We were rushed through the corridors and made our way into the undergrounds of the castle in total silence. The buried portion of the castle is actually much bigger than what is at sight from the land. It felt like king after king there was great concern to dig deeper and build higher. All those similar stairs and passages were surely placed there to confuse anyone bold enough try and enter the maze.

“Many secrets have been passed from king to king along these dungeons. Only the king and his high guard can reach the last corners of this labyrinth safe from all lethal traps that surround the right paths. Our greatest treasure, though, is one we do not fully understand. And yet the dagger you carry in your garments led me to believe this puzzle is about to be solved.” said Albano.

“Your highness, I fear I might disappoint you then. This blade once belonged to my late ancestor, but I know nothing more than you do about it. There is no record regarding the meaning of the engravings, neither is there reference to it in the textbooks. It proved useless even to clear the path I came through back in the woods!”

“Very well then… Should both of us come to a frustrating denouement at the end of this very path, there might be not much left to do than celebrate our unfortunate encounter over a pint of ale as we watch Myridian come to an end. You see… there is an enemy which can be seen but no one has lived to tell what it looks like. They strike in organized waves. Their raiders leave no trace or life behind. That is all we know. And it feels like the land itself has grown sick of life. There have been more natural disasters over the past year than we have record of in all of Myridian’s history. At least the documented one.”

As he finished his statement the three of us were standing in front of an enormous brass door. Probably the biggest and heaviest I’d ever seen. It took Albano most of his strength to push it just enough for us to slide through the gap. He needed a moment to catch his breath. Hertanyth and I entered what appeared to be a crypt. A dome surrounded by columns filled with symbols that resembled those in my dagger. Despite the many torches on the border walls it was nearly impossible to see the whole of it. It was simply too big. I took a torch and delved into the place where I ended up finding an altar. There was a round table for performing rites, a lectern with no book, a candelabrum and some sort of a stage right in front of it. Large enough for a handful of people. It was made of cobblestone and yet there were cracks and marks on it that could only have been made by sabatons. What amazed me the most was that no forger would make them that size. And even if one did, their wearers would have to be much heavier than the average creature to get to crack the ground they stood on. They were too big even for Albano, who stared at me then. He laughed gently as he saw such astonishment in my eyes.

“Go a little farther, child. As you were asleep in my chamber I could hear you mumble about a special someone… words of hope and visions of a being… Perhaps it is time you truly see him for the first time!”