Nobody spoke after Kaeloris raised that question...

What if the Nether Lands wasn’t always the Nether Lands?

The words settled over the group far heavier than any of them expected. Like a pebble cast into a tranquil lake, the simple question sent invisible ripples through their minds.

It resonated with them deeply, echoing through every corner of their consciousness until, before they even realized it, each of them found themselves silently ruminating over the failed Gnost’s speculation...

It was supposed to be an outrageous theory; an absurd one, even. Yet... Was it truly?

If one reflected upon everything they had experienced and uncovered over the past four days, it suddenly became far less difficult to believe that perhaps, long before the world knew it as the Nether Lands, this cursed region had once been something entirely different.

Valmyr’s brows knitted together as he asked. "And how did you arrive at this conclusion?"

His question was neither rhetorical nor dismissive...

Because ever since childhood, every tale told in Valoria painted the Nether Lands as a realm abandoned by life itself; a cursed abyss overflowing with monsters, corruption, and death.

It was a place so feared that the kingdom had transformed it into a living prison, a destination reserved only for criminals, disgraced Awakeners, and those deemed unworthy of redemption.

In fact, calling it prison doesn’t do it justice. Instead, it is better to call it... Purgatory.

So to suddenly hear that this very land might once have been prosperous was enough to overturn everything he had ever believed...

Kaeloris adjusted his spectacles before answering composedly.

"I know my words might sound ridiculous, but if you think about everything we’ve encountered since arriving here, you won’t be able to deny the possibility."

He slowly gestured around the crypt before continuing. "I mean, look at all of this..."

His hand swept across the ancient chamber.

"We have a ruined temple, an elaborate sepulcher, a dead priest and priestess, terracotta guardians, ancient arrays..."

His voice grew more certain with every piece of evidence he listed. "And don’t forget about the Sauryeans and the Breeding Nest. These are all pieces of evidence suggesting that the Nether Lands wasn’t merely a land inhabited by monsters. It was once a place where civilization flourished... Where intelligent beings lived, worshipped, built, and buried their dead with dignity..."

"And it still has." Aureleah suddenly broke the silence.

Everyone turned toward her immediately...

"I mean, Regaleon already confirmed the existence of the Sauryeans two days ago. One could argue that there is still at least one intelligent race surviving within these lands." She added calmly.

"Right." Kaeloris nodded approvingly. "Besides, the Sauryeans might not even be the only civilization thriving here."

Veyrath frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Kaeloris merely shrugged in response. "I mean exactly what I said. You know, the Sauryeans are simply the only intelligent race we’ve encountered since our exile. But that doesn’t automatically make them the only inhabitants of the Nether Lands..."

His calm voice carried an undeniable logic as he spoke.

"The Nether Lands are unimaginably vast. For all we know, we’ve barely explored a tiny fraction of it. We’ve spent almost all our time surviving within one small corner of this endless wilderness..."

He paused briefly to let that sink in before adding another point. "And don’t forget what originally brought us into this entire situation with the ruined temple."

Vaelorin tilted his head. "And what was that? Wasn’t it because we were searching for the missing Drake while investigating Regaleon’s sudden evolution?"

Kaeloris shook his head. "No. Actually, it’s bigger than that."

His gaze swept across the group as he pointed out.

"Have you forgotten? We were training ourselves so we’d eventually become strong enough to search for other survivors who might have adapted to life within the Nether Lands."

His eyes landed on Regaleon when he spoke further.

"I mean, Regaleon himself suggested there might be others like us out there. And if we look back through Valoria’s history, we’ll discover that criminals, failed Awakeners, political prisoners, and countless unwanted individuals have been exiled into these lands since ancient times."

The failed Gnost’s voice became thoughtful.

"So what makes you believe those countless exiles never adapted? What if over generations they built settlements? Or formed tribes? Or even established civilizations of their own?"

Silence answered him. No one immediately found a flaw in his reasoning; after all, if the kingdom had truly been sending people into the Nether Lands for countless years, then the number of exiles would have accumulated into an astonishing population.

Assuming even a fraction managed to survive... Well, the possibility isn’t impossible.

Valmyr eventually broke the silence as he turned toward the failed Gnost.

"Kaeloris.You still haven’t answered your own question. If this place wasn’t always the Nether Lands then what was it?"

Kaeloris slowly shook his head as he replied honestly. "I don’t know. But whatever it was, it must have been thriving. You know, it might have been a place comparable to Valoria..."

He examined the crypt before speaking further. "And whatever happened for it to be like this must have been catastrophic. Literally, I’m talking about a disaster powerful enough to erase entire civilizations, reduce magnificent temples to ruins, bury history beneath forests, and transform what was once someone’s homeland into the most feared region throughout Aetherium."

A heavy silence settled over the crypt once more. Then Regaleon eventually released a slow sigh.

"I’ve heard everything you’ve said..." He started. "But I still think we shouldn’t jump to conclusions based solely on conjecture."

His golden eyes met Kaeloris’ as he continued. "Sure... The Nether Lands may not always have looked like this, but we have no way of proving that."

He glanced around the crypt before speaking further. "I mean, it’s probably already been like this for thousands upon thousands of years, which means there might be another possibility. Perhaps the civilization we’re seeing didn’t exist before the Nether Lands; perhaps they simply learned how to survive within it..."

His reasoning caused several members of the group to nod thoughtfully as they realized that it was equally plausible.

After all, humans possessed remarkable adaptability and even the impossible could become ordinary after enough generations and innovations...

Sylveris blinked her silver eyes before asking. "So are you saying that Kaeloris is wrong?"

Regaleon immediately shook his head. "No. Actually, I’m not dismissing his theory, I’m simply saying that we shouldn’t mistake possibilities for facts."

A corner of his lips curled slightly as he explained further. "You know, when solving a puzzle, it’s easy to force pieces together simply because we want the picture to make sense. But that’s not how truth works; we first have to gather every piece, and it is only after this is done that we try to assemble the image."

As he spoke, Regaleon looked toward the final unopened sarcophagus, gesturing at it.

"As far as I’m concerned, we’ve already collected two pieces. Perhaps, the last coffin might contain the final one."

Veyrath instantly narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "So basically, you’re just telling us to open the third coffin, weren’t you?"

Regaleon blinked, almost caught off guard by the question. "I mean... Yes."

Veyrath folded his arms. He arched a brow as he asked.

"Then why did you spend the last several minutes giving us a lecture about puzzles, conjectures, and assembling pictures before saying exactly that?"

Regaleon opened his mouth to reply; but before he could formulate a proper defense, Valmyr had already begun walking toward the largest sarcophagus.

"I was literally waiting for you to say that." The failed Vanguard said, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"You see, all this talk about the history of the Nether Lands doesn’t really concern me..."

"Of course it doesn’t." Caelestra sighed. "You’re still after treasures that don’t even seem to exist, aren’t you?"

She pointed toward the two opened coffins. "We’ve already opened two sarcophagi and instead of shimmering riches, we found two preserved corpses. So why are you still fixated on the third one, knowing fully well that you would be disappointed?"

Valmyr remained completely unfazed. Instead, his confident grin seem to widen as the replied her.

"Trust me, Caelestra. I’ve got a feeling that this one’s going to be my lucky one..."

He tapped his chest proudly. "You know, as the popular saying goes; third time is the charm."

Caelestra slowly rolled her eyes at his words. The exasperation on her face was so profound that it bordered on resignation as she wondered why some people simply refused to learn from their failures...

Meanwhile, Regaleon ignored their banter entirely. His attention remained fixed upon the final sarcophagus. Then silently, he approached it...

The others instinctively followed and before long, all eight stood around the ancient sarcophagus in the same manner as the second one.

Regaleon’s golden eyes swept across everyone and after confirming they were ready, he said a single word...

"Three, two, one... Push!’

Immediately after, the eight of them strained together against the last, and undoubtedly most important, sarcophagus hidden beneath the forgotten temple...