"So this is why I haven't encountered a feral beast".

On his way here, he had wondered why not a single one had crossed his path. He was coming from a water source and animals were known to camp around water sources.

Now, staring at the ruin before him, he understood. This place was the cause.

The sight itself didn't shock him. Foreign, yes, but not surprising. In this world, ruins like this were all too common.

Back before 2019, the sky was simple. The sun ruled the day, and the moon ruled the night. They were no such things as stars.

Then, in 2019, everything changed. Six constellations appeared beside the sun, and another six appeared beside the moon. Day and night suddenly had new rulers.

Scientists tried to explain the phenomenon, but none of their theories made sense. Then the light of the constellations touched the earth.

The first came from the constellations of day. Roots split open the ground, turning cities, deserts, and seas into vast forests. Lava surged up from the earth, storms tore through the skies.

Then the night constellations arrived. Their light brought endless floods, drowning lands beneath rising waters.

In the chaos, humanity fled underground. For three years, they hid, waiting for the world to settle.

When they finally returned to the surface, they found something new. Ruins stood across the land— ruins that did not belong to this world.

It was into one of these ruins that the Sympathizers entered… and came out wielding fire, water, and strength beyond mandune understanding.

Back then, there was no such terms as Avatars wielders. That wouldn't come until the third generation. In those early days, humanity was little more than livestock for the Elderspawn rising from the depths.

But one truth remained.

"Ruins are gold mines". Levi's eyes flashed with the ugly color called greed.

He first sent the leech forward.

It slithered across the moss with hardly a sound. The absence of the sound caused by it's feet striking against stone made Levi uneasy.

He watched it vanish into the broken gate, and if not for the leech being in his line of sight, he wouldn't have even known it had gone inside.

Minutes dragged. One… two… three…

Nothing happened.

Four… five…

Still nothing.

Levi's fingers twitched against his thigh. Ruins were supposed to be safe. Everyone knew that, he couldn't help but be cautious.

"Damn it. Greed, don't fail me now".

With that muttered curse, he stepped past the threshold, boots sinking into the wet moss.

The silence inside was heavier. Like a weight draped across his shoulders, it was so physical he had to retrieve his step.

"Why do I feel like this is a bad idea". His voice was so quiet it surprised even him.

He let out a shaky breath and forced his feet to stay planted.

"No… no, it's fine". He muttered, his voice low but steadying. "It's just a ruin. Just stone and moss. Nothing more."

His eyes flicked to the leech ahead, still waiting at the far end. That was proof enough, wasn't it? If there was danger, the parasite would have already been died.

Levi didn't let the presence of the leech lure him into a false sense of safety, he was even able to kill the leech as a normal human.

"Safe. Ruins are safe. Everyone knows that." He repeated the words like a charm, as if saying them would make them true.

Levi's lips pressed tight. His instincts screamed at him to turn back, but his hunger for whatever lay hidden inside screamed louder.

"Ruins are gold mines". He whispered again, though this time it sounded less like greed and more like prayer.

Step by step, he moved deeper in.

Slowly, carefully, Levi dragged one foot forward, then the other, until he was moving again. Each step sank into the damp moss, leaving faint impressions that filled back almost immediately, as if the ground refused to remember him.

He tried not to notice.

"Gold mine". He whispered again, a mantra now. "This place is a gold mine. Don't stop. Don't hesitate."

And with that, he pushed himself deeper into the ruin.

He moved quietly, each step sinking into the damp moss without a sound. The ruin stretched around him— walls slick with mold, rivulets of water tracing thin lines down the stone, the air heavy with the faint tang of iron.

The silence pressed in, thick and suffocating, yet nothing stirred. His tensed shoulders eased, just a fraction.

'…It's not so bad'. He told himself, whether to comfort himself or to curb the silence that had managed to sneak inside his thoughts.

After what seems like hours he finally reached the front of the chapel.

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