08: The Mortal Reach World

It had been exactly two decades since Shivani left Eastern Hallow Vales. During this time, she was asleep. A tube connected in her mouth kept her alive and healthy.

Suddenly, Shivani was awoken by the sound of buzzing. Slowly opening her eyes, she immediately took the tube off before leaning slightly towards the window. From there, she saw the frame around the exotic surroundings that was filled with ominous brittle silence. She also heard the glistening musical notes of a serenade, emanating out of nothing. The hollowed pool of the subtle light had adorned itself with the diamonds of millions of stars as well as billions of planets that weaved themselves on the cosmic frame of galaxy.

However, from her perspective, it was just a dark blanket, contrasting with black and yellow, and the occasional white, which was shaped as circle and sometimes a crescent. There were countless stars which dot the blanket in an intricate pattern. A demure, but mesmerizing surroundings as her space pod wafted ahead in that absolutely vast pool of divine creation.

"Warning. Warning. We are about to enter Mortal Reach atmosphere. Please stay seated and fasten your seat belt."

As soon as she heard the robotic voice, Shivani was met with spectacular views. It had never crossed her mind that a planet with bright colors existed. She was very accustomed to the dark, and it was her first time to see something like this. The planet looks like a blue marble with white swirls. Some parts are brown, yellow, green and white. She knew that the blue part was water, but she had never seen a body of water that vast. She also saw a line at the center, but she had no idea what it was.

"Warning. Warning. We are about to enter Mortal Reach atmosphere. Please stay seated and fasten your seat belt."

Not a minute later, her space pod suddenly descended at a rapid speed. As soon as it hit the atmosphere, the pod shook violently, but Shivani just sat there calmly.

Soon enough, she felt the pod dropped to the ground. Looking forward, she saw the vast desert. There were many creatures that she did not recognized. Some were small, while some were tall.

The pod took her to the middle of nowhere. There, it suddenly stopped as though a powerful magnetic energy tried to pull it down. Knowing that it would be burrowed in the ground, Shivani readied herself for the impact.

There was a defeaning sound as soon as the pod hit the ground. Before Shivani knew it, she was welcomed by the growing darkness.

...****************...

For what seemed like hours, the pod continued to be dragged down to the depths. Shivani had no idea how deep she already was, but she was not bothered even a bit. In her mind, she treated it like some sort of a new adventure. Soon enough, the pod came to a complete stop. With a sizzling sound, the door was finally opened.

The blackness was perfect, a sort of visual silence that gave a revered awe. Shivani watched as the dim light from the pod seeped up through the joints in the floorboards, and snaked its way out from the dark corners and crevices. Closing her eyes, she let her senses explored the area. It extended far and wide.

Just as soon as she did, an evil grin suddenly crept on her face. Without any second thoughts, she ambled towards the place where she felt a lot of foreign energy.

...****************...

For the next few minutes, Shivani continued to walk in the darkness. Not long after and she finally reached a wide space. From the dim lights coming from the torches on the wall, the first thing she noticed was the stinky, thick, and green liquids that were scattered everywhere. There was also a revolting smell that lingered in the air.

Shivani knew that whatever this was had to be the blood of a vicious predator, but she just ignored the place as she continued her journey towards a long and dark corridor.

She soon found herself standing in front of a huge door. Looking up, she observed the symbols on it. They looked ancient. A design like this ought to have a powerful meaning.

As she was about to touch the door, she heard a small ruckus from behind. Turning around, she saw a python-like creature standing a few meters away from her. Its saliva leaked out of its huge mouth as a loud growl escaped from it.

Instead of running, Shivani just stood there, observing the thing. It has no arms or legs, but possessed a long and powerful tail which it probably used to attack its prey. The tip of its tail was keen. It also possessed a wide hood similar to that of a cobra, which it spreads before spiting acid at its victims.

As soon as it gave out a thunderous hiss, it quickly crawled towards her.

Shivani narrowed her eyes, and stretched her arms. Just then, a long, black sword suddenly appeared. She quickly gripped its hilt and disappeared. She met it at the center. There was a loud blag as the thing fell to the hard ground. Its head was already decapitated and was laying across the space.

Turning around, Shivani saw its body that was continuously oozing off with green liquid.

Bewildered by the turn of events, she made her way towards its body. Looking down, she tried to observe what creature it was, but she failed. She had already seen countless species during her century of living, but not even a slightest detail went through her brain.

It was the first time that she encountered something like this. By the looks of it, it looked like a robotic animal, but definitely not a demonic one. Turning her attention to the green liquid, she was about to touch it when a loud yell suddenly filled the area.

"No! Don't touch that thing."

Turning her head towards the voice, Shivani saw a tall man running towards her. He was also using a language that she had never heard before.

"Stay away from that thing!" As soon as the mysterious man reached her, he immediately held her arms and dragged her away from the fallen creature.

Shivani then saw the man tore a piece of his tattered clothes and threw it towards the green liquid. Not a second later, and the cloth melted. It became nothing, but ashes.

"See that, Missy? That's what would have happened the moment your skin made contact with that thing." The man looked at the girl in front of him, expecting to see fear, but he was met by a blank face instead. He could not even see any form of emotions from her. He was about to say something when she suddenly turned around and started to walk away.

"Wait! I had no idea how you got here, but I could assure you that this place was perilous, especially for a girl like you. Do you understand what I mean?"

When she acted like she heard nothing, the man gritted his teeth as he hurried in front of her.

"I said wait, miss! Listen to me. Please don't go. There were hundreds of thousands of those things lurking in the darkness! Some were even bigger than others."

When the girl remained silent, he sighed. Inhaling some air, he once again looked at her with determination in his eyes.

From the dim lights coming from the torches, he suddenly froze as soon as he made contact with her blue eyes. It was devoid of any emotions. Not even a single expression could be seen. It felt like she was looking right through his soul.

He also took that chance to look at her fully. She only looked like sixteen or seventeen years of age. Her long, golden hair was put up on a messy bun. Her long, and tattered black robe hid her whole body, except for the visible pair of wooden sandals that she wore. However, he could not define the child's beauty in words.

The man was stunned for a moment. However, he quickly came back to his senses when they heard a deafening noise coming from afar.

"We need to go! It's not safe here anymore. Come on, miss!" The man felt his whole body trembled, but he did his best to ignore it.

Quickly reaching the girl's hand, he began to run as fast as he could. He did dot want to die just yet.

After a few minutes, they reached the dead end. The man hurriedly went on the corner and pushed a wall. A second later, and it turned to a secret entrance.

"Come in, hurry!" he said as he turned his head from left to right.

It would be a problem if they were caught.

As soon as they got in, Shivani immediately observed the wide space. There was nothing to see except for five large bags on the corner. Besides it were some clothes that were already faded and dirty.

On a far corner, Shivani saw seven skeletons. There were also several bones that were scattered everywhere.

"Now, missy. Do tell me. How the hell did you end up in a place like this?"

The man waited for an answer as he ambled towards the bags, but got nothing in return.

Turning around, he looked at her curiously. She looked relaxed at first glance, but the way she stood told a different story. There was also a mysterious and powerful aura surrounding her. The way she held herself screamed that she's not just an ordinary girl. To top it all, her facial expression did not changed since he found her. He recognized a warrior since he used to be one, but it was impossible. She's too young. Almost a baby!

"Was it just me?" Sighing, he decided to ignore it.

"Uhm, hello? Could you speak? Do you understand me?"

Instead of answering, Shivani turned around as though she heard nothing. She made her way towards the darkest side and leaned on the wall.

"Could you at least tell me your name? I can't keep calling you miss forever, you know? That was not right."

Shivani focused her gaze at the man. She needed to know what kind of language he was using.

All of a sudden, a chill ran down the man's spine as soon as their eyes met. Suddenly, he felt something odd. It was as though something grabbed his brain at the moment. Somehow, he felt the connection, but he did not know what it was. He wanted to resist, but something stopped him. As soon as it appeared, it disappeared without a trace.

"Shivani."

He snapped out of his trance as soon as he heard her voice. It was tantalising!

"What was that?" Shaking his head, he then focused his attention to the girl. He felt the urge to know everything about her.

"Shivani, eh? In other words, life and death?"

Receiving no reply from her, he continued.

"I did not mean to scare you. I think the name suits you really well. But wait, don't you want to know where your name came from? It's from the goddess, Shivani. The wife of the god, Shiva. Wow! It only means that you are named after a goddess."

Seeing her with no reaction, the man sighed. Disappointed. This was his first conversation after a really long time, and he was excited. Nonetheless, it did bot bothered him that much. Without any words, he approached the child. Sitting down in front of her, he stretched his hands.

"A pleasure to meet you, little miss. I am Doctor Quinn Phillips. A retired Archeologist. I once worked for the TOVP, otherwise known as, The Order of the Viridian Phoenix." Quinn smiled as best as he could. Trying everything to not scare the girl.

Moments passed, but Shivani did not reach his hands. She was still being bombarded by some informations that she got from Phillip. She saw nothing about the strange gesture like he was doing now.

Shivani just sat in front of him like a statue. Not even the slightest movement could be seen as she looked straight into his eyes. She's not even blinking as she did.

Gulping, Phillip gave out an awkward smile before pulling back his hands. He caressed his nape as he gave out a laugh.

"Well, I guess you're not the cordial type of person, huh? But do tell me please, how old are you and how did you get here? Are you alone? Where are your parents?"

Another minute passed, but Shivani remained silent. Sighing yet again in disappointment, Phillip was about to say something when she suddenly spoke.

"120 summers."

Phillip was taken aback by what she said. He studied her for a few moments and laughed.

"You almost got me, Shivani. Over a century? Come on! You can't be serious. Physically, you only looked around sixteen, or seventeen years old. Still a baby if you asked me."

'It can't be true. Maybe she's just joking with me?'

"Look..." He was immediately cut off when an earsplitting shrill filled the surrounding. It was unlike he had ever heard before. It was followed by the sounds of chains. It seemed that whatever caused the screech wanted to break free.

"Oh, no! This is not good! Very bad! The Queen has awoken! Why now?" Phillip felt his whole body trembled. He suddenly felt a knife in his guts, slowly twisting his inside as well as a hammer that pounded in his head.

He only snapped out of his trance when it stopped. Phillip sighed a breath of relief before looking at her. She was still looking straight at him. Her gaze sent shivers down his spine.

"Since were both stuck here, would you like to hear a story?" Phillip asked in desperation. It has been countless years since he had someone to talk to, and he definitely would not let this chance go.

He let out a deep breath before moving to sit beside her. Glancing at her, he continued.

"Roughly 30 years ago, a wealthy Industrialist, Karen Yoshimura, detected a mysterious heat beneath the already hot desert of the Sahara which was later on revealed through thermal imaging that there was a pyramid buried 4,000ft (1.22 km.) beneath. She then attempted to claim it for her Multinational Communications Company, the Yoshimura Industry, so, she assembled a team of experts to go and investigate. I was one of them. When our team arrived, we found the shaft above the heat source and descended beneath the desert. It was not that long when we located this mysterious pyramid. We explored it immediately, finding evidence of prehistoric Civilizations, and what appeared to be a sacrificial chamber filled with human skeletons. There were ruptured rib cages, as well as several bones that was scattered everywhere. Because of our hunger for knowledge as well as curiosity, we continued. It was only when my team died one by one that we realized there was no way out. It was already too late when we perceived that we are dealing with something very dangerous and ancient as well as what this place really was! Through the translation of this pyramid's Hieroglyphics, we learned that the predators had been visiting Mortal Reach for thousands of years. It was they who taught early human Civilizations and were worshiped as gods, and this place was their breeding ground. At the time we got here, the queen was resurrected. Those of us who remained, fought, but in the end, we only managed to lock it up when it ran to our ultimate trap. The price was exorbitant, and I lost all my comrades, leaving me alone in this hell-hole. When everything was over, I tried to find my way out, however, it was already too late. I tried to find another way, but eventually lost hope. I already accepted my fate long ago, and was ready to die, but I found you instead."

As soon as the man finished his story, a creepy smirk crept through Shivani's face. She now knew what kind of creatures they were. She saw Phillip stood and grabbed his old bag. He held it in front of her as though it was a precious gem.

"You see, I spent ten years, inventing a type of bomb that was strong enough to destroy even the queen, but I only recently completed it due to lack of equipments." Phillip's voice was full of pride. It was his greatest invention out of scraps, but when he saw the indifference of the child, he just sighed before putting the weapon back in the bag.

Before Phillip could say anything, he was startled when she suddenly stood and turned her back to him. In his rush, a piece of stone tablet flew out of the bag. It landed right in front of Shivani, but before he could get it back, she already picked it up.

"What is this?"

Phillip was startled again. This would be the second time she heard her spoke.

"It was nothing. Just a stone tablet with some intricate symbols that I found years ago. Don't worry about it." Phillip held out his hand, but Shivani ignored him. She focused her attention to the symbols.

Not even a minute passed when she gave the stone back to Phillip before walking away.

"Shivani! Where are you going?"

She briefly stopped, looking past her shoulder and to Phillip.

"Sword."

Phillip raised his brows. He was about to ask her when realization hit him like tons of rocks.

"Sword? What do you... Wait! Are you perhaps talking about the sword that was written here? But that thing was just a myth. We don't even know if it existed!" When he saw that she was about to leave, he quickly ran towards her.

He quickly pulled her back without any second thoughts.

"Shivani, You still don't seem to completely get just what was going on here?"

As soon as he held her gaze, Phillip automatically stepped back. At that moment, what he saw was not an ordinary girl, but an extremely powerful being. It only lasted for a few seconds though before everything turned back to normal. Phillip blinked, but she was already out of his vision.

"Hold it right there, Shivani! I am coming with you. You are still a child, and it was my duty as an adult in seeing you to safety, so just wait right there!"

Shivani heard him, but chose to ignore him. She continued walking slowly. She wanted to find the location of the legendary sword as soon as possible.

****************

A few minutes later, Shivani heard a deafening shrills. It came from a closed space near her, but before she could continue, she felt herself being forcefully pulled in a corner.

"If you're looking for the sword, then this way. Follow me!"

With a glance, Phillip led her towards a narrow corridor. Soon enough, the duo reached a giant door. It was made of pure gold. He immediately opened it with the key that he kept for almost three decades.

"This was as far as I'll go. Don't worry, I'll wait for you here, missy!"

Without looking back, Shivani made her way in.

"Good luck!" Phillip shouted, however, before the door closed, the two heard multiple shrills. It came from all directions. Phillip's eyes widened as he frantically looked around.

"On Second thoughts, maybe I'll go with you. Wait for me!" Without any second thoughts, he quickly sped inside and locked the door. Leaning forward, he heard the shrill coming from the creatures. Even their movements shook the floor.

It did not last long when he heard the creatures left. Breathing a sigh of relief, Phillip turned to see the child. She now stood near a huge stone tablet with intricate symbols on it.

"What was that?" Raising his brows, Phillip walked forward, and tried to translate the symbols.

It took him almost a few minutes before he actually got the meaning.

"In here lies an Ancient Blade.

Wielded by a creature once treated like a god!

5 Puzzles to complete.

5 Guardians to overcome, and 5 tests to be done!

Millennium passed by.

Still, the blade of prophecy lies untouchable, until a champion worthy to carry it into battle emerged!"

Phillip's eyes widened in disbelief as soon as he finished his translation.

"I always thought that the blade was just a myth!" He could not take his eyes off the symbols. Scanning once again, he noticed a small blue button in the center.

As soon as he touched it, the whole stone tablet flashed bright lights. It soon followed by the changing of their surroundings, but before the duo could do anything, they fell down the hard floor, unconscious.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***