Alright, so we marched deeper into this so-called temple, which honestly looked less like a holy place and more like the set of a horror movie where the main character dies first for touching something they weren't supposed to. Guess who that usually is? Yeah. Me.
I spotted this tomb-looking mechanism sitting in the middle like it was screaming, touch me and perish. My brain said, don't do it. My soul said, don't do it. But my hands? Well, they twitched. Thankfully, before I could, Dehya sighed the sigh of a mother who's had enough of her kid's antics.
"This is why I told you not to touch anything," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
I raised my hands defensively. "I didn't even do anything yet! You're profiling me at this point."
Paimon zipped next to me and jabbed a finger in my face. "Because every time you do touch something, disaster happens!"
"Coincidences!" I shot back. "Pure coincidences."
Greg flicked his tongue in a very judgmental way, like he was siding with them. Traitor. He even tilted his head slightly like he was disappointed in me. Honestly, the audacity.
Lumine ignored both of us, of course, because she's got Main Character Energy. She actually leaned in and started examining the inscriptions. Nilou, ever the cinnamon roll, tilted her head and asked softly, "Do you think it's dangerous?"
"Yes," Lumine and Dehya answered at the same time.
I pointed at them dramatically. "Bias! I feel attacked!"
Nilou gave a tiny giggle and shook her head. "Maybe let Lumine handle it, Shigeru... just in case. I don't think you'd like another lecture."
See, that's the difference between us—Lumine reads instructions, I poke shiny buttons and hope for the best. After a few tweaks, turns, and probably twenty IQ points worth of deciphering, Lumine managed to activate the first mechanism. A loud clunk echoed through the room. I pumped my fist.
"Alright! One down, two to go!"
The others scattered into groups. Alhaitham, Cyno, Dehya, and Rahman handled the second, while Nilou and Lumine tackled the last one. And me? I was banned from touching things. Again.
I crossed my arms. "You know, at some point, this feels like discrimination."
Greg flicked his tongue at me again. Then he crawled up onto my shoulder, like he was making sure I didn't try anything. He was the babysitter now. Fantastic.
Once the last mechanism activated, the floor rumbled and a platform rose in the center. My eyes lit up. "Oh right! Remember when I told you before? Sumeru's ancient tech is sick. Look! An elevator! And this is early times. How cool is that?"
Lumine nodded, Nilou smiled with wonder, even Paimon seemed impressed. I puffed my chest out like I had personally invented it. We all hopped on the elevator. Cyno, meanwhile, was still watching Rahman like a hawk, probably planning twenty different ways to throw him off if he sneezed wrong.
As we rose, I noticed something small—tiny button on the ground. Suspiciously tiny. Like it was begging me to press it. And because I am, in fact, a professional idiot, I crouched and poked it.
Click.
The walls split open and suddenly, Fungus. Lots of it.
Dehya roared, "This is why you're the last person who should touch anything!"
Alhaitham dragged a hand down his face and muttered, "Idiot," before unsheathing his weapon. Lumine glared at me so hard I swear my lifespan shortened.
Nilou let out this awkward little laugh, trying to ease the tension. "Um... maybe it's good training?"
"Hey! That button looked suspicious!" I argued.
Cyno sliced a fungus in half without even blinking. "If it's suspicious, that means you shouldn't touch it."
"It looked at me funny!" I shot back.
Greg slapped his tail against my head. Even my lizard was disappointed in me.
Lumine smacked the back of my head. "You're impossible."
Even Rahman smirked from the sidelines. "He's more dangerous than me."
I jabbed a finger at him. "Don't you dare compare me to you! At least I don't make betrayal my full-time job."
Paimon zipped around dodging spores and yelling. "Why do we even bring you?!"
After a few chaotic minutes of punching, slicing, and me nearly getting eaten twice, the fungi were finally wiped out. I stretched and said, "Whew! Nice exercise."
Lumine deadpanned. "Touch one more thing and I'll tie you with a rope."
We carried on. Soon, we reached a fork in the path—two ways ahead. I immediately pointed to the right. "Let's go right!"
Everyone turned to look at each other. Then, like some silent telepathic council, they all agreed without saying a word.
Alhaitham stepped forward. "Left is correct."
And everyone followed him. Even Greg. Traitor.
I grumbled loudly. "Oh sure, follow Mr. Perfect Knowledge Guy. Nevermind the guy who brings vibes to the group."
Nilou gave me a sympathetic smile. "We do listen to you, Shigeru... just maybe not for directions."
...And of course, left was correct. Fine. Whatever.
But then we ran into another group of fungus, and you know what that meant? Punching time. My favorite part of adventuring. Nilou let out a small yelp before steadying herself and said, "I'll try to support!" She twirled into action beside Lumine, while Paimon yelled at me the entire time. "Stop running into them like you're trying to get eaten!"
After another round of chaos, I slapped dust off my hands. "Alright, let's go up."
Lumine gave me this slow, careful nod... before immediately taking the stairs down.
I gawked. "Hey! You don't trust me at all, do you?"
Alhaitham didn't even blink. "Not in the slightest."
Dehya and Cyno nodded in agreement.
Even Rahman, of all people, said, "I wouldn't follow you, and I'm already evil."
I jabbed a finger at him. "Evil people don't get a say!"
Paimon put her hands on her hips. "For once, Paimon agrees with Rahman."
We wandered through more lefts and rights, fought another round of fungi—seriously, how do they keep spawning here?—and eventually found another elevator. When it stopped, we were greeted by a massive door mechanism.
I clapped my hands. "Cool! This thing screams ancient traps and death sentence!"
Lumine glared at me. "Shut up." She stepped closer, studying the inscriptions.
Alhaitham asked her calmly, "Do you think you can open it?"
After a long silence, she spotted a mechanism-like button and fiddled with it. Slowly, the door rumbled open, revealing another elevator descending.
"Cool, cool," I said, nodding sagely. "That's a protagonist for you."
Everyone jumped onto the platform. Greg and I were a bit late. I tripped, face-planting hard onto the platform while Greg sat comfortably on top of my head like a king.
"Please warn me before activating ancient elevators..." I groaned.
Alhaitham and Cyno sighed in unison. Paimon and Rahman were laughing their butts off. Lumine and Dehya facepalmed.
Nilou, bless her heart, tried to help me up. She really is too pure for this world. She said gently, "Be careful, okay? You always hurt yourself."
The elevator stopped at... the wrong place. We had to go back. I threw my hands in the air. "So I faceplanted for nothing?!"
Another round of Lumine-magic-button-pressing later, and voila—we were finally at the top. I eyed the surroundings.
"Whoever built this place must've been a creep. Or a weirdo. Or maybe someone with a fetish for watching adventurers lose their minds."
Paimon nodded. "Honestly, that makes sense."
Greg flicked his tongue in agreement, curling himself around my neck like a scarf. He was so smug about it too.
At the top, we found another mechanism like the one from the entrance. We split into groups again to align them. (Still banned from touching anything, by the way. Unbelievable.) Another elevator activated.
I grinned. "Great! The Uber elevator is here! Let's go!"
As we rose, the scenery changed. Lush greenery spread out around us, vines and plants stretching across the ancient stone.
Rahman muttered in awe. "Now that's a sight to see... King Deshret's splendor surrounds us."
Dehya folded her arms. "There's so much vegetation here. It's different than what I expected."
Paimon floated in circles. "Sure are a lot of plants for a desert!"
Rahman chuckled. "Heheh, that's what I call divine providence of King Deshret."
I scratched my head. "Divine providence, huh? More like divine landscaping service. Bet he hired an ancient gardener."
Nilou giggled softly. "It really is beautiful though... like the desert is hiding a secret garden."
Lumine softened slightly at her words, giving a small nod. "Yeah... it is beautiful."
And then, just when things seemed peaceful, the whole world shifted. We got sucked straight into a domain.
I groaned. "Great! Time to see what doom awaits us here!"
Lumine smacked the back of my head. "Don't jinx it."
Greg flicked his tongue twice and curled tighter around my neck. Even my lizard knew we were doomed.
***
We're inside this domain and for once, it wasn't actively trying to murder us. A miracle. Normally, the walls collapse, the floors vanish, or some ghostly thing screams at me personally because apparently I have the face of someone who owes everyone money. But this one? Peaceful. Creepy peaceful. The kind of peaceful where you're like, "Yep, this is the calm before the giant monster eats us all."
I cleared my throat dramatically. "Alright team, place your bets. Peaceful domain: fifty percent chance it's a trap, fifty percent chance we're about to get lectured by some ancient hologram."
Greg flicked his tongue like he was betting on 'trap.' Can't blame him.
We walked deeper, and that's when Paimon pointed ahead. Her eyes sparkled like she just spotted a floating buffet table.
"It's getting brighter! Ooh, it looks so beautiful!" she gasped.
I squinted at the glowing tree in front of us. "Yeah… for once, I'll agree. No puns, no jokes. Just—wow."
Greg flicked his tongue at me again like he didn't believe a single word.
Nilou smiled softly, stepping closer beside me. "It really is beautiful. Almost like it's alive, breathing… watching us."
I side-eyed her. "Okay, don't say it like that. Now it sounds creepy again."
Lumine hummed, keeping her hand near her weapon, because unlike the rest of us she had common sense. "Beautiful usually means dangerous in places like this. Stay alert."
I nodded dramatically. "See, that's why she's the responsible one. If this thing turns out to be a carnivorous plant, I'm feeding Paimon to it first."
"Hey!" Paimon puffed up like an angry balloon. "Why Paimon?!"
"Small size. Easy snack," I said with a completely straight face.
Nilou giggled and covered her mouth. "Shigeru…"
Even Lumine cracked a smile, though she quickly masked it with her serious Traveler face. Greg? Greg just crawled onto my shoulder like he was distancing himself from the impending crime.
Then Cyno suddenly stopped. His serious tone cut through the atmosphere. "Wait. What's that?"
We all followed his gaze. Sure enough, beneath the flowers was something else.
Paimon floated closer, tilting her head. "A load of flowers… and it looks like there's something among them…" Her face scrunched up. "It looks like a tomb."
Rahman stepped forward, his voice grim. "These are King Deshret runes…"
Alhaitham crouched down, analyzing the markings like the smug bookworm he was. "They left something behind… Yes, it's an elegy written in an ancient script."
Dehya crossed her arms. "What does it say?"
Alhaitham's voice was calm, almost reverent. "Here lies our faithful priest, Kasala. His wisdom is a miracle among the people, deserving of high praise and admiration."
Rahman blinked. "You can read ancient King Deshret script?"
Alhaitham didn't even look up. "Of course. Every student needs to master at least twenty languages before they graduate."
I blinked. "Bro, I struggled with English and you're telling me twenty?"
Paimon threw her hands in the air. "He's not serious, right?!"
Nilou tilted her head, curious. "Still… it's incredible you can read something this old."
Cyno narrowed his eyes, scanning the area. "There's still something off about this place… The elemental energy here is too concentrated. The scent of life… Is it trying to tell us something?"
Alhaitham touched the mechanism. "Hm… Is this it?"
There was a low hum. "Analyzing…" the device echoed.
Alhaitham adjusted his stance as glowing letters and images appeared. "There seems to be a hidden message among these skeletal remains. Excellent. There's a device from King Deshret's civilization in this gravesite. I'll transmit the information over and project it for everyone to see."
Rahman stiffened. "Isn't sharing knowledge against the Akademiya's rules?"
Alhaitham's lips twitched. "Yes. However, under the circumstances, I'd prefer you to see this for yourself. You'll understand after watching it."
With that, the device roared to life, projecting a massive screen of light. I muttered under my breath as the name appeared. "…Kasala…"
And then his voice filled the chamber.
Kasala's speech played, echoing in every corner. He spoke of civilization born from knowledge, and knowledge becoming its own destruction. He spoke of King Deshret, forbidden wisdom, corruption, gray scales, land turning to dust, and the silence that followed. Of Rukkhadevata, who intervened and carried the burden when Deshret's ambition poisoned everything. He spoke of sacrifice, of friendship, of the gods who fought side by side against the end of the world. Of a king who gave his life and a goddess who gave her form.
By the time the light dimmed, silence clung to us like dust.
Dehya's voice broke it. "What was that…?"
Alhaitham straightened. "The priest's memories."
Rahman shook his head violently. "No… no! Impossible!"
Cyno's voice was low, certain. "Greater Lord Rukkhadevata… So the former Dendro Archon and King Deshret were never enemies at all…"
Rahman's voice cracked. "But… this doesn't make any sense! The Dendro Archon's followers… they're clearly—"
Paimon floated uncertainly. "Was that the former Dendro Archon? She became so tiny in the end…"
I took a deep breath. For once, no jokes came out. "Man… now it reminded me why I'm so stubborn in saving Sumeru. Those gods… They never gave up."
Nilou's gaze softened at me, but she stayed silent.
Lumine spoke, her voice almost wistful. "Greater Lord Rukkhadevata came to the rescue of King Deshret and his people, but eradicating the forbidden knowledge took so much of her power…"
She paused, eyes lowering. "The two deities' followers have resented each other all this time, completely unaware that their gods stood by each other through life and death."
I nodded and stepped forward. "Allow me to explain it thoroughly. Let's divide it into parts so it's clear."
I raised a hand. "First, Forbidden Knowledge itself. It wasn't just dangerous—it wasn't meant for this world at all. Think of it like a poisonous seed planted in soil that couldn't contain it. No matter how strong the land was, it would wither."
I took another breath. "Second, where it possibly came from. King Deshret sought knowledge beyond Celestia's reach. He wanted freedom, answers, power. Some say he gazed beyond the heavens themselves, into realms we mortals can't even name. What he found was truth… but that truth was poison."
Nilou tilted her head. "So it wasn't meant for us… it was never meant for anyone here."
"Exactly." I glanced at everyone. "And third, the consequence. When that knowledge spread, it consumed minds, bodies, and even the land itself. A plague born not of disease, but of ideas too heavy for this world to carry."
My voice softened. "Yet in all of this, Rukkhadevata didn't abandon him. She stood by him, shouldered the burden for both of them. And when Deshret sacrificed himself, she carried that weight until it broke her too."
Greg tapped my cheek with his tiny claw like he was saying 'deep speech, but don't get carried away.'
Everyone's eyes were on me. My chest felt heavy, but I pushed on. "I don't know if I have the right to tell you all this. But I think everyone deserves to know the truth. About your god. About her. About how they weren't enemies, but friends."
Paimon blinked. "It's the smart Shigeru… This is probably reliable."
For once, I didn't crack a joke. "Because it is."
Alhaitham nodded slightly and looked at Rahman. "You might be distrustful of the Akasha, but there's no reason for you to doubt King Deshret's technology. You've just witnessed his priest's last words."
Rahman staggered back. "I've… never heard about any of this before. The surviving followers of King Deshret all gathered in Aaru Village. Our god did not make mistakes… We refused to believe any of the rumors. King Deshret's death, the all-but-total annihilation of our civilization… It was all Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's doing! We saw her as nothing more than a traitor, who stabbed us in the back in our moment of crisis. Just like us humans, fighting, feuding, double-crossing each other to survive in the desert."
Cyno's gaze was piercing. "You were blinded by your prejudice."
Rahman's laugh was broken. "Hah… haha… If I hadn't seen this for myself… If I hadn't witnessed his last words with my own eyes, ears, and heart… How could I ever begin to accept this? The truth is so far from what I've always known. Am I really supposed to believe that after all these years… All this time seeking revenge… Suddenly now my enemy is my savior!?"
Dehya stepped forward sharply. "Rahman. That's enough. Give it a rest. You're starting to make a fool of yourself."
Rahman turned to her, his eyes desperate. "Dehya, tell me… My Eremites and I… What are we even fighting for?"
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Why do we have to fight in the first place? When we can just settle and talk about our differences?"
The room fell silent. Then, warmth broke it.
Nilou suddenly jumped at me, hugging me tight. "Choosing to be with you really is the right decision."
I froze, arms awkwardly up like I was about to be arrested. "Wha—wait, hold on, I didn't plan for this kind of emotional assault."
Paimon giggled. "Aww, look at him, turning into a tomato."
Lumine shook her head but smiled softly at the scene.
Greg? Greg flicked his tongue and crawled onto Nilou's arm like he was third-wheeling us on purpose. Then he looked at me, tongue flicking like he was saying 'yeah buddy, you're stuck now.'
Yeah. This is my life.
_____________________
End of Chapter 129
Quests Completed:
*Witnessed the priest's final recorded memories. Learned the true story: King Deshret was not betrayed by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, but saved by her. His ambition unleashed forbidden knowledge that poisoned the land, and her sacrifice carried the burden until it destroyed her too.
*Pressed a very suspicious button mid-elevator ride. Result: sudden fungus ambush, Dehya yelling, Alhaitham sighing, Lumine glaring, Greg disappointed. Team consensus: Shigeru is banned from touching anything ever again.
*Insisted on going right. Entire party silently overruled you and went left. Result: left was correct. Self-esteem –10.
*Entered a surprisingly non-lethal domain filled with lush plants and an aura of reverence. Suspicion level: 200%. Peace level: 0% (because Shigeru exists).
*Heard the truth of Deshret and Rukkhadevata through ancient projections. Lore comprehension achieved. Rahman's entire worldview shattered in one cutscene.
*Watched Rahman spiral between denial, rage, despair, and confusion after learning his god was never betrayed. Achievement unlocked: Existential Crisis.
*Received an unexpected hug from Nilou after making a heartfelt speech. Emotional support +100. Shigeru.exe crashed from embarrassment. Greg switched allegiance mid-hug.
*Greg officially became Shigeru's babysitter, preventing button presses and siding with everyone else. Loyalty status: questionable.
Rewards:
Adventure EXP: +7,000*Companionship EXP: +560 (Lumine, Nilou, Paimon, Greg, Alhaitham, Cyno, Dehya, Rahman)
*Kasala's Memory Fragment — A shard of history containing the priest's last words. Heavy with sorrow and truth.
*Forbidden Knowledge Residue — Strange energy clings faintly to you. Harmless… for now.
*Nilou's Hug of Encouragement — Removes 1 Stress Stack, restores 20 Morale, and applies the Embarrassed Tomato debuff to Shigeru.
*Greg's Babysitter Badge — Passive: Greg perches on you to stop further chaos. Cannot be unequipped.
*Alhaitham's Twenty Languages Flex — Provides +5 Lore Intimidation when someone doubts your knowledge.
*Cyno's Eternal Judgement Stare — Passive debuff: Reduces Shigeru's Button-Touching Attempts by 15%.
*Dehya's Sigh of Disbelief — Restores +10 Sanity to the party. Deals –10 Ego damage to Shigeru.
*Rahman's Existential Dread — Proof that lore bombs can wreck bandits harder than fists.
*Greg's Betrayal Tail Smack III — Upgraded again. Now hits harder when Shigeru deserves it.
*Reputation+25 (Aaru Village — "Those Who Carry the Truth")
Achievement Unlocked:"Lore Bombed"
-Survive an emotional lore drop, a fungus ambush, two facepalms, and a cinnamon roll hug all in one chapter.