Chapter 31: 31. Temple

As Orion and Jarth went towards the group who were waiting for them, Jarth explained some things to them.

"You see, we have been trapped in this dungeon for more than a week now because we can't seem to find the boss monster, no matter how hard we try. And now that we have found a clue, everyone is just so anxious about it."

He paused for a moment to let Orion digest his words before he continued.

"As for Runo's attitude towards you, well, I can only say that he is a good guy who cares deeply for every member of the team, but he is just a little proud inside."

Orion nodded to Jarth in apparent understanding, but inwardly, he couldn't help but laugh. He understood everything Jarth had said, yet he couldn't shake off the feeling of disdain towards Runo's kingly demeanor.

Recalling Runo's assertion that people should obey his every command simply because he said so made Orion cringe.

But what irritated him the most was the disrespect he had been shown. That was something he simply couldn't tolerate.

'I will have my revenge one day.'

Despite appearing calm on the surface, Orion knew that it was merely a facade he had adopted in his previous life to cope with the challenges of everyday life on Earth.

In his past life, he had been a failure—a complete one at that. Consequently, society mocked him wherever he went. Some openly jeered at him, while others spoke to him politely, yet Orion could still discern the disdain in their eyes as they looked at him.

In the end, he became thoroughly fed up with them and felt deeply depressed. However, over time, he learned to disregard their opinions and didn't dwell on what they said about him.

It was this resilience that allowed him to remain calm in the face of everything that had happened to him since joining Runo's group.

Moreover, he was desperate to leave this island, or dungeon, or whatever it was, and they were the only ones with any clue about how to do so. This was his motivation for "cooperating" with them.

Otherwise, with his petty attitude, he would have undoubtedly sought revenge against Runo, even knowing he wouldn't stand a chance.

***

After walking for a while, Jarth and Orion arrived at the area where the group seemed to be resting, awaiting their arrival.

However, Orion's attention was immediately drawn to the two statues standing on either side of the river.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the two statues still conveyed the same message as the previous pair, but their facial expressions appeared more extreme.

The man with golden hair smiled broadly, baring his teeth in a welcoming manner, while the woman with blue hair had tears streaming down her cheeks, her hands still crossed.

Observing the statues intently, Orion struggled to comprehend the significance behind them.

'Do these statues signify something? If it is, then why have two statues of opposite meanings and not only one?.'

He pondered its meaning but couldn't come up with anything.

Sighing, he looked at the others as they once again started their journey.

'I guess it's nothing.'

With no answers, he quietly followed them from behind.

***

As the day drew to a close, the stars began to sparkle in the sky, casting an otherworldly reflection on the shimmering river below.

Observing the stars, Orion felt a sense of wonder. Back on Earth, living in a metropolitan area, he rarely had the opportunity to witness such a vast array of stars in the sky.

'That's so beautiful.'

He thought, looking at them.

At that moment, Jarth, who walked beside him, pointed at something far in the distance.

"Look! What's that?"

Haring him, Orion tuned to see that in the near distance, not far from them, stood a fort-like structure.

He also saw that everyone else's attention was also on the same thing.

"This is our destination."

Runo shouted as he pointed at the structure.

Soon everyone picked up their pace, and before long they arrived at the front of the structure.

To Orion, this structure appeared like some old temples he had seen in history books.

The building was structured like a fortress, with three fort-like structures positioned at three sides in a triangular formation and a large gate at the front. It seemed to be entirely black in color, except for the peaks of the forts, which emitted a gray-golden glow due to the reflection of the moon.

"Where are they?"

However, at this time, someone shouted angrily.

Turning around, Orion noticed that Runo seemed to be scanning the surroundings, as if searching for something or someone.

Liira also grew anxious, her eyes darting around the area, but she found nothing.

"There is no one here. Not a single one of them. Runo, are you sure this is the right place?"

Runo checked the map once again upon hearing her.

"This is the place on the map where a cross is marked. So we are indeed at the right place."

He frowned as he said that, wondering if they had been lied to by them.

Among them, Rina appeared to be the calmest one as she surveyed her surroundings.

"They definitely need us; otherwise, they wouldn't have contacted us in the first place."

"You are right; we definitely need your kids' help here."

At that moment, a loud voice sounded from above them.

Everyone looked up to see a boat seemingly descending from the star-filled sky. At the boat's edge stood a man with long black hair and a beard on his face.

Orion was shocked to see the man because he was none other than the captain of the pirate ship he had been on earlier.

'Damn, so all this time we have been looking for pirates.'

He cursed at the thought of it.

He couldn't imagine how escaping this dungeon meant anything to these pirates, considering they came here at the same time as himself. So, Runo's team would know better about the dungeon than these pirates.