System's POV

Chapter 1333: The Heart Of Friends Turns Into None [Part 2]

Without even minding the stares coming from the wanderers, Thirteen moved to the next mural.

This time, the mural depicted a fat man dressed in elegant clothes. Countless gold coins flowed from his hands, littering the ground in his wake.

“He stands in gold, yet hollow within,

A gilded cage for the life he’s been.

Each coin that falls, a silent plea,

For something more he’ll never see.”

“Eyes avert, yet hearts perceive,

The weight he bears, the dreams he grieves.

Hands that scatter, not in delight,

But because the world gave him no other fight.”

“Rich in gold, yet poor in soul,

A man who pays to feel control.

And still the coins fall, one by one,

Until the night swallows the sun.”

Thirteen moved to the next mural, and in there, a man with four pairs of black wings had his hands spread wide.

Around him, a hundred black snakes looked up at him in worship, as if thanking him for giving birth to them.

“He spreads his arms to skies of night,

Yet finds no solace in his flight.

A hundred eyes, a thousand fangs,

Praise him softly, while his spirit hangs.”

“Born to lead, yet chained by fear,

Each hiss a whisper he alone can hear.

The weight of power, the cost of command,

A lonely ruler in a serpent’s land.”

“Wings black as grief, heart cold as stone,

He stands adored, yet stands alone.

For all who worship, all who cling,

Cannot give back the joy of spring.”

Finally, the teenage boy stood in front of the last mural.

In that mural, a young man, who looked very happy, had his foot raised as if he was about to step over a cliff.

There was no fear in his eyes, and no tension in his gait.

It was as if there was nowhere in the world that he couldn’t go, and even if danger befall him, he would face it with a calm smile as if trying to forget the friends he lost, and the places that he held sacred in his heart.

“He lifts his foot where shadows lie,

Beneath a vast and endless sky.

No fear, no grief, yet eyes betray

The echoes of the friends he’ll leave today.”

“Smiles like sunlight through the rain,

Hiding sorrow, masking pain.

The cliffs await, the wind will call,

But he stands serene, embracing all.”

“For all he’s lost, for all he’s known,

He walks alone where none have flown.

A step, a leap, a silent plea,

To find in falling, the freedom to be free.”

Thirteen gazed at the young man and understood that, despite the smile on his face, he was grieving inside his heart.

He enunciated the words loud and clear so the Wanderers could hear him and know what words were left in the murals.

After some thought, Roland approached Thirteen and asked him what he thought about the message behind them.

“Do you understand what all of these murals were trying to say?” Roland asked. “Also, how did you manage to translate this ancient language?”

The other Wanderers were also very curious, so they waited for Zion to answer Roland’s question.

“I have a guess on what the message behind these murals is trying to convey,” Thirteen replied. “However, I am not a hundred percent certain. Do you still want to listen despite that?”

Roland nodded. “Yes. Please enlighten me.”

Thirteen sighed before facing the Wanderers. “These murals are telling the story of the Seven Celestials and the Seven Fiends of Solterra.”

After hearing his opening words, everyone’s eyes widened in shock. None of them expected this kind of revelation.

“But it’s quite interesting because instead of fourteen, there was one more person whom they seem to worship,” Thirteen explained. “This fifteenth person is not mentioned in the history of the Deities of Solterra.”

Thirteen walked back to the earlier mural, where the man with black and white wings blessed the fourteen people with his powers.

“Based on this mural, this fifteenth person seemed to be the one who gave the Celestials and the Fiends their power, allowing them to morph into their current forms,” Thirteen explained before moving to the next mural. “The Giant Sea Serpent here is none other than the Immortal Fiend, Forneus.”

Without even waiting for anyone’s opinion or comment, Thirteen moved to the next pillar.

“The fat man with the gold coins spilling from his hands is the Fiend of Greed, Mammon,” Thirteen said with confidence. “I have a grudge to settle with that guy. He killed me during my First Wandering.”

“He killed you during your First Wandering?” Roland asked in disbelief. “Why are you still alive then?”

“I’m built differently. But I’m still salty about it,” Thirteen replied as he walked to the next mural. “I’ll get back to him when I have the chance.”

Since Thirteen had already explained the identity of the two Fiends, Roland and the other Wanderers could now guess the identity of the third Fiend.

“He is the Fallen Angel, Apollyon, right?” Roland asked. “The one who created the Domini Mortis.”

The Hero then glanced at Tiona, who was bowing her head in respect toward the painting of Apollyon, whose blood had given birth to her race, the Domini Mortis.

“That’s right, he is Apollyon,” Thirteen said. “I met him once, and he’s a very chill guy.”

The corner of Roland’s lips twitched. He didn’t believe that Zion had met the Fallen Angel of Death since getting to the Death Valley was not something anyone could easily do.

And finally, Thirteen walked towards the last mural.

“Who is he?” Roland asked. “I think he is a Fiend, but he looks so… normal.”

“He is the Fiend of Many Faces, Dantanian,” Thirteen stated. “Among the Fiends, only he and Mammon can be considered sociable.”

Roland and the other Wanderers looked around them, hoping to see if any other paths led to other murals that represented the other Fiends or Celestials of Solterra.

But no matter where they looked, these were the only murals in the ancient ruins.

After careful consideration, Thirteen finally had a vague understanding of what they needed to do to clear their mission.

However, doing it was not an easy task, especially since he was moving with a group of Wanderers.

With such a delicate mission, he believed that the members in his group were personally handpicked by The One, so he would have a higher chance of clearing the quest, which would be the spark that would start the Dawn of the Apocalypse.