Regaleon: The Forgotten Knight

For several long moments, the crypt remained silent...

Dozens of Terracottas knelt before the dais with their weapons resting beside them. Crimson radiance continued to burn behind their visor, yet not a single construct moved.

Their heads remained lowered, one knee pushing against the obsidian floor while a clenched fist rested over their chests.

The posture resembled an ancient knightly salute; a gesture of loyalty and reverence. The sight felt surreal because only minutes ago, these same statues had been advancing toward them with murderous intent.

Their weapons had been raised high, ready to butcher anyone that stood in their way. Yet now, those very guardians knelt like faithful retainers to a sovereign.

The contrast was so abrupt that it was almost difficult to process. For a while, nobody knew what to say or think...

Eventually, Veyrath was the first to recover... Or rather, he was the first to convince himself that he wasn’t hallucinating.

The failed Alchemist rubbed his eyes before looking at the bottom of the dais; the Terracottas remained kneeling. Disbelieving, he rubbed his eyes the second time, but still, the statues hadn’t moved.

Finally realizing that what he was seeing was real, an enormous grin stretched across his face. The smile was so exaggerated that it made him appear slightly unhinged but Veyrath didn’t care.

At this moment, he felt as though he had been granted a second life...

”We did it!” His jubilant shout echoed throughout the chamber. His voice was filled with relief and triumph.

Had he not been carrying a corpse, he might have jumped in celebration...

Beside him, Vaelorin released a long breath and the tension that had been strangling him for the last several minutes gradually left his body.

”We actually did...” His voice came out barely above a whisper and his fiery eyes was clouded with emotion.

Moments ago, he had genuinely believed that they were going to die. The memory of dozens of murderous Terracottas raising their weapons toward them remained fresh in his mind and even now, just recalling the sight was enough to send chills down his spine...

Caelestra placed a hand over her chest; not over the Soul Essence, but over her heart. She could still feel the organ pounding hard against her ribs.

During those tense moments when the Terracottas had advanced toward the dais, she had been terrified more than she cared to admit. Yet she had forced herself to remain composed; not for her sake, but for Sylveris.

The younger girl had already endured enough fear since enterimg the crypt and the last thing Caelestra wanted was for her own panic to worsen the situation... Or at least that had been the excuse she kept telling herself.

Now, there was no need for such restraint. A small sigh escaped her lips as tension gradually drained from her shoulders.

As she looked upon the kneeling guardians, a faint smile finally appeared on her face...

Nearby, Sylveris looked equally relieved. The fourteen-years-old silver eyes wandered repeatedly between the Terracottas and the corpse. Even now, she still found the entire situation a bit difficult to comprehend.

Somehow, carrying a mummified priest had succeeded where destroying an ancient Array had failed. Honestly, the logic behind it escaped her completely...

Eventually, Regaleon and Aureleah arrived atop the dais. The two Awakeners moved toward the group with guarded expressions as unlike the others, neither seemed willing to lower their vigilance.

Years of instinct refused to let them relax completely, not until they understood what was happening before them.

Regaleon’s golden eyes swept across the kneeling army before settling upon the corpse being carried by Veyrath, Vaelorin, and Valmyr.

His brows furrowed as he demanded. ”Explain everything.”

Kaeloris cleared his throat before recounting everything that had happened after Regaleon and Aureleah descended from the dais.

He explained how they had successfully destroyed the crystal nodes, how they had assumed the Mummification Array was responsible for animating the Terracottas, and how he later discovered the true culprit had been an entirely different formation; the Necrolith Array.

As Kaeloris spoke, Regaleon’s expression darkened gradually. Meanwhile, Aureleah listened silently, her silver eyes never leaving the failed Gnost...

When he finally finished explaining how destroying the wrong Array had accelerated the animation of the guardians, both Awakeners finally understood why the situation had spiraled out of control so quickly.

The realization was quite sobering. What they had initially believed to be a solution to the problem turned out to be a catastrophe in disguise...

”So what happened after that?” Aureleah asked. Her voice was calm and leveled as always, but there was an unmistakable curiosity hidden beneath her detached demeanor.

Kaeloris’ gaze drifted toward the shattered crystals scattered across the dais.

”Well, disabling the Necrolith Array wasn’t exactly an option because to properly dismantle it, we would’ve needed either the Artisan that created it, or access to its power source.”

His lips twitched helplessly as he continued. ”Unfortunately, we had neither, and that was where we got stuck...”

”Actually, I was the one who devised a solution.” Valmyr suddenly interjected.

The failed Vanguard puffed his chest out proudly; the gesture would have appeared impressive if not for the shriveled corpse still resting in his arms. Also, his smug expression only made the sight more ridiculous...

”...So I basically saved everyone.” He declared.

Vaelorin rolled his eyes; the motion was so dramatic that it almost looked painful...

”Are you trying to tell me that the presence of the body caused the Terracottas to surrender?” Regaleon finally asked.

”Actually, it isn’t that simple as there are a few nuances behind it.” Kaeloris replied. He paused briefly to organize his thoughts before continuing.

”You see, when Valmyr first proposed the idea, I was skeptical. In fact, I almost dismissed it entirely because at the time, it sounded ridiculous. However, after thinking deeply about it, I realized something important. The Necrolith Array was never created merely to animate the Terracottas; instead, its true purpose was to protect whoever was buried within this crypt...”

His gaze swept across the kneeling constructs for a brief moment before he spoke further.

”If this army existed for protection, then everything they do must revolve around their assigned charges. But the moment we removed the corpse from the sarcophagus, we altered the situation entirely...”

Kaeloris pointed toward the body. ”Think about it. If the Terracottas were designed to defend the occupants of these coffins, then seeing one of those occupants suddenly displaced from his resting place would force them to reassess their priority.”

The failed Gnost adjusted his glasses before concluding. ”Actually, there is a whole lot of explanation behind the execution of the plan but in simpler terms, we were intruders before the corpse; but now, you can say that we’re somehow in charge.”

Aureleah looked toward the kneeling knights with narrowed gaze. Kaeloris’ explanation sounded like gibberish to her ears but considering the evidence before them, it was difficult to deny that whatever they planned had succeeded.

She observed them for a brief moment before she looked at the shriveled priest. ”So who is he?”

Kaeloris studied the body thoughtfully. ”We aren’t completely certain. If I had to guess, I’d say that he was an important priest that likely belonged to the same religious order as the temple we discovered yesterday.”

”What about that?” Aureleah asked, pointing at the glowing rosary resting between the corpse’s hands.

Caelestra folded her arms and answered. ”We haven’t had the time to figure it out. You know, everything happened so quickly that nobody cared about it.”

More questions were about to pile up when Veyrath suddenly let out a loud groan. His arms felt like they were about to detach from his body as he complained.

”Guys, can I put the body down now?”

The failed Gnost turned towards him before nodding slightly. ”The plan worked already so you can place it down now.”

Immediately, the trio carefully lowered the body back into the sarcophagus and instantly, Vaelorin stretched his aching back. Several audible pops echoed from his spine as he grunted.

”I swear, I’m never carrying another corpse again.” He muttered.

Veyrath nodded vigorously. ”Count me in. I never knew carrying a body would be an hard work...”

The failed Alchemist looked as though he had aged several years as he also stretched...

Meanwhile, Valmyr was unusually silent. Rather than engaging with the others, his gaze was directed at the two unopened sarcophagus resting a few meters from them.

And the look he was giving them suggested that he was cooking up a troublesome thought in that mind of his...