Ancient Gods Reboot - Prologue

A divine spectacle

"What do you mean 'it's not going to be easy?'" I asked, touching my chin and looking at the light curiously. "Are you somehow not able to detect them efficiently from here?"

<No, master,> replied Ciel. <The weapons radiate energy strong enough for me to detect even on the other side of the planet, and relocating our dungeon to that place is something that can be done in the blink of an eye.>

"Then, what's the problem?" I leaned forward, placed my palm beneath the light and wrapped my fingers around it. "Is there something you haven't told me yet?" I brought it close and whispered gently.

<Yes, I will explain it to you shortly.> In a few moments, its colour changed to a sparkly yellow. I gently let go of it and it lit the area around us in an everchanging spectacle of Gorgeous hues. It filled the dark, empty darkness surrounding us with a new life of joy.

"It's beautiful..." the words escaped my mouth involuntarily.

<Of course> the smug voice said confidently. <I shall continue with the explanation.>

The Eternium Weapons are exceptional and differ significantly from ordinary weapons. Firstly, they are elusive to the average eye; the unworthy can't even bear witness to their magnificence in their entire lives, let alone recognize the cause of their end when struck by one.

The lore of the Eternium weapons runs far deep into the past, weaving its way throughout the hundred millennia of history of civilization after we got sealed. During this time, the number of people able to awaken and conquer these weapons was few and far between, and the weapons themselves could be counted on both hands and feet. Needless to say, much was still unknown about them; at least to the adventurers, weak and strong, who aspired to someday find one and engrave their names in gold for the generations to come- just like the ones that came before them.

Among the countless mysteries and marvels surrounding the weapons and their lore, there was one characteristic that ran rampant among them and all Eternium weapons followed with no exception so far. That was- all of these weapons remained in a suspended state for most of their lives, unrecognizable from ordinary pieces of jewel or just weirdly shaped trinkets or rubble.

Strange as they were, while in the suspended state, some of them could work to hide their user's presence- their true powers and aura, luring the enemy into deception, a trap, unless, of course, they had an Ultimate skill. For one who didn't possess an Ultimate skill, awakening the weapons was beyond comprehension— a nigh impossible task— although, there were some exceptions or rather, certain conditions that one needed to fulfil to achieve this incredulous feat.

The explanation was long. Some of the information was already known to me, some explained to me by Ciel and the rest she found out by analyzing bits and remains of the weapons procured by her over time. But the insight provided by them was nowhere enough for us to deduce the kind of civilization flourishing in this era- their history, their culture, their average power levels, and most importantly, whether any of our friends still lived to tell the tale.

*

The Midnight train- one of the fastest trains in the nation that carries illegal goods, both living and non-living, to be sold in various underground societies. Highly fortified defences with well guarded with soldiers and hired mages and swordsmen, it was a moving fortress impenetrable for even the toughest warriors should they dare a direct assault. Needless to say, even for a half-human child, the task was akin to counting stars in broad daylight.

"Heave ho! Heave ho!"

"Hurry up, hurry up! We gotta load all the cargo before noon!" A grey-haired, tall guy named Jack shouted at the top of his lungs.