The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 6 part 2] Silver - Underground Habitat

Dawn spoke next, "The place where my... ——where Astra's name is written, it's at the Isle of Dreams?" She corrected herself in time.

"It'd be more accurate to say the entrance is." Simon answered. "The Wall of Legends is a separate space, a dimension created by the HEAVENLY DAO."

"What does it look like?" Dawn pressed.

"It's filled with stone pathways and floating marble. Immortals are inscribed on the block above the first platform. From there, the path splits and descends endlessly, one side for the living and the other for the dead. It's said if you walk far enough you can find any name, although it might take decades."

Dawn frowned, "These pathways... what's under them?"

"A sea of clouds. You needn't worry as death isn't possible there."

Dawn grimaced ever so slightly. Maybe it doesn't fit her aesthetic. Anyway, it's about my turn again. Silver's patience was running out. I'm like Free at times. Before the thrilling, he had difficulty reining himself in. The resemblance ends there though, since I never 'quit out of frustration'. Free had no such tolerance. You can often see her eyes glazing over. With a smile, he remembered when Astra had tried teaching her politics and history. It became a battle of intractable wills. In the end, they'd come to an agreement. Free would seriously study 'uninteresting' subjects fifteen minutes each day. In exchange, Astra wouldn't nag her the rest of the time. That was mother's loss.

"These 'separate spaces' are fascinating." Free said. "Isn't the Endless Library another one?"

Simon nodded, "It holds everything ever written. Be warned, however, its contents can't be brought outside, or it'll dissolve away."

"Wait, they can't be removed? How annoying..." Rose transitioned from shocked to grumpy. Her raiding plans have been thwarted.

Simon smirked, "If it was too convenient, it'd be abused. The rarer a book, the harder it is to obtain. Those no longer in circulations are kept in a closed-off, forbidden section. In this dungeon, the difficulty correlates to the value of what's sought. For instance, Sola's research notes are guarded by reproductions of the Dark Gods and the dread knight Byron."

Enough about libraries. "Regarding the Stone Coliseum..." Silver asked. "Are fights held regularly? Could we compete? Or rather, how would you go about competing?"

Simon chuckled, "Yes, matches are held every day. Anyone can sign up."

Great! They'd trained their whole lives for this. What better place to show off than the first coliseum.

On the Isle of Dreams, you could pitch proposals to the HEAVENLY DAO. Incredible things, even a Dark Age, could happen when a supreme god supported your vision. Eons ago, the immortal Roy Sigfried had suggested a coliseum where real fights could be held without lasting consequences. Woven into its arena walls, necromantic enchantments would prevented souls from departing, and healing enchantments would mend all wounds. Amplified by the diety, these magics would allow unrestrained battling.

"I must warn you," Simon continued. "Competing can be traumatic. Many visitors don't consider how painful——

"I'll stop you there." Silver interrupted. "We have one and are familiar with how they work."

"Really?" Simon said. "There's functional coliseum at Earth's End?"

"Yup." Silver said with pride. "The healing rate isn't great, but it's properly deathless."