“What is wrong with you?”
“…Are you okay?”
Leon’s sudden actions startled everyone as they turned towards him. He wasn’t usually like this. Why was he suddenly acting like this?
As everyone started to question his actions, Leon’s gaze remained fixed on Caius.
“What did you say his name was?”
“Lazarus.”
Caius replied slowly, his face just as confused as the others. Neither he nor the others could understand Leon’s actions.
That was until Kiera suddenly thought of something.
“Lazarus? Isn’t that name kind of familiar?”
“Now that you mention it…” Aoife thought for a moment before smacking her fist onto her palm, “Oh, right. Isn’t that the name of the guy from the Evenus family?”
Leon’s reaction finally started to make sense.
But at the same time, the others shook their head.
“Wait, don’t tell me you actually think that it’s the same one from the Evenus family, right?” As Evelyn asked the question, Leon finally managed to recover himself as he looked back and placed his chair back in place.
“Sorry.”
He apologized rather quickly as he took a seat.
“I’m… probably overthinking things. I was just startled by the name.”
“Well, fair enough. That name’s kind of unique. What are the odds we see someone else with that name?”
Kiera laughed while leaning back.
Leon looked at her and forced a smile.
“Yeah…”
Indeed, what were the chances?
Leon didn’t want to immediately jump to conclusions, but he didn’t think such coincidences existed.
‘But why would he be here? No, it wouldn’t make sense… I don’t exactly know where this place is, but I’m sure it’s really far. Would that guy really be able to get here?’
Leon’s thoughts started to spiral as he thought of the Lazarus he met back in the Academy.
Thinking about him, Leon’s mind was blank.
He couldn’t recall much about him, but he knew that he had accompanied him to the Mirror Dimension.
This was at least what he had been told by the chancellor and the guards.
He had been in quite a bit of trouble back then.
Although Leon’s senses weren’t telling him a thing, for some reason… Leon felt that the merchant Lazarus and the Evenus Lazarus were one of the same.
That was why he hadn’t been able to hold himself back.
‘It’s no use trying to speculate on this. I’m sure I can find more information if I investigate. From his appearance to his powers… I’m sure I’ll be able to find something.’
“Well, setting Leon’s weird actions aside…”
Shifting the conversation away, Amell looked towards the others.
“Did anyone else find something?”
“Pretty much the same as the others.”
“Yeah.”
The small meeting continued like that until everyone shared what they found. By the time they were done, they had a good understanding of the city and its layout.
Nothing appeared strange with the place, aside from the recent incident involving the strange merchant.
Something about the merchant felt extremely off, and after a while, everyone dispersed once again to investigate the matter.
They felt that whatever happened had to be something big.
However, the more they investigated, the more shocked they grew.
A sword user?
Emotive Magic?
Summoning an army of statues from the water?
Casting a massive fog?
An Owl?
The more they heard of his exploits, the more terrifying he seemed.
But at the same time…
This merchant.
Why did he seem so familiar?
***
“This is pretty impressive.”
Lazarus stopped in front of a huge cathedral. It stood at the center of the city, at the heart of a large and populated plaza surrounded by all sorts of gothic-shaped buildings.
Twin spires reached into the cloudy sky, their dark stone striking against the graying sky. Rows of tall, narrow windows were filled with stained glass that contrasted with the dark stone, reflecting against the white sun above.
The front of the cathedral was covered in statues, saints, gargoyles, and angels, looking a little worn as they all looked towards the entrance of the large cathedral.
But most striking was the large rose window looked out like a single, staring eye.
Staring at the cathedral, Lazarus felt small, and looking at its entrance, he could see many people wandering inside.
It looked like an extremely popular attraction.
As his gaze wandered around and analyzed everything about the cathedral, he decided to head in.
The moment he stepped inside, a cool breath of air slid over his skin. Light spilled from high above, catching on the polished marble beneath his boots. The floor gleamed like ice, enough for him to see his own reflection. Or at least, what should’ve been his reflection… He didn’t have one any longer.
Above him, the cathedral stretched into a vast and massive mural. At first, the murals seemed purely decorative, beautiful but meaningless, all flowing lines and simple shapes that appeared to be there to simply give life to the place.
But gradually, they began to change
His gaze eventually fell towards a specific section of the murals where he saw a woman with long flowing blonde hair, standing above all else as she held onto a large specter, where he noticed a strange eye in the middle of it.
Her presence appeared to radiate ‘holiness’ and ‘purity’, although her face was turned away as she appeared to be facing a blurred-out figure.
The figure stood opposite her, its presence looming over like some sort of monster.
Lazarus’s eyes narrowed at the sight, and as he turned his head, his gaze eventually fell on a certain individual, garbed in brown clothes.
“Hello.”
Lazarus went on to greet him.
Looking at him, he looked like some sort of guide.
“Hello, how can I help you?”
“Are you the guide?”
“I am. Is there something that I can help you with?”
“Yes.”
Lazarus rummaged through his pocket and took out a single coin before handing it to the Guide.
“I’d like some information on that mural over there. What exactly is it?”
“Ahh, that mural.”
Taking the coin, the guide smiled before looking at the mural.
“I’m sure you already have an idea, but that mural depicts our Goddess Panthea in her holiest and purest of forms.”
A look of reverence flashed on the Guide as he looked at the mural.
“The mural depicts the Battle of the Shattered South, one of the most infamous conflicts ever to scar the region, and the battle that granted the Goddess rule over the Remnant South.”
Lazarus listened carefully while the guide spoke.
He was completely unfamiliar with this piece of history.
“The battle raged for months as the Goddess clashed with one of the gods. To this day, no one knows for certain who her opponent was, but the rumors suggest it was Mortum.”
“Mortum?”
Lazarus’s brow rose, and the guard merely smiled.
“It’s just rumors. No one but the Goddess truly knows the truth. Yet the battle was no easy one. It took everything she had to repel the other god. Though she emerged victorious, her precious scepter shattered in the struggle, and from the aftermath of that conflict arose the Eclipsed Maw.”
Lazarus felt his breath pause at the words.
“It’s a rather famous location. It’s not far from here, and many go there to try their luck.”
“Try their luck?”
What for?
“Well, rumors have it that the remains of the Goddess Scepter remain in the Eclipsed Maw. The church has tried many times to search for it, but with no success. We don’t believe the rumors to be true, but the Goddess herself appeared to have confirmed that her scepter is indeed there.”
“…Oh.”
As Lazarus’s gaze settled on the scepter in the Goddess’s hand, more precisely, on the eye embedded within it, a flood of understanding suddenly washed over him.
He finally understood why he had to go to the Eclipsed Maw.
However…
‘If even the Goddess can’t find it, what makes it possible for me to find it?’
Noel had never been specific when telling him about the location of the eye. All he said was that he’d eventually know once he got there.
Lazarus had yet to feel a single thing, but he could only accept the situation as it was.
He was also curious about something.
‘Did he really fight against the Goddess? What was the reason… and is she still alive?’
Lazarus thought of the steeple he saw from a distance, and his face twitched slightly.
Things would become rather complicated if she were still alive.
Unable to hold his curiosity, Lazarus turned towards the guide.
“If the Goddess herself says the scepter is inside the Maw, that means she’s still alive. So why hasn’t she gone to retrieve it herself?”
“Of course she’s alive.”
The guide laughed.
“It’s just that the scepter is broken. She no longer has a need for it, and…”
The Guide’s brow furrowed, but only for a brief moment, as he then shook his head.
“Well, let’s leave it at that. It mainly comes down to the fact that she has no need for it anymore. Although we did try to send a couple of expeditions looking for it, with no success. Some say it broke to the point of leaving nothing behind.”
“I see.”
Lazarus didn’t believe the words for one moment.
If his guess was right and the eye truly was the relic he sought, he doubted the Goddess was indifferent to it. There had to be more to it than what she let on.
“Is there anything else that I can help you with?”
Looking at the Guide, Lazarus shook his head and smiled.
“No, this is good enough for me. Thank you very much.”
“It was a pleasure working with you. I hope to see you again.”
“Yes.”
Brushing his hair back, Lazarus proceeded to look around the church, asking questions here and there before moving out. As he did, the scorching air of the Mirror Dimension hit him once more as he lowered his head.
His thoughts passed the moment he did.
“….”
His shadow…
It was partially gone.
Closing his eyes, Lazarus raised his head back up and proceeded to move forward again.
‘It’s starting…’
His slow and gradual erasure.
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