Quies walked along the stone path once more, ascending the stairs he had ascended several times in the past.
He already had less than half of the day left to savor. The sun had already begun its downwards descent towards the horizon it rose from. Despite the changing seasons, afternoons could still get sweltering hot, so he spent a few more of his precious notes on some iced cowcow extract.
"Apparently it's not called cowcow extract… it's called cowfee? Same meaning, I guess."
He wasn't going anywhere in particular, nor was he going to pay anybody a visit. He was just taking a leisurely walk, exploring the island while he still could. Except, maybe he needed to talk to Evengarde about what he would get for doing this mission.
'Oaths… A power which comes from the soul's conviction.'
Quies reflected.
What was his conviction? What were his values? Was he devoted to them? Would he break?
He didn't know.
And it was precisely because he didn't know which answered the latter two questions. How could he possibly devote himself to follow morals which he hasn't yet formed? He was still figuring the world out, like most other people his age—even with what he went through.
Three days ago he had never taken the life of another person, at least, not that he could remember. Now, he wouldn't mind beheading a guy or two if his life was on the line.
Well, sort of…
Quies was conflicted.
'There's one place I was curious about. When I was passing by the inn.'
Falling leaves and flower petals danced in the air as they fell from auburn trees. Quies, once again, went in the direction of the Temple of the Blade, but instead of continuing straight, towards his inn, he took a right turn. He crossed a bridge, the stone structure radiating heat from the afternoon sun.
In front of him stood something he never had the time to explore. It was the ruins of a building.
It was still in good shape for a structure so old. The walls still stood straight, and one could easily see the construct it used to be before the rot of time. Within the structure, a single tree stood steadfast, shedding its fall veil.
Quies stepped on a few of its fallen leaves, some so dry that they crumbled at a mere touch of his foot.
'It seems like the vigils did a decent job at cleaning this area up. Then again, the fallen bricks and debris add character to this ruined building."
Quies walked into the ancient building, and under the shade of the tree. He took a sip of his iced cowfee, enjoying the peaceful serenity of his surroundings. The rustling of the leaves, the midday breeze…
He took a warm, deep breath in. He savored it for a moment before letting it go.
His eyes danced around the ruined structure, looking for any details within the dark stone walls of the building. Perhaps there would be inscriptions etched into the walls, or maybe other signs of what once was.
Traces of the old world—before the current epoch—were rare to spot, at least throughout lumen. It was to be expected, though. From what Quies knew, the last epoch, or the old world, had lasted up until a few hundred years before the current era calendar. Currently, the world was currently in its 13th century, meaning the past epoch had ended over 1,500 years ago.
That was the thing Quies was curious about, a thought which lingered in the back of his mind. How, and why, exactly, did the last epoch end? Perhaps it had something to do with people's reserved use of the song.
He recalled the time he asked Valerie, wondering why people didn't use the song as a form of technology in daily life. It would've surely been a great boon to have! Stoves powered by flamecharm, houses lit with electricity from thundercall technology, boats propelled at breakneck speeds through innovations in galebreathing…
So why hasn't it happened yet? They've had thousands of years to take advantage of these rising ideas.
His hand glided across the worn, slightly porous surface of the dark stone.
'Perhaps I'll never know… I have greater worries than finding out the history of this world. Then again, curiosity is a powerful influence.'
Curiosity can drive people to the edge of their sanity.
Walking around, he suddenly noticed a faint lime green glow emanating from behind the tree. Curious, he approached the mysterious light source. He walked with cautious, measured steps.
It was a green, faintly glowing liquid within the basin of a still, stone fountain. It stood out, since the color of the stone was much brighter than the rest of the building. It looked like it didn't belong in such a place.
Quies was mesmerized by its glow, and its seemingly eternal ripples across its surface. He could see his own face reflecting a gaze of wonder back at him on the surface of the fountain. Within his soul, he could feel a twinge of attraction coming from it.
However, when he put his hand close to the surface of the liquid, an invisible force seemed to stop him from making contact with it. There was some sort of barrier put around the liquid.
But he felt like he could push through it if he poked it a bit harder.
'I shouldn't do this…'
He recoiled back, leaving the placid fountain be. He stood there, just staring at the fountain, before turning and observing the rest of the ruins.