1427 Bridge of Fate
The first area seemed to be what little remained of a grand metropolis after an apocalyptic battle.
Most of it was little more than rubble, dust, and fire, ruined beyond recognition but there were still a scant few vestiges left just intact enough to show how marvelous the place must have been in its prime.
Shimmering rare metals and all manners of now-extinct jewels could be found lining the random streets.
Lord Yami saw Hao Xuan's eye moving back and forth and decided to volunteer some more information until they reached their destination.
"This is where most of the residents of this realm lived. It was 'afterlife' before the idea of the afterlife even existed."
"It must have been amazing," Claudia chimed in, "If even the remains are this extravagant." n0vELbIn
"Unfortunately we have no way to know for certain. Zeus and Odin restricted all information coming out of the realm before destroying what little managed to survive. They wanted to remove all evidence of their existence."
"That must have been a very long time ago but....it looks so recent," even Max couldn't hold himself back from commenting after seeing the fire and smoke billowing from every other structure.
"Of course, this realm exists outside of time. For us it has been countless millenniums but here it has not been very long. This bridge was called the 'Bridge of Fate' and its power is the only thing keeping us safe. But as we get closer to the temple the energies should lessen in intensity which is when we will start to see some of the Gods walking around."
"What happens if we step outside before that?" Max curiously inquired.
"Not sure. Either you will immediately cease to exist, be destroyed by the energies that laid waste to this realm in the first place, or be transported to another time. Care to find out?"
And Baba Jezda could not refute his claims either, "We can do nothing about that. If it comes to it we will have to fight but...they should be moving towards Taisi as we speak. He will lead them away while we continue to move forward."
'Was that black powder that will attract the Gods to him?' Hao Xuan wondered.
It seemed like a harmless ritual to him but there was so much more to it.
One less, the group now being led by Baba Jezda herself continued moving on the bridge with bated breaths.
After some time the scenes began to shift for a third time and the darkness surrounding them almost vanished for over a minute before slowly returning to its original shade.
"Seven more to go," Max joked but got no response from the others.
They mostly stayed silent apart from Claudia who couldn't help herself from whispering into Hao Xuan's ears after seeing his conflicted expression when they entered the sixth realm.
"Master, is everything okay? You seem troubled..."
"Yeah, I'm fine...just got a strange feeling of deja vu. Feels like I've seen this before," he said looking at the scene of utter destruction laid out in front of them.
There was even half a body of a titan strewn openly on the ground on which there seemed to be an ongoing battle.
"How is that even possible??"