First Legendary Dragon: Starting With The Limitless System
Chapter 319: Murals

Chapter 319: Murals

They both glanced expectantly around the room, but everyone else seemed content remaining seated, lost in their own quiet thoughts.

With a shrug, Elias motioned casually toward the door, and Felira followed behind him, laughing lightly as they exited the room together.

Shortly after, Kale rose from his seat with a calm, steady demeanor. He adjusted the sleeves of his robes briefly. "I’ll head back to my room to meditate and train for a while," he said.

Orion nodded slightly in acknowledgment, respecting Kale’s discipline and focus.

The others similarly gave Kale approving looks, silently wishing him productive training as he quietly slipped out of the chamber, leaving just Orion, Arya, Emilia, Sylvia, and Nyss in the comfortable, warmly lit room.

Arya’s violet eyes sparkled gently with amusement as she suddenly sprang energetically to her feet, breaking the quiet yet again. "Oh, how about we three girls go out too?" She directed her warm, inviting gaze toward Emilia and Sylvia. "I heard some locals earlier mentioning street stalls with delicious local dishes. Let’s go try them out!"

Emilia softly laughed, standing gracefully and adjusting her robe elegantly. "That does sound intriguing. Count me in," she agreed warmly.

Sylvia, however, hesitated slightly, seeming unsure at first. After a brief pause and thoughtful consideration, she eventually nodded her head, her serene face showing faint interest. "Very well, I’ll accompany you two."

As the trio began moving toward the door, Orion raised a curious eyebrow, glancing questioningly toward Arya. "Why didn’t you three join Elias and Felira earlier if you wanted to explore?"

Arya paused briefly at the doorway, turning around with a playful giggle. Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she responded simply, "Just because."

Without further explanation, she quickly slipped through the door, Emilia smiling warmly as she followed, and Sylvia calmly trailing behind the two with a faintly bemused expression.

Orion shook his head lightly, a gentle smile crossing his face as he watched them leave. Now, left alone in the room with Nyss, the atmosphere quieted considerably. He glanced toward her thoughtfully, noticing her calm gaze fixed upon him.

After a few moments of silence, Orion asked gently, "What about you, Nyss? You’re not going anywhere?"

Nyss tilted her head slightly, her calm eyes never leaving his face as she quietly returned the question, "What about you? Is there nowhere you wish to go?"

Orion leaned back in his chair thoughtfully, his gaze drifting once more to the window as he replied slowly, "Yes, there is. Duke Varian mentioned the murals at their ancestral grounds. He said they depict something quite intriguing and invited me to take a look whenever I wished. I’m quite curious."

Nyss considered his words briefly before nodding decisively, her calm expression carrying a hint of interest. "Then I’ll accompany you," she responded simply, her voice soft yet firm.

Orion softly chuckled hearing her words. He quietly stood up from his chair, adjusting the folds of his robes as he motioned politely toward the door. "Alright, let’s go together then."

Nyss smoothly rose to her feet as well. The two quietly stepped out into the gently illuminated corridor, their footsteps softly echoing along the polished wooden floors.

***

Orion and Nyss quietly navigated through the softly illuminated corridors of Duke Kaelen’s mansion.

The warm glow of flaming lanterns hung from the walls, casting gentle, amber-hued shadows across polished marble floors.

Approaching the rear section of the mansion, they soon encountered a tightly guarded hall, sealed behind imposing double doors carved from dark, ancient oak, and reinforced with intricate metallic runes.

The guards standing vigil at the doors tensed momentarily as the two approached, their hands instinctively tightening around their weapons.

However, as their gazes settled on Orion’s distinctive form, the sword strapped at his waist, and the calm yet intimidating aura radiating from both him and Nyss, the guards immediately stepped aside, bowing respectfully in quiet acknowledgment of their special status as honored guests.

Orion offered a slight nod of acknowledgment, while Nyss maintained her usual calm indifference. Without a word, they stepped into the hall, leaving the guards behind as the heavy doors silently closed, sealing them inside the chamber.

Inside, the hall stretched out impressively, its high ceiling supported by elegant stone columns carved with detailed reliefs of legendary Tigerkin heroes and warriors.

Soft light from intricately designed lamps embedded into the walls bathed the room in a calming, mystical glow.

The atmosphere was reverent, almost sacred, and the room itself was completely empty, devoid of any other visitors or distractions.

Orion slowly walked forward, eyes drawn immediately to the expansive murals lining the left side of the wall. Nyss silently followed at a respectful distance, her icy blue eyes quietly scanning the artwork.

Standing before the first mural, Orion studied it closely, his dual-colored eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he absorbed every detail depicted.

The mural illustrated the formation of a young, vibrant world, a lush planet teeming with life, mana, and potential.

Yet, within this beautiful depiction lay something troubling: subtle yet undeniable signs of destabilization.

Orion traced the delicate lines illustrating fractures in the world’s surface, from which streams of what seemed to be the planet’s "Origin" energy leaked steadily outward, vanishing into the surrounding void.

"Interesting," Orion softly murmured, his voice thoughtful yet troubled. "It appears this world was unstable from its very inception."

Nyss stepped forward beside him, closely observing the mural before quietly responding, "Or perhaps something external affected it, destabilizing it from the beginning."

Orion nodded slowly, intrigued by Nyss’s observation. Together, they moved carefully to the next mural, its depiction further heightening their intrigue and concern.

Here, the world’s condition had visibly worsened, the energy leaks intensified dramatically, with streams of Origin energy spilling outward chaotically.

The surrounding space was distorted, depicted as warped and twisted, hinting at some immense external pressure or interference.

Nyss’s eyes sharpened slightly. "Space itself appears distorted here. Perhaps the interference was more profound than just mere instability."

Orion agreed quietly, moving to the third mural. Now, the world hovered on the brink of complete collapse. Fractures in the sky itself were depicted vividly, massive cracks extending through the heavens.

The depiction radiated desperation, as if reality itself was struggling to hold together. Orion exhaled softly, sensing deep tragedy and urgency emanating from the artist’s carefully detailed brushstrokes.

Without a word, he shifted his gaze to the next mural. This scene shocked him into silence: depicted vividly was an enormous, shadowy tendril-like entity—a tentacle, vine, or perhaps a dark pillar—forcing its way through a tear in space, penetrating deeply into the world’s Origin core.

It coiled ominously, pulsating with a foreboding energy. The image was both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling.

Nyss quietly broke the silence, her tone unusually somber. "This... clearly signifies the intervention of something external. Something invasive."

Orion nodded slowly, his expression serious. "Indeed. But what exactly was it trying to achieve by invading this world’s core directly?"

Finally, they approached the last mural. However, Orion immediately noticed something amiss: the mural had been damaged extensively. Fragments of painted stone lay scattered on the ground below, with cracks obscuring large portions of the image.

Yet, even through the damage, Orion’s eyes narrowed intensely, gleaning what information he could.

From the remaining visible fragments, the entity seemed to have been forcibly severed or cut.

The fragmented depiction left Orion uncertain — it could have been a tentacle, a vine, a pillar, a towering serpent, or perhaps even the tower itself that Duke Varian had described.