"Clear!" The Ensign shouted from the sensor's console and Blackbeard briefly nodded.

  "All ships, course: north, bearing zero zero zero, heading: north, full ahead, traverse speed at dreadnoughts’ best!" The Rear Admiral ordered through the open communication channel.

  His holographic screen indicated a confirmation from all ships of the task force. His armada consisted of two dreadnoughts, two frigates, and twenty destroyers. As impressive and breathtaking as the Arcadian ships were, they weren't invincible. The armada formed a very peculiar formation, with the largest ships protecting the nimble destroyers that flew above the behemoths and frigates. The ships accelerated to speed and quickly crossed the large lake, entering the boundaries of the Forest. They travelled for about two hours and everything, except for the absence of any forest defenders, was normal. Until it wasn't. Edward watched the readings and couldn't believe what he saw. The forest was dense and unnaturally empty.

  "These readings make no sense, Sir." The Ensign commented. "There isn’t a single living being anywhere within range of the fleet's sensors!"

  "I can see that. No birds, no animals, no monsters... Not even insects..." The Admiral hummed. "What the...?!"

  They all watched a sensor image that made zero sense. The large cutout in the previously impassable forest opened. It was a complete barren wasteland extending for kilometres without end. The soil in the area was ashen grey, with strange craters and patches of an unknown white substance.

  "Salt?" One of the officers asked loudly.

  "No idea." Blackbeard shook his head and nodded towards the communication officer. "Can we call Avalon? They must see this."

  "No, Sir. The interference is too bad due to our distance." The officer shook his head. "But we are recording everything."

  "Hmmm..." Edward looked at the slightly changing view dominated by white patches and countless craters. "Any ideas?"

  "Snow?" The tactical officer proposed.

  "The air temperature is way above the freezing point." The sensor officer shook his head.

  "It's far too large for salt flats..." The first mate shook his head. "But those craters aren't natural-looking if you ask me."

  "A battlefield?" Edward scratched the back of his head.

  "If this were a battlefield, Sir, it must be an ancient one. The background magic is far below what normally occurs in the wilds. It's almost void, Sir." The Ensign manning the sensor station shook his head in denial. "My support room suggests sending a team to take samples."

  Blackbeard rubbed his signature beard in silence before he briefly nodded.

  "All fleet, keep pace with the flagship. We are going to send a team to the surface to collect some samples. Rhys?" The Admiral ordered on the open channel.

  "Do we even have anyone who knows what size sample in this case? I suppose we can land and break chunks of that white stuff but it would be awesome to do it properly." The Major's voice, full of doubt, sounded through the comms.

  That was, indeed, a good question. The thought crossed Edward's mind as he hesitated.

  "I will go, Sir." The Ensign who suggested taking samples offered as he stood up with a smile. "It was my support room's idea so I'll make sure to do it right, Sir."

  "Very well. The Ensign is coming with you, you heard that, Rhys?"

  "Loud and clear, Edward. We are waiting for you, Ensign, at landing pad four."

  "Sir, yes, Sir!" The man smiled and waited for a replacement officer to arrive on the bridge before he left.

  The entire fleet slowed to a crawl, matching Edward’s, but the captains of the remaining ships maintained radio silence. Edward, from Janet's command throne, read the non-verbal, short reports on his status screen. As time stretched and he followed the new messages appearing on his screen, he idly recalled the days of his pirating and internally chuckled. Back then, he was so proud that they had a secret communication system that used flags of various colours. Compared to this, they were nothing more than clever savages. He sometimes wondered if the impulse he had to contact Arcadians and try to make a deal with them wasn't some divine revelation. But the Gods of Arcadia claimed it wasn't them. So, perhaps, it was Eriar? Probably... The Silent Guardian was known for doing such things to people whom he found interesting.

  "Touch down. Go! Go! Go!" Came through the comms as the CB-90 hovered close to the ground.

  Blackbeard snapped back to reality and observed the blurry image on the bridge's main screen. The Artificers were working on better optical systems, but it wasn't a priority. Meanwhile, the military had to rely on the Shared Vision spell of their Pathfinders and Rangers. Below the fleet, Rhys and his team of six surrounded the solitary officer while the remaining Moonshadows manned the heavy support guns mounted on the deck of their assault craft. The Ensign was the only person without a Living Armour but he was, at least, wearing combat gear. The man quickly moved from point to point, crouched, straightened, and moved on. The squad followed him around and Blackbeard grinned with delight. It was so damn good working with professionals...

  "Moving on to the next target. I would like to take samples from four more locations, Admiral Teach. Please keep this course and we will move in the shadow of the fleet, Sir!"

  "Affirmative, Ensign," Edward confirmed almost immediately.

  The sample-taking process was repeated two more times but, at the last spot, the voices from the surface erupted in brief but unintelligible comments.

  "What's going on out there?!" Edward pressed the override button giving himself priority over the voice channel.

  "We have no fucking clue, Ed!" Rhys reported in a nervous voice. "We found something that looks like a fucking statue made of that white stuff but this... This looks like a person. We are taking it back to the ship and, honestly, it might be best if you sent one of the destroyers back to Avalon with all the data and that thing. I'm sending you pictures made by my Living Armour, now..."

  "Fucking hell!" Blackbeard exclaimed as he grabbed the armrests and felt how his throat suddenly went dry.

  Contrary to the view observed by the people from afar, the photo made by the Living Armours was crisp and perfect as if you saw something with your own eyes. Edward really hoped that it was some kind of twisted sculpture. Because if that was once a living being... Gods... The man, whose face was twisted in unimaginable pain, was lying on his back with his hands reaching towards the heavens. The sculpture was covered in mud so, from a distance, it looked like a tree trunk or boulder. However, up close, it revealed the unsettling details. The sculpture's face expressed mainly pain but also shock, despair, and anger. It was a soldier or a warrior judging by his armour. Every detail on the man's body was perfectly reproduced and even the individual hairs were perfectly visible.

  "I need volunteers to drop off that thing at Avalon."

  For almost a minute, no one spoke through the voice comms, but the text channels flared with shocked messages.

  "This is HMS Kriegmesser speaking. Lieutenant Commander Dominic Williams, Sir. We can take that thing to Avalon... Are we sure we even want to bring that home?"

  "No... Not at all, Lieutenant Commander. However, we were sent to gather information and that piece of horror looks like information to me. So, thank you for volunteering, Commander Williams. Drop that thing and return post haste. We will remain here until you return but no longer than two hours."

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  "Sir... This was a battlefield." The replacement sensor officer's voice was dry as he pointed to the screen.

  "By the Thrones of Heavens..." Blackbeard gasped as the view of one of the Rangers zoomed in on one part of that vast, empty field.

  Thousands upon thousands of white fighters were frozen in a deadly struggle for all of eternity. People of all races, known by the Arcadians as well as many more, filled the landscape. Looking at them now, it became clear they must have been petrified by some unimaginable spell. Whatever magic was unleashed here changed the landscape forever. Plants stopped growing, animals fled, and only the white statues were left behind as the silent witnesses of times long past.

  "I don't think you should wait any longer than for the samples and that figure... Or a man... Anyway, do it quickly, Kriegmesser." Blackbeard said with an unsettled tone.

  "Aye, aye. We will drop him and return as fast as possible."

  ???

  Kriegmesser returned to the fleet after they unloaded the samples and left me staring at a dirty statue. To say that I observed it with disbelief and suspicion was like saying nothing.

  "Tell me it was just a statue..." I begged Irene who examined it with her hand outstretched over it.

  "As much as I would like to say it was just a statue, it wasn't." She said with a flat and focused tone. "That man was, at some point at least, alive."

  "God damn it..." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "What is it? Salt?"

  "It certainly is white and sparkles like salt but, if that were a salt, it wouldn't last longer than two or three rainy days. No... It's a strange type of quartz." She shook her head. "I don't even know what kind of spell could do that to them."

  "Could we Dispel it?" I asked uncertainly.

  "No." She sadly shook her head. "Not after Gods knows how long."

  "Don't look at me. I have no clue..." Hestia chuckled nervously but then she slowly shook her head as she closed her eyes. "Sorry. This's just another reminder of how much I missed. It makes me nervous."

  "It's fine." I sighed. "What about a Miracle?"

  "They are dead, Theon," Irene said quietly. "I suspect that they might have ended that way during the final battles of the Age of Heroes. After all, we have no true evidence of what banished the Enemies. So three thousand years... Bringing back their souls from whatever afterlife they are enjoying or even pulling them back from the reincarnation cycle... I don't want to think about what would go wrong if I tried to do it by force. Especially since I don’t have a reason for us doing it? To ask them how they end up as quartz statues?"

  I ran a hand through my hair as I tried to grasp the consequences of my request. Indeed, it was quite foolish.

  "Sorry..." I cringed slightly. "I should think before I speak."

  "It's okay." She smiled faintly. "But I'm more than just a little defensive about a Resurrection Miracle. It's taboo for me."

  "Sorry." I slowly nodded and looked at the Eternals. "Hera? Zeus? Zephyr? Or anyone else?"

  "Sorry, nothing. I guess we are too young to remember." Verka waved her hand but she was intrigued by the petrified man.

  Behind her stood Tuul'kara with his sister Kaal'nai, Arletta, and even Akh'ila. The five of them occupied a table by the wall covered with snacks and discussed the soil samples taken from the Ancient Forest.

  "Do you find anything interesting?" I asked them and they looked at me with uncertain expressions.

  "Among the samples we have found pieces of what must have been some kind of moss. That meant it was a single spell that turned everything and everyone into quartz." Kaal'nai said as she unwittingly stroked her thick braid. She usually styled her long, azure hair loose like waves of the ocean she loved but, today, she not only gathered it neatly but she also wore the new Navy uniform instead of her intricate robes.

  Upon hearing them, Hera and Zeus approached their table and inspected the samples.

  "That looks like a curse of Medusa," Hera said reluctantly.

  "Medusa? Wasn't she killed by Perseus in the myths?" I mumbled.

  "She was. Medusa's head was framed in Athena's shield, which she used in battles, turning her enemies into stone." Zeus said. "However, I'm sure that this wasn't caused by Athena's shield. She couldn't use it for such a wide area attack even if she wanted to. We are saying, though, is that the spell used to turn everyone to stone was similar to Medusa's gaze effect."

  "Would it be possible to devise such a spell?" I looked at Amber.

  "Possibly?" She reluctantly agreed. "The Petrification spell is quite crude and many monsters can use it. However, the downside of low-level Petrification is that it wears off on its own. So, if you were hit with it and your statue remained whole, you would simply wake up after a few hours. I assume this Petrification indiscriminately targeted everyone and everything in the caster's range... Yes. I think it is quite possible to cast a permanent Petrification if the caster used Athena's shield as a catalyst."

  "Okay..." I slowly nodded and rubbed my face. "Stop. I'm asking the wrong questions. Can we determine who was even fighting whom?"

  "Not at the first glance..." Luna shook her head.

  "I think this is quite an important finding," Lavender said quietly with a tense voice.

  "What do you mean?" I turned around.

  "This battle took place millennia ago and, yet, Vestargo wasn't able to cover it with his forest. How is that even possible? I sense nothing in those samples that would prevent plants from growing. Maybe there is some artifact that keeps the area sterile but that's very unlikely."

  "Lavender is right. This is odd." Freya shook her head. "Vestargo is extremely aggressive in his expansion, so why did he suddenly ignore such a vast area?"

  I put my hands behind my back and took a few steps before I loudly exhaled as I closed my eyes and faced the ceiling.

  "I think it is time to ask our very important prisoner some questions..."

  ???

  Hunter sat in the darkness. He couldn't tell how many moons ago he had been captured. There was no escape from his prison and he had no hope. At first, he wanted to die; however, the longer he lived without the influence of the Emperor of Forests, the more he was afraid of death. There was no respawn for him anymore and, once he died, he was going to truly vanish. Previously, he hoped that Lord Vestargo would try to rescue him but that hope died early on. His Master abandoned him and he was slowly fading.

  "What is it?" The terrifying voice of the Ancient One who captured him demanded Hunter's attention.

  The images of the Cursed Plain assaulted his eyes and the former scion hesitated.

  "Long ago... More moons than I can count there was a battle." He started with an uncertain voice. Could he really tell his enemies that story? But it wouldn't hurt his Master... His... No. Not anymore. He slowly turned in his strange but soft lair and looked where the Ancient One was. "We were young, back then, when the first Mana Thieves arrived and killed so many Dungeon Cores. Then, when the Dungeons learnt how to defend themselves, the mortals arrived and battled the Thieves."

  "We?" A sharp question was asked the moment he took a breath.

  "I was the first Scion my... That Lord Vestargo appointed." Hunter explained.

  "Very well. Continue."

  "The Mortals clashed with the Thieves but the latter weren't alone. With so many Cores dead, the Thieves managed to open a portal straight into darkness and the Nightmares from beyond descended upon the world. Mortals, who were quickly overwhelmed, used some strange magic that forced the remaining Dungeon Cores to aid them. My..." Hunter fell silent for a moment and lowered his head. "Lord Vestargo didn't want to fight back then. However, the terrible spell forced him to fight. Mortals disregarded our pleas and, if not for some spell that wiped out the mortals, the Thieves, the Nightmares, and the denizens alike, my Lord would have died back then. He kept this place intact. To remind him of the time and why he decided to repay the mortals for his suffering."

  "I see..." The Ancient One looked at him with growing disappointment and even greater disapproval. "Whatever that bastard you still regard as your master suffered back then does not permit him to torment mortals. I'll enlighten you because you are as clueless as your doomed master. Those Mortals you hate so much, saved your life back then."

  "You are lying!" Hunter buzzed with fury.

  However, the man who kept him prisoner extended his hand and touched Hunter's head. It was a firm grip of someone possessing unbelievable power. He knew that the Righteous Dungeon was a terrifying opponent but, right now, he was devoid of all delusions. Lord Vestargo was truly doomed. The Ancient One, standing before Hunter, wasn't as old as the former Scion imagined, but his knowledge and experience were immense. Especially his battle prowess. Hunter doubted that Lord Vestargo truly understood that he began a war against the only being he should have never angered. But that realisation was just a mere afterthought. What mattered was the knowledge of the horrible and terrifying enemies known as the gods of Void and Chaos. In an instant, he learnt about the true nature of the ancient war and what a sacrifice truly meant.

  "If you wanted to make me feel sympathy for that bastard, you achieved exactly the opposite." Theon Avalon said with a cold voice. "Nothing excuses what he has done and I will make sure that he pays for all his atrocities."

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

  The map of Aderon is on my Discord :)

  https://discord.gg/G6SVrBeDdG