"War armors? What are those?" Cassian asked, his curiosity piqued. He picked up a rusty sword from the ground, attempting to cover it with his Domain. After a moment of focus, he succeeded, hurling the sword forward with a green streak of energy, sending it crashing into a crack in the wall at high speed.
Cassandra watched the sword embed itself into the wall, her smile widening as she continued, "Well, these are ancient pieces of equipment found in many ruins, but no one really knows their full purpose. They're incredibly heavy, too—too much for most beings to wear. And they consume an immense amount of mana, requiring numerous mana stones just to operate for a few minutes. That is, until the Circle Warriors came along. Now, we can power them up using our Domains."
She glanced at him, her excitement clear in her voice. "Which means there were people like us who could use them in ancient times, and they might have been able to use domains like we do, which makes it even more mysterious." She sighed, her expression shifting to one of slight disappointment. "But not everyone can afford them. They're far too costly to make or buy. And because of their destructive power, they're rarely seen in public—only brought out for wars or to showcase strength."
Cassian nodded, still processing the power and rarity of such armor. "Sounds like a game-changer," he said, glancing at the sword still embedded in the wall.
Suddenly, his eyes widened in surprise as he noticed the crack where the sword was lodged spreading further. Before he could react, a series of loud cracking sounds filled the air. Cassandra, equally surprised, quickly moved back, pulling Cassian with her just as the wall began to crumble. Both of them stumbled back in shock, watching as the debris fell away.
As the dust settled, they found themselves staring at a hidden corridor. This one seemed untouched by time—there were no skeletons or weapons scattered about, and the walls were covered in thick green moss. It looked as if no one had set foot here in eons, the moss glowing faintly with a soft, eerie luminescence.
Cassian exchanged a surprised glance with Cassandra, both of them speechless at the unexpected discovery.
"Guess we found the hidden, unexplored part of the ruins," Cassian said with a smile, his excitement growing at the discovery.
Cassandra nodded, still standing outside the newly revealed corridor. She picked up a rock and tossed it, watching as it landed on one of the bricks inside. When there was no reaction, she threw more rocks, each landing on various walls and the floor, some heavy enough to make a noticeable thud. As the rocks hit the ground without triggering any traps, she frowned, unable to detect any with her domain.
"Doesn't seem to be many traps here," she said, glancing at Cassian. "But keep your Domain active just in case. I'll block what I can, but the rest... well, let's just hope we don't run into any of those nasty surprises."
Cassian nodded but didn't immediately activate his Domain. Instead, he stepped into the dark corridor, though the green glow from the moss illuminated the path just enough to see. As he moved deeper, a prickling sensation began to spread across his skin. Uncertain, he quickly opened his Domain, and the sensation faded almost instantly.
However, something felt strange. The prickling reminded him of the sensation he usually felt when his body was healing from a wound, but he wasn't injured. It wasn't localized—it was as if the feeling was coursing through his entire body, even deep inside. He paused for a moment, a shiver running down his spine, as he tried to make sense of the odd sensation.
Ignoring the odd sensation, Cassian asked, "You think we'll find those armors here?"
"I hope so," Cassandra replied, her tone full of excitement. She gripped her spear tightly, stepping carefully as she moved forward, pausing every few steps to thoroughly investigate the space ahead. Cassian followed closely in her footsteps, keeping his attention sharp as they ventured deeper into the uncharted corridor.
"There have been a few discovered, and they were incredibly powerful. The Ven Dyke family even has one. The current head of the family found it during her adventure here," Cassandra explained, sparking Cassian's curiosity. He was a Ven Dyke as well, but it was a secret he hadn't shared with Cassandra. He simply nodded and pressed on, asking, "Who else found one here?"
"A century or so ago, a vagabond warrior found one as well. It gave him such power that he went on to establish a kingdom for himself," she continued.
Cassian was taken aback. He hadn't realized the war armors were capable of such strength. The thought of a single warrior using one to build a kingdom was surprising, as creating a kingdom was no small feat.
Even the likes of Katherine or Commander Sher couldn't create a kingdom on their own, and they were the strongest people Cassian knew. So, he couldn't help but wonder just how powerful someone would have to be to achieve such a feat. Now, seeing the war armors in a new light, he began to understand why he hadn't heard much about them before.
"Is that kingdom still standing?" Cassian asked, carefully following in her footsteps.
Cassandra nodded. "Yeah, it's not far from here, south of the desert. It's called the Kingdom of Iroha."
Cassian smiled in surprise at the mention of the name. "What a coincidence. One of the examinee back at the academy test site, the one I fought along, belonged to the royal family of that kingdom."
"Really?" Cassandra asked, her surprise evident as she glanced back at him.
Cassian nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. "I can understand now why those wealthy families spend so much money sending their children to these expensive academies. It's not just about training; it's about making connections with royalty and the nobility of different kingdoms."
Cassian nodded, having already suspected it when he first met Rylan Dastor on the first day. "I hope the higher-ups can keep me undercover with this disguise; it suits me really well," he said, his tone thoughtful.
Cassandra nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the red hair makes it more convincing that you belong to the Ven Dyke family, especially given their connection with the Alacio family and their reputation for secrecy. It'll help you avoid suspicion and make your fake identity more believable."