The evening of that day, Vale had his core completely filled for the first time ever, and he brimmed with power. Fortunately, he had previously asked Taiwo to teach him how to shield his core and aura from casual glances.
She had told him that anyone higher in advancement could see through it, but they would have to try, and he would know they were checking his core. That was good—at least no casual glance could view it.
Vale thought about it, adjusting the essence in his body as he made his way through the camp. It was still calm, most people having not yet returned from their daily work. At least the usual tension is lowered now, but a portion of that tension is directed at me, he thought.
People looked at him, their gazes lingering longer than before. He now wore black trousers and a shirt of the same color, a small sword at his side. He moved like a feline predator on the hunt, his eyes tracking everything around him.
He walked like danger incarnate, as if he could explode into action at any moment. In the Borderland, people were always wary of those like him. Vale ignored them all as he left the camp behind and entered the ruins proper.
He arrived at the Nyxori building and used the back door to enter. This would be his first lesson, and he was excited. Usually, this was something his Order in the Knight Assembly would handle. The thought soured his mood as he pushed open the office door after a quick knock.
Inside, Kren sat where he had on the day they first met, but Arvas was absent. Kren pushed his glasses up his nose and gestured for Vale to sit opposite him.
Vale took his seat and glanced at the books in front of Kren.
The man smiled gently. "I don't even know where to start. There's simply so much that I think I should teach you."
"Why don't you start from the beginning? Maybe that ancient language?" Vale suggested.
"Right!" Kren took a deep breath. "Karthaniss, the ancient language, was known as the fragments' language of the gods, broken down and mixed, of course! It was said that only those with the bloodline of the gods can speak the real fragments."
"Have you ever seen anyone with the bloodline of the gods?" Vale asked, curiosity sharpening his tone.
Kren snorted. "No, I've not. I don't even believe in them. The majority of people in the Eternal Skies don't believe in the gods. They're relics of bygone times. As you know, we believe in one's own strength. Some historians don't even believe the gods existed."
"So this ancient language, how did you come about it? And how do you know it's what it is on the door to that ruin?" Vale asked, more intrigued than anything else.
Kren tapped the books in front of him with his finger, smiling. "Whether from the gods or not, Karthaniss is a language of power. We use it to invoke techniques. It's rare. Families and Orders guard it closely, as it's one of the foundations of their techniques. The ones on that ruin door were already copied and sold to us by the Steelclaw Alliance.
"Do you see how valuable it is now? No one has the complete Karthaniss language, but the pieces discovered in rifts and ruins are part of what some use in making techniques or enchanted tools."
Vale nodded. So the language is valuable. I should look out for something like that in the future.
Kren continued. "Since I'm already on the language topic, I should tell you the accepted history."
"Accepted?" Vale asked.
"Yes, because every clan and organization has what they think is the 'true' history. Let me see… alright. Five ages have passed so far. The First Age, the Dawn of the Gods, was a time we know very little about. The Second Age, the Time of the Arcane Wizards—they are said to be descendants of the gods who walked at the dawn.
"Now, it's generally accepted that this was when the Knights were created. They were created to help the Arcane Wizards, to guard their important things while they focused on their experiments. The Arcane Wizards were known as demigods and could wield all the power of an Order," Kren said excitedly.
Vale sucked in a sharp breath. "How's that possible?"
"Exactly! But that's what they were capable of, and that was why it was possible to create Knights. That age was also known as the Golden Age, where we flourished under the Arcane Wizards, even though those demigods fought each other. They created extraordinary things: enchanted tools and artifacts of terrifying power.
"And then they made the Rifts, and everything changed. The Third Age began—the Age of Despair. It was a time when the Arcane Wizards left, and monsters roamed the lands. Ruins began to appear, twisting the land. The world split, and continents were made. Warlords ruled the lands together with High Monsters. The Third Age lasted a long time and was the darkest yet."
Kren paused to gather his thoughts. Vale seized the moment. "Why didn't the Arcane Wizards just close the Rifts? Or help?"
"Who knows? There are lots of opinions. Some say they did help but were killed. Another version says they got swallowed by a Rift and couldn't help. And then some agree that they simply abandoned us."
"What's your version?" Vale asked.
Kren stared at him. "I think they got bored of their experiments here. I think they went to other realms."
"That's bold," Vale remarked. For him, he had no opinion. The Rifts were here, and they had to be dealt with.
Kren shrugged. "The Fourth Age is when the Emperor rose up and united the Eternal Skies under his rule. He brought together the Orders and cleared the continent of monsters, pushing them into the Darklands."
"And here we are in the Fifth Age."