Theodore's voice echoed softly in the stone stairwell. "Althea and I grew up in a small village. Our father was killed by a wild beast, so our mother raised us alone. We prayed to the gods every day."
He paused, as if gathering the memory. "Then came the day the Sun God and Moon Goddess chose their representatives in this world. My sister and I were selected. They gave us power beyond anything we could have imagined, strength that matched the warriors from the old tales."
"My sister wanted to explore the world and spread their word. Out there, people didn't know our gods, they only bowed to strength."
'What's the world like now?' Iskar kept the question to himself.
"She traveled with her followers, liberating many villages. It was easy work, since few could stand against the beasts of the wilds. More and more sought the protection of our gods, and their influence grew." Theodore's tone carried a hint of wistful pride as they climbed.
"You said your sister traveled," Iskar cut in. "What about you?" He noted how the story centered on Althea, leaving the Moon's Chosen with no clear purpose.
"Me?" Theodore's step hitched almost imperceptibly. "Well, my goddess… asked me to protect my sister as she spread the word so effectively." For a split second, his words turned clipped, almost bitter, before smoothing back into practiced reverence. "It was a vital duty."
Iskar nodded as if he hadn't noticed. "How did the two gods even start fighting? It sounds like both were benefiting."
Theodore's shoulders stiffened. "…The Sun God sent troops to attack our followers. He had them killed. Without our knowing, the gods were battling above. Until… I felt my goddess vanish. My sister turned her back on the Sun God. He saw his own followers standing behind her as if she were their true deity. In his fury, he created this cursed land and trapped all our people here. Then he sealed us inside the temple. Galen, the knight you fought, was one of the Sun God's warriors, left here to make sure no one enters… or tries to find us."
Iskar felt the story didn't fit. Theodore made himself sound like a bystander, a guardian with no real role. Unbelievable for a Chosen. And why would sibling gods turn to killing each other over shared success? Something felt missing.
But another detail nagged at him, Sir Galen. Theodore said he was the Sun God's warrior, which seemed believable enough given the knight's fiery abilities.
But one thing didn't make sense: during their fight, Galen kept ranting about protecting the priestess from him. And before the explosion, he apologized, for failing her.
Why would a Sun God warrior be so devoted to a priestess his own god had supposedly turned against?
Unfortunately, he couldn't call out the lie directly, not yet. Maybe things would make sense once he saw the sister, but his distrust of Theodore was already taking root.
Despite the man's sincere tone, nothing was easing Iskar's mind.
"How are you awake," he asked, "and your sister is not?"
Theodore stopped and turned, his grey eyes locking on Iskar. "My sister was cursed by the Sun God."
"And you think I can help with a curse from a god?"
"Of course," Theodore said, his voice softening with deliberate patience. "Your abilities… could… I'm truly not sure. But I promise you, you will be rewarded. In fact, if you still don't trust me, you can take your reward first, then decide whether to help. Though I suggest you do, I believe this may be your way out. Our way out."
Iskar gave a slow nod, processing the information. "So how long has it been since that day?"
He watched Theodore pause, the old man's gaze drifting as though searching some inner archive. "I truly don't know. I have no recollection of time. The last thing I remember before waking now was resting in this prison."
"And you're not curious how I got into this temple?" Iskar pushed, watching for any hint of evasion.
Theodore glanced back, his expression unreadable for a moment. "Perhaps I am. But that's the least of my worries right now. My sister is the priority. Let's pick up the pace, we're getting closer to the top."
Iskar said nothing more.
The climb continued in silence. Iskar used the moment to focus inward, pulling up his status screen. He knew there had been changes.
Level: 12 → 15
Physical Power: 50 → 55 → 58[F]
Magical Power: 50 → 55 → 58[F]
Spirit: 43 → 53 → 56
Energy: 430 → 530 → 560
Unallocated points: 6
He reviewed the changes. The initial jump to 55 in his Physical and Magical Power, plus the 10-point increase in Spirit, were clearly from absorbing a portion of Galen's power. The additional three points across all stats were from leveling up to 15.
He had six unallocated points. He distributed them evenly, two into Physical Power, two into Magical Power, and two into Spirit. The numbers shifted.
Physical Power: 58[F] → 60[F]
Magical Power: 58[F] → 60[F]
Spirit: 56 → 58
Energy: 560 → 580
He had broken through to the next tier mid-fight. He had expected some transformation, a noticeable shift, but there was nothing. He looked the same, his abilities were the same. He just felt… stronger. More solid. He wondered what the next major threshold was.
'It has to be 100, right?'
The logic seemed sound. The first threshold was 50, so it was reasonable to assume the next was double that.
As he thought about ranking up, another question surfaced. Was everyone like him? Could anyone just grow stronger by accumulating power? He doubted it. He seemed to be an exception because of his Absorption ability, which let him instantly claim stats from his foes.
He had considered asking Theodore about the state of the world, but the man's story suggested a long passage of time.
If it was true that the Sun God had killed the Moon Goddess and seized control, the world outside would likely be very different.
He pictured rigid, sun-worshiping cults and a society built around that single, dominant power.
While he had no real-world template in mind, this being his first magical world, he could easily imagine the kind of zealous society that would arise.