CHAPTER 54: THE FOOTPATH WITHIN THE GROTTO (2).

Wiping the blood from the sword and sheathing it, Nero stepped through the mouth of the cave.

For the moment, the darkness was too great to see, even with his peculiar eyes.

Slowly they were able to adjust.

And when they did, something absolutely incredible unfolded before him.

A picturesque scenery he didn’t think could exist in a world full of so much darkness.

It was absolutely beautiful.

Softly glowing fungus and algae, beautiful flowers hanging from the top of the cave.

The sound of the river water running through it, bouncing off the walls to produce a strange, yet calming melody.

Everything was—

Nero looked down.

His expression changed.

’This is...’

Often times, when a path is often taken, after a long time, the erosion wears into the ground and a path is formed, creating a road or footpath.

Nero had a rather perplexed expression on his face.

He turned around and glanced at the the grizzly scene outside the cave.

He took a look, particularly, at the feet of one of the Abominations.

He did so silently for a moment, then turned right back to the footpath.

’This is strange.’

The legs of the Elkerling. Was just like that of a human, only it was much larger.

The footprints on the footpath indicated frequent travels, but not specifically created by the feet of these Elkerlings.

’What could this mean?’

The most predominant footprints were much smaller than that of the Elkerlings. But they were still oddly humanoid, or at the very least something that seemed humanoid.

Although he didn’t want to make any assumptions, Nero couldn’t help finding that a bit strange.

He decided to put it out of his mind and head into the cave.

The good thing was that he had not yet detected any malicious intent. If he had, he would not have stepped foot into this grotto.

And besides, night was coming.

While staying in here didn’t seem safe, it couldn’t be any less dangerous than sleeping out there. In the open.

He grimaced.

The grotto seemed like a single part of an entire cage system. Overhead, different pointy limestone pillars hung, softly dripping black water which the spongy algae seemed quite eager to suck right up.

Although the cave was dark, with his eyes adjusting, combined with the dim light from the fungus, he was able to see relatively well.

’Hm?’

Nero paused.

His eyes narrowed as he focused on a certain portion of the vine and moss covered wall.

There seemed to be something drawn beneath them!

Nero furiously tore at the strange flora, heart thumping in his chest, eventually getting it all off and revealing the entire wall.

What he saw shook him to his core.

"Good gods! What have I stumbled across?!"

On the wall, were paintings!

Strange, archaic, rustic, and perhaps even a bit primitive drawings.

"What the seven Hells is this?" Nero muttered.

The drawings were quite vibrant, having been rather well preserved in the cave despite the high humidity.

He leaned in closer.

Then he frowned.

’There’s not enough light. I can’t make out enough of it!’

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and leaned in closer, even as his heart raced through his chest.

He had heard of the stories hundreds, perhaps even thousands of times at the masses held at the church.

A long, long time ago, there had been thousands of human enclaves, cities, and even nations that filled the world, reaching into every corner and crevice.

They had held powerful tools and had studied incredible crafts.

They had cultivated powerful arts, and had also fought devastating wars, before even the arrival of the Gryghori.

’According to what I know, most of these human civilizations were wiped out during the time of the Gryghori. Could it be I have just stumbled on a remnant of an ancient civilization?!’

Such a thing would be incredible news, mostly because it could provide him with a ton of lost information.

Getting frustrated by the lack of lighting, Nero turned around and began looking around.

His gaze fell on the bunch of vines he had pulled off the walls.

His eyes narrowed as he stopped over and picked at them.

Rubbing his fingers against the vines, he quickly noticed something—

The vines were rather dry and brittle. When he considered how damp the cave was, he began to worry.

His mother had been quite learned and intelligent, so he had access to somewhat basic knowledge as a child.

One of such knowledge, was that the flora of the world could not survive without water, just as humans could not.

It didn’t matter if the plants were corrupted or not. Even the corrupted Abominations needed it.

Because of that, he knew the vines were strange.

And sure enough, when he snapped a vine open, a stream of crystal clear fluid flowed forth.

His eyes widened,

"The water is clean?"

That was quite the shock.

He stared at the vines for a long time, all sorts of thoughts swimming through his mind.

Then he sighed, ’One at a time...’

He pulled out a few more vines and broke them up before emptying their contents into the Waterskin of Purity.

Once he was done, he was left with a bunch of dry twigs.

Surprisingly, the inside of the vines were covered with a strange substance that let all the water roll right away, keeping even the inside dry.

Saying a short prayer, Nero held his firestarter and struck.

Sparks flew off the flint and struck the rather large pile of vines he had gathered.

A moment later, the light spread through the cave, illuminating everything.

Cain’s eyes widened as the beauty of the cave became even more pronounced under the surprisingly pristine white like the twigs burned with.

Without wasting any time, and completely disregarding the feeling of hunger plaguing him, Nero swiveled around to face the wall.

Taking the liberty to pull off the rest of the moss and vines, he was able to see the entirety of the stunningly vivid murals.

And what he saw, shook him to his core...