Location: Thylaris
Lazard and Jin stood on the ancient stone platform, looking across the strange dimension.
The sky above them was covered by enormous dark-blue clouds. Thin silver lights moved through them like distant currents of energy, but there were no visible stars.
Large pieces of ancient structures floated far above the ground.
Some were entire sections of buildings. Others were broken towers, bridges, and enormous circular mechanisms that slowly rotated in the distance.
Below them was a vast rocky landscape covered in ruins.
Jin looked around quietly.
"Still looks the same."
Lazard looked at him.
"You've been here before?"
"Once."
"You never mentioned that."
"I never had a reason to."
Lazard sighed.
"Of course."
They began walking away from the Chrono Slice Drive.
The ground was uneven, covered with dark stones and patches of strange blue vegetation. Some of the plants grew directly through cracks in ancient metal structures.
Jin walked ahead while Lazard followed.
"So where are we going?"
"To an old facility."
"What kind?"
"Manufacturing."
Jin pointed toward the horizon.
"The civilization here used to create a material called Auralith."
Lazard immediately became more interested.
"That's what we need."
"Yes."
"How do you know about it?"
"I've been here before."
Lazard looked at him.
"You really like saying that."
Jin gave him a slight smirk.
"You really like asking questions."
Lazard shook his head.
They continued through the ruins.
After several minutes, they reached what looked like an abandoned street.
Tall buildings surrounded them.
Most were broken beyond recognition.
Their walls were made from a mixture of dark stone and metallic material. Large geometric symbols covered their surfaces, and enormous circular windows were embedded into some of the structures.
A statue stood in the middle of the street.
It depicted a humanoid figure wearing ancient armor and holding a long spear.
Jin stopped.
"Wait."
Lazard stopped beside him.
"What?"
Jin stared at the statue.
"That's not a statue."
One of the figure's six pale eyes opened.
Lazard immediately stepped back.
The creature slowly moved its head.
Another figure behind it moved as well.
Then another.
The creatures had been standing among the statues the entire time.
Their bodies were dark blue-gray and covered with stone-like skin. Metallic plates grew naturally along their shoulders, forearms, and backs. They had four arms, two powerful hind legs, and narrow elongated heads.
Six pale eyes stared at Lazard and Jin.
A thin cyan line ran from each creature's forehead down its neck.
Lazard raised his weapon.
"Varkyn?"
Jin drew his katana.
"You remember them?"
"No. You just said their name."
"Right."
The first Varkyn suddenly charged.
Jin moved first.
He stepped aside from the creature's first two claws and blocked the third with his sword.
The fourth arm came from behind.
Jin ducked.
The claw passed over his head.
Lazard fired.
A concentrated blue blast struck the Varkyn in the chest and threw it backward.
Two more creatures rushed toward them.
Jin jumped onto the side of a ruined building, pushed off the wall, and landed behind one of them.
His sword flashed.
The creature stumbled and collapsed.
Lazard fired again.
The remaining Varkyn stopped.
Its six eyes focused on him.
Then it turned and ran into the ruins.
Jin returned his sword to its sheath.
"Looks like they aren't interested anymore."
Lazard lowered his weapon.
"Good."
They continued.
After several minutes, Jin spoke.
"You've changed."
Lazard looked at him.
"Have I?"
"You're more cautious."
"I've had reasons to be."
Jin nodded.
They walked for another few minutes before Lazard finally asked the question he'd been holding back.
"Where were you?"
Jin didn't answer immediately.
"You disappeared for years."
"I know."
"You didn't tell anyone where you were going."
"I couldn't."
Lazard stopped walking.
Jin stopped as well.
"Why?"
Jin looked toward the ruins.
"I was searching for something."
"What?"
"An ancient mystery."
Lazard waited.
Jin continued.
"I found references to an object called the Skull Mask."
Lazard's expression changed slightly.
"The Skull Mask?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"I don't know."
"You spent years searching for something you don't even understand?"
"I knew enough to know it existed."
"Where is it?"
"I don't know."
Lazard frowned.
"So you came here looking for it?"
"No."
Jin looked at him.
"I don't know where it is. It could be anywhere."
"Then why were you investigating it?"
"Because someone had gone to great lengths to erase information about it."
Lazard remained silent.
Jin continued walking.
"I followed what little information I could find. That eventually brought me here."
"And?"
"I searched Thylaris."
"Did you find anything?"
"Nothing useful."
Jin looked ahead.
"The Skull Mask isn't necessarily here. I never found evidence that it was."
Lazard nodded slowly.
"And that's why you disappeared?"
"I wanted answers."
"Did you get them?"
"No."
Jin's answer was simple.
They continued walking.
After some time, the ruins became more damaged.
The road disappeared beneath rocks and broken metal.
Jin climbed over a collapsed wall.
"This way."
Lazard followed him.
They reached the edge of a massive crater.
At the bottom was the remains of an enormous ancient city.
Jin looked down.
"This civilization was destroyed during the war."
"With Radina?"
"Yes."
Lazard looked at him.
"She caused the war?"
"Veyrath destroyed her planet."
Jin's expression became serious.
"Radina came here searching for the Skull Mask. She didn't find it."
"And the people here?"
"They tried to force her out."
Jin looked across the ruins.
"She attacked."
Lazard looked at the remains of the city.
"They fought back."
"They had weapons capable of challenging her."
Jin pointed toward a massive broken tower.
"That was one of their defense systems."
Lazard studied it.
"Whatever happened here wasn't a small battle."
"No."
Jin started walking again.
"It was a war."
They descended into the ruined city.
Eventually, Jin stopped in front of a large stone wall.
He brushed some dirt away.
A geometric symbol appeared underneath.
"This is it."
Lazard looked around.
"This?"
"There's something underneath."
They moved several meters away.
Jin found a section of ground covered by collapsed stone.
Together, they moved the debris.
Beneath it was a massive circular metal door.
Most of it was buried.
Lazard crouched beside it.
"That's old."
"Very."
Lazard examined the surface.
"There are no active systems."
"Then we'll have to open it manually."
They spent several minutes clearing the entrance.
Eventually, the door moved.
A deep metallic sound echoed through the ruins.
The entrance opened.
Darkness waited below.
Lazard activated a light.
The beam revealed a long descending corridor.
The walls were covered with ancient symbols.
Jin looked down.
"This is the factory."
They entered.
---
The factory was enormous.
Long metal walkways crossed massive empty chambers.
Huge machines hung from the ceiling, connected by thick cables.
Some machines had collapsed onto the floor.
Others remained suspended, frozen in place after thousands of years.
The walls were covered with faded blue markings.
Lazard slowly walked past one of the machines.
"This wasn't just a factory."
Jin looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"They were processing the material here."
Lazard placed his hand against the machine.
"They had an entire production system."
They continued deeper.
The first obstacle came when the floor suddenly shifted.
Lazard jumped backward.
A section of the walkway collapsed into darkness.
Jin grabbed Lazard's arm and pulled him away.
The broken metal fell for several seconds before hitting the bottom.
Lazard looked down.
"That would've hurt."
"Probably."
"Thanks."
Jin nodded.
They took another route.
Further inside, they reached a large chamber filled with broken machinery.
One machine suddenly activated.
A low hum filled the room.
Blue light appeared along its surface.
Lazard immediately raised his weapon.
"It's activating."
Jin drew his sword.
The machine moved.
A large mechanical arm swung across the room.
s
Jin jumped over it.
Lazard moved underneath.
The arm struck the wall.
Several pieces of the ceiling fell.
Lazard fired at the machine's central mechanism.
The blue light disappeared.
The machine stopped.
Silence returned.
Jin looked at him.
"Efficient."
"I'm an engineer."
"I know."
They continued deeper.
Eventually they reached a massive circular chamber.
In the center was a raised platform surrounded by dozens of inactive machines.
At the far end stood a damaged storage structure.
Lazard approached it.
He wiped dust from its surface.
A faint blue glow appeared underneath.
His eyes widened.
"Auralith."
Jin looked over.
"So that's it."
Lazard opened the damaged container.
Inside were several dark metallic pieces.
Thin blue lines ran through them like frozen lightning.
Lazard carefully picked one up.
The material was heavier than it looked.
He examined it.
"This is perfect."
"How much do you need?"
Lazard looked through the container.
"Enough."
He secured the pieces.
"We should leave."
Jin nodded.
They made their way back through the factory.
The return was quieter.
They climbed the damaged corridor, crossed the broken machinery, and eventually reached the entrance.
Outside, the blue sky of Thylaris greeted them again.
Lazard stepped onto the surface carrying the Auralith.
"We got what we came for."
Jin looked around.
"Then let's go."
They took a few steps.
Lazard stopped.
"Wait."
Jin looked at him.
"What's wrong?"
Lazard looked toward the side of the factory.
There were signs.
Small pieces of cloth.
A container.
A few footprints.
Someone had been living here.
Jin slowly reached for his sword.
"I don't think we're alone."
A voice came from nearby.
"You're not."
Lazard and Jin turned.
A tall young man stepped out from behind the remains of the factory.
His silver-gray hair was messy and spiked upward, while angular orange-tinted sunglasses covered his eyes.
A huge feathered coat flowed behind him, its colors shifting from fiery orange near the shoulders through magenta and deep purple before reaching electric blue at the tips.
Underneath was a fitted cyan suit covered with gold patterns.
A large golden sash surrounded his waist.
A dark metallic glove covered his right hand, a glowing sapphire embedded in its palm.
A katana rested at his side.
He smiled.
A broad, confident grin.
"Well," he said, "you two certainly know how to make yourselves comfortable."
Lazard stared at him.
"We're not here to cause trouble."
The young man tilted his head.
"Then why are you carrying something that belongs to this place?"
Before Lazard could answer, another figure appeared behind him.
A young woman with long auburn hair stepped forward.
Her teal and deep-cyan robe moved gently in the wind.
Golden celestial patterns decorated its fabric.
A dark brown leather corset covered her upper torso, with a light-blue tunic underneath and a white fur collar around her shoulders.
A thick braided purple rope sash was tied around her waist.
Behind her flowed a midnight-blue cape covered with silver and blue constellations.
Crimson energy slowly formed around both of her hands.
She looked at Lazard and Jin carefully.
Jin's hand remained near his sword.
Lazard kept his weapon lowered.
Nobody moved.
The young man smiled again.
"So," he said.
"Who are you?"
To Be continued