The Legend of Azhakkstadd

CHAPTER LXXXII : THE MAZE

-Zexal-

                         Vedasto started a little warm up this morning before we could even start our challenge. I saw him exercising this morning, just like what he also did yesterday. I think he always does that, he never misses a day to do that. No wonder why he got that nice body, I envy him ahahaha. I wanted to have that too, but I’ve got no time.

                         So as he did that, we also started doing it so that we could do our challenge with more energy and power. When he did that yesterday, I haven’t join him. None of us did, we were so tired due to that steep mountain climbing. Except for him, I don’t think he gets tired. Despite him carrying all of us, he still acted as if he weren’t tired at all.

                         But since we had a good and long rest last night, we regained our energy back and we were able to join him to in his exercise. It was quite refreshing though, now I felt like I could conquer all ahahahaha. After having our exercise, we took a few minutes to rest and headed to our quest maker for our challenge.

                         He said that our team is so relaxed. He said that it seems like we were not bother by anything at all, though we’re taking this seriously, we still haven’t forgotten to enjoy it. He also commended that part where we had a bonfire night, you know the camping… and then our morning exercise.

                         Unlike the other team which had their fight. I don’t know the quest maker said it so. It made me worried about the other heroes. Are they really fighting? I mean, who would start the fight? I can’t think any of them who could start it. I wonder how they’re doing their challenge now.

                         What makes me wonder more is that how this man knew about the progress of the other team. I already started to think why all of our quest makers look the same as if they’re one person. Now, this news from him and how he got it just added to my thoughts.

                         I’ll just keep my mind out of it… we just talked to him so that we’d start our challenge now and whatever it is, we can finish it quickly then move to our next.

                         “But did you know that this island is once inhabited by people?’ I heard him saying something about this island “It’s true, this island was once filled with people, just like what you said” he added looking at me as if answering my question related to that part where I said that people would start visiting this island.

                         “What happened? Where did they go?” Eeya asked as her voice sounded so curious and her face looks like it. I suddenly had the interest of knowing this island’s history. I bet it’s also rich in valuable history just like ours.

                         “No one knows… but this island is called the Cornelian Island, as it was once inhabited by people under Cornelius’ leadership. This island became so abundant, people had so many things they could ever wish for. They were so blessed with everything, mining, farming, and so on…” the quest maker told us a background story about this island

                         “If this island was perfect, what happened?” Kurezma followed a question right after understanding what the quest maker had said. I heard about an island called Cornelian. But I haven’t had any more information with regards to it. All I know is that it existed long long ago before I could ever know that it existed.

                         “I have read about the Cornelian people before, they’re one of the first tribes that existed here in Azhakkstadd, it was connected to what was called as Cornelian fall?” Hazol asked telling us about something he read before. So I’m somehow right ahahaha they are people from past civilizations.

                         It’s just that I missed the part where it had fallen. It’s same with our country… but we did not fall as in we vanished from existence ahahahaha we literally fell thousands of feet under sea water ahahahaha.

                         “Commonly for a perfect community, it’s always a cycle. They start being humble, they’d be blessed. If they get what they want more than what they need, they would want more and start forgetting where they came from. And you know what happens?” he asked us all as if he meant something with it

                         “They start to fall, just like what Hazol said…” Vedasto answered him as if he understood what he pointed out. Which is obviously correct, I bet they got into so much greed and pride that made them disappear. I wonder what had happened here. I wish I could look from the past.

                         “Correct, that would also happen to our world. We are so blessed, yet we still want more… power is it? and eventually it will cause it to fall” he added likening it to what’s happening in our world right now “We still have ways of preventing it, and we have to do it quick before it’s too late” he added 

                         “Let’s learn from the Cornelian… let’s act before it’s too late” Hazol continued what the man said as if he had read his mind, oh wait... he does read minds ahahaha

                         “You’re right, and that’s why you’re having this training” the quest maker added right after Hazol as if they’re one person speaking which gave me the chills. No doubt they’re both Ordos ahahaha by the way, our quest maker, I think, is the same guy who explained to us what we’re going to do back at the Psychic Nation.

                         And also the one who gave us the map.

                         “Thank you for telling us all of this” Kurezma thanked him as she smiled faintly while slowly nodding her head

                         “Yea… I like your team” the quest maker said complementing our team “I can sense a good team work, I see you all work with each other. Unlike the other one…” he said meaningfully as if he meant that something is wrong with the other team.

                         “What other one?” Zati asked about his last words

                         “Plus your team is so relaxed, you even had time to sit back and relax as if you’re having your instant vacation here ahahahaha” he added disregarding Zati’s question “Well, the other one just had a fight” he continued finally answering Zati, I wonder what happened to them. Who would start the fight?

                         “If you know something about the Cornelian people, you would know about their famous Cornelian Maze” he stated pertaining to our challenge, finally “This maze was created for fun, but it turned out, this maze would cause their fall” he said telling us a story again. I really love history.

                         “There are treasures hidden in that Maze, until now, it wasn’t found yet. Due to people’s greed, they entered the maze without hesitant. They got lost and died in there. So your challenge is to get to that maze and solve it, and the treasure? It’s up to you if you find one, but I warn you…” he said finally telling us our challenge

                         But isn’t it difficult? No one ever came out from it.

                         “If you succeed, you’re going to be the first one who’ll solve it, not me of course. I used my power to solve it so I’m not counted, and that’s obviously cheating” he said telling us “So let’s meet at the finish line”

                         “Ok… we need to go” Hazol said as he waved at the man. We all followed him towards the maze. Gosh, we still have to find that maze, and it’s another challenge ahahahaha. After hearing all of those, we started our journey to find that maze and start doing it. I wonder what’s waiting for us inside that.

                         We entered the woods and observed the whole area to see if there are things that could lead us there.

                         “Hey, why don’t we ask Kurezma to go and look above. It’d be easier, right?” I said suggesting an easier plan to find the maze

                         “Yea right…” she agreed as she hopped and then started flying up above, she managed to go up but then vanished as she passed through those tall trees. We haven’t seen her for several seconds so we continued to look everywhere. The trees are so tall and the grasses gotten thick as if this island has never been inhabited.

                         No wonder, it’s been thousands or millions of years I guess. So that means there had been great and significant falls that had happened in Azhakkstadd even before what happened like many many years ago. Though that was the only major destruction that was known to us now.

                         After some few seconds, Kurezma went down which tells us that she’s done searching.

                         “So what have you found?” I asked her the moment she landed

                         “I found the maze, and it’s just somewhere our two or three o’clock… but I really can’t find the way to there because all I see are the trees…” she said informing us about what she found. I knew it, from the looks of these trees, it would really cover this place from aerial surveillances.

                         “Should I bring you there now, or what?” Zati asked us if she’s transforming into a dragon or not. I looked at Hazol to see his decision

                         “No” Eeya answered instead and it seems like Vedasto and Hazol is agreeing with her

                         “There’s no need… I’m sure we can get there by foot. Let’s just hurry” Hazol said after her

                         “Then let’s get to it now…” Harald said inviting all of us after hearing the decision. I understand them, this isn’t the challenge yet so it’s not nice to have someone draining her energy already.

                         “How far is the maze from here?” Vedasto asked Kurezma

                         “I don’t know, but it’s not that far though. Not that near either” Kurezma answered. It seemsto be in the middle of morning, means that noon is fast approaching so we have to do this fast. We started to walk forward with Kurezma’s lead “Let’s just keep walking forward, the maze is large enough that we’ll eventually see it” she added

                         As we kept walking further, I noticed some things that really shows how this island was once inhabited by people. There are small old designed houses everywhere. There are land areas that seemed to be used as farm and so on. You can clearly see traces of old civilizations.

                         There are statues, some sort of fountains… old carriages which seemed to be their transportation at that time. There are ruins of some buildings, which all had in common. It’s just that these things are covered with thick grasses and mosses as if nature already conquered it all.

                         After almost an hour of walking, we saw a huge wall ahead of us. It’s so high that it’s almost impossible to climb it. Same as the other artifacts, it’s also been covered with green grasses but not enough to hide it.

                         “Is that it?” Harald turned to Kurezma and asked her

                         “Wait, I’ll check…” Kurezma answered as she flew upwards and inspected the whole are, this time, we clearly saw her as there were no trees blocking our view anymore “Good news, it’s the maze…” she added as she smiled at us giving us a thumbs up. We started to walk towards the entrance and finally accept the quest.