structure.

No one started instantly shouting when the very peculiar group of seven people suddenly popped into existence out of nowhere, too busy with their own business. Asterios lowkey expected some kind of militia or guards waiting for them on the surface, but it didn’t seem like the destruction of the sandstone in the middle of the Ring City had been associated with them.

“This could explain why no one followed after us,” Radir spoke first after they had surfaced.

Asterios looked around with more attention and nodded to himself.

“The rotating rings have been reset, perhaps when we got taken by the transferring array. Unless someone knows that draconic script, there’s no way anyone gets in, except for us.”

Miria’s ears flopped a little. “And we put so much effort in moving everything.”

He brought her face up and briefly nuzzled his cheek into hers. “We couldn’t know. And, it’s better to have it at your place than here. Umbra can access it more easily. We all can.”

Miria soon cheered up and they began walking up the even slope as if nothing had happened and all the debris and destruction wasn’t their doing. At least the walls didn't look damaged, saved by Bryn's efforts of protecting them. Some of the crushed sandstone had already been tidied up and the Tri-Color Valley was starting to look even better than before. The beautiful arrays, inscriptions, and structures made of sandstone blocks would clearly make it even more popular and interesting.

From what they caught amongst the demon researchers or treasure hunters chatting together, or just curious townsfolk, tourists, and adventurers, the current version of events seemed to believe that something had been triggered and things uncovered by themselves with that powerful earthquake and explosion, which was supported by the fact that some weird power teleported everyone back into the city.

Asterios could only chuckle and shake his head at how easily they avoided any suspicion. Umbra was truly a godsend in many situations.

 

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