Chapter 65 - the witch's promise

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"How many legends about the Traveler do you know exactly?" A voice stretched out from the dark and wherever it touched torches of flame lit up against the walls creating murals of fire. "They have quite the number of stories. The only full record of them is in the original Chronifarion written by the fanatical serpent. All Chronifarion's apart from that one might have less than a tenth of the thousands of stories originally written in it."

"This is why i hate dealing with fanatics." Twisting around in the dim lighting i looked around for the source of the feminine voice. "I don't know why you're here, Sanctus of the Nameless, but I'm sure you've also realised this castle is special to the kralscell of Sentience. We both have things we want to ask from the kralscell of sentience. Lets work together to meet him."

"I'm not against such an offer. But if you want to work with me Witch's Pawn i suggest a short game of questions. Three questions from me, and you give three answers."

A gale blew through the cave underground dungeon blowing off the hood hiding my hair and face. Showing my burgundy red hair and emerald green eyes under the dim lighting while i still looked for the voices sources, "damn fanatics... fine! My teacher and your kralscell are said to be close friends. Lets talk this out."

"Question one. When and where did the Traveler first announce his existence and what title was he given for his feat on that day?"

Scoffing at the simple question i said, "It was sixty-thousand years ago. When he led the charge for the kralscell's to break out of the ancient prison created by the first civilisation to contain the kralscell's. The title he was given, was Archon of Severance, other kraslcell's gained titles like that later."

"Very good." A chilly wind replied. "So you're not completely faithless."

"The Shattered Faith's religious myth is more widespread than you give it credit for." Twisting around my eyes struggled to differentiate which shadow the woman i was talking with was hiding within. "We're both demon species. Can't we just trust each other without this test?"

"Just think of it as me testing your sincerity. Your divine sponsor is known for her tricks after all." The testing voice said.

"Fair point."

"Second question. Since the destruction of the pantheon seven-thousand years ago, caused by the traveler's return when he was unsealed from his prison. What was the Traveler doing in his millennia's of silence?"

Lifting a brow at the question i wasn't expecting it. "...no one knows. The only times he was seen before the Empyrean Disaster on Idaten-II was during the upending's of civilisations with other kralscell's. Its theorised he was searching for traces of the first civilisation though." Not getting a response i asked the shadows, "was that a trick question?"

"Yes~." The shadows said back. "I was curious if the [witch queen] knew but even you don't know anything so i guess not. Final question. Who are the treasures of the Traveler? His close friend the [witch queen] or his wife [seraphim: tyrant fenghuang]?"

Scoffing i couldn't believe such an easy question was asked. "Another trick question. The answer is his shadow, the hell-phoenix Thorn."

The shadows parted and standing in the dim lighting was a demon girl. Her long hair a bright azure blue like the sky and her eyes a deep pink like amethyst. She was too beautiful to be a religious fanatic, it was just wasteful of such a face.

"You pass. Lets work together from this point on, Cayden." Extending her gloved hand the woman smiled amicably.

Taking her hand i shook it. "Lets try not to kill each other on the way through here, Seer Qilin."

Stealing her hand back Seer tossed off the glove she wore replacing it with a new one. "No need to worry. We've both had our run-ins with the other two children of prophecy. Ben Lakes and Arthur Moonleaf. And the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?"

"Should you be saying that while having such a disgusted look at me? You're the oddball among the three prophecy children who will decide the fate of our universe."

Scoffing at my wry comment Seer pointed her finger angrily. "It was your teacher who spread that prophecy. Of how the Traveler found three children blessed by the universe and freed them from all choices, limits and fates. Without it i might have grown up an ordinary girl unaware of the Traveler's magnificence before the Nameless Cult stole me from my homeworld and raised me as their saint."

"...i honestly can't tell if your mad or not." I said.

"Consider this question personal curiosity." Leaning in to observe me Seer asked, "why weren't you considered part of the prophecy? Compared to the three children of prophecy like myself. You've made considerable feats. Including killing your devil ancestor, Hell-King Barbatos."

"Thats only slightly overshadowed by you who killed the devil Astaroth on your homeworld. There is a ten rank difference between the ninth seat hell-king and the nineteenth ranked." I muttered back.

Giggling to herself Seer turned away. "Your teacher was quite meticulous in her planning. Keeping your achievements buried under the chaos of the three prophecy children's accolades making you like a shadow no one will notice until the final moment. She's worthy of being a friend to the Traveler with her cunning."

Sighing out loud i shook my head. "Lets just pass the trials of this place and get what we want. I'm not sure i can handle listening to your constantly praising the Kralscell of Sentience much longer."

Gesturing the way forward for me Seer and i began walking through the dungeons halls together. Observing the murals of fire depicting the hundreds of stories the Traveler's steps had left behind.

"So, what do you know about this place?" Seer asked me.

"I know it was a castle the Traveler's apocalyi built for him while he was sealed in the by the former Kralscell of Adventure and awaiting his return." I explained. "The architecture dates back to that era. After he returned once unsealed though, he only stayed at the castle for a short while to collect all the Apocalyi that were separated from him during the Sealing war thirty millennia ago."

"Really??" Genuinely surprised Seer Qilin's eyes began to sparkle. "So this is holy ground created by the Traveler's very own messengers?"

My jaw hanged open before asking, "How did you get here of you don't know what this place is?"

"One of the , the knight of burning flowers, kidnapped and dropped me off here. There's a disgusting theme of kidnapping throughout a lot of my life looking back now."

"So Sifo Ren brought you here? Not much different from how i arrived then." I muttered. "A Baoban vampire suddenly approached me before giving me instructions to come here from my teacher. I think she was Anika, the Knight of Clockwork Expeditions of the ."

Thinking this was by my teachers, [witch queen's] design, i didn't think much on it. It was clear though that just like Ben Lakes and Arthur Moonleaf this girl was important to her plans like i am in some way.

"I wonder what they could possibly want with one of the prophecy children and a mage who can cast forbidden magics without hurting himself." Seer said.

"Just watch my back and I'll watch yours. My teacher has tried to kill me on multiple occasions just to test me before." I said

"Alright. Since you're being so chivalrous i shall too then."

Wandering further through the derelict castle the two of us managed to leave the dungeon we had been exploring aimlessly before finally finding a way into the actual castle.

"Why do you think they brought me here?" Seer Inquired while admiring the serpent-like patterns oh the hallways walls.

"I came here to get something from Traveler. You... i guess you were brought here for something similar. If he's even here that is. Ordinarily the only place he tends to linger is the hidden planet Avalon when he's struggling to maintain his sanity unless a person is lucky enough to catch him exploring their world."

Intrigued Seer placed her hands behind her back. "So what are you trying to get from him?"

"His divine blessing. My teacher had me doing various tasks before to try and gather paracausal energy but it wasn't enough. Suddenly though the plan changed and i was told to head here. When i arrived i fell through a trap door and we met each other in the dungeon. I'm guessing you just woke up passed out on the floor before i arrived."

"Yep. I-" Going serious suddenly Seer stretched her hand out stopped our tracks. "I can sense... over here. My [aspect] is reacting to something this way."

"Is it a bad feeling or a good feeling?"

"I'm not sure. Its hard to describe it. Its more like... discordant neutrality."

On guard i pulled out a sword and dagger from the air. "Lets investigate. We have nowhere else to go currently."

"My thoughts exactly. We have no other leads but this itch on my soul." Reaching out Seer pulled out a freezing katana that was much more curved than it needed to be. A tachi.

Going down the hall Seer led us into a room. It was full of skeletal skulls, all hung up like trophies dangling from the ceiling. Each one was ferocious, from apex predators across the universe that no singular being should be able to defeat on their own. Yet here they all were. Displayed in chains of trophies.

"You sense that?" I asked. Putting my back to Seer's as our neck hairs stood on end.

"We aren't alone." Seer said. "Could it be one of the four horsemen of apocalypse?"

"The kralscell's dominants?" Despite surprised by this thought i didn't think she was wrong. "This day just keeps getting stranger. There's no we can win just relying on anti-divinity. Those things are called the weapons of Armageddon's fro a reason you know."

"I'm not stupid enough to fight a kralscell's dominant even if we are both fifth sequencer's. Besides, it has to be one of the Traveler's dominant''s if they're here. Maybe... the wilful hunter, Sune."

"Heheh. You know, Sune!" Dropping from the ceiling with a bang something blew away both Seer and i just from the shockwave of their presence.

Wincing my eyes open while scurrying back onto my feet i was late to realise i was face to face with a being made of ink. A fox girl spirit with nine writhing tails in their air behind her, her claws sharp enough to cut through gods and her fangs capable of biting the heads off of transcendent's.

"Hmmm." Observing me closely the fox spirit made of ink similar to a Kitsune from the galaxy sniffed my face before backing away. "You smell like crow devil. But also smell like the nice knight. Hmmm!"

The gaze of her amber eyes intensified and i was left stunned trying to figure out if i should run or fight. Either way i was doomed to die. Even with anti-divinity protecting me this dominant-class apocalyi could tear me in two with her brute strength.

"Ahhh! Sune is confused!" Turning away Sune's black fist punched one of the hanging skull's and it shattered into shrapnel across the room like a grenade had just detonated. "You smell confusing!"

Part of the skull's shrapnel nearly took out my eye but i managed to twist out the way just in time. I couldn't tell if that was deliberate or not. With how irritated Sune's nine tails were flicking the air it had to be. She's smarter than her dumb facade paints her as.

"Oh mighty hand to the kralscell of sentience. The dominator of instinct." Stepping forward after recovering Seer presented herself quickly. "I am Seer Qilin, the Sanctus of the Nameless Cult. I wish to ask for your guidance."

"Huh?" Confused Sune wondered where this request was suddenly coming from.

Mistaken Sune's silent confusion and permission though Seer spoke on. "Me and that man were brought here by the . Myself a child of prophecy destined to decide the future of this universe, and him a practitioner of forbidden arts. Dare i ask if we have been offered the chance to meet with the Voracious Traveler in person? We could really use your help in understanding why we're here."

Seer's eyes sparkled in anticipation while Sune's face made of ink contorted with her confusion.

No matter how i look at it this situation is like asking a child to explain a physics equation. Even if the ink-spirit before us truly is the Dominant of Instinct, Sune. Its clear she has no idea where the Traveler is or what he's doing currently.

But whats she doing here apart from him then?

Quickly making up an answer Sune stammered out, "your nice people! Sune can tell by smell! If boss' friends bring you here then you must be really interesting people! But Sune can't help you..." tapping her fingers together the fox spirit made up a reason. "B-because Sune's favourite fang was stolen!"

Seer and I exchanged curious looks. Wondering who could steal from Sune, who could crush gods between her fingers like a soft apple.

"Without my fang i cannot answer your questions! It was taken by my arch-nemesis. One who makes the sea's of worlds tremble. The rays of suns turn dark. Their name is... Taul."

"Towel?" I said befuddled.

"She means the left hand of the Traveler. The dominator of tenacity, Taul. Otherwise known as the reverent fanatic among the Traveler's four dominant's." Seer spoke with profound reverence as a fanatic herself. "He's by far the most extraordinary and most loyal among all the Traveler's creations."

Finding that comical to me i was left speechless. A fanatic praising another fanatic. Not something i thought i would ever see.

Stepping forward i asked Sune, "Let me guess. Taul is hidden somewhere in the castle and we have to go find him?"

"No. He's my neighbour. His room's just down the hall on the way to the throne room past Ventu's."