The pursuit for power, knowledge and wealth all had one thing in common: There was no end to it. One would always continue to seek more, and at some point it would cause them to go beyond that which was acceptable. They would risk doing things that were by all means morally questionable, and to Esperia that had always been something of a curious thing: the pursuit for knowledge was sometimes considered noble, but how long until it became depraved? How long until one reached a point of no return.

It was a dangerous line to walk, to pursue knowledge, while not losing herself to it. To Esperia her identity as a person was important, she had refused to give that up while Asmodeus possessed her, nor would she permit Morrigan from consuming her identity. Yet, the search for more knowledge and experience steadily continued to test the young woman, reminding her that this world was not as black and white as the fairy tales liked to describe it as. There was a lot of grey between it, morally questionable things. What if someone did something 'bad' for the sake of a noble purpose? It was that question that would soon be brought to the front of this particular adventure.

Esperia had returned to the mine where she had bested the demon recently, wanting to investigate the area to figure out what had brought the creature out there. Was there something hidden in the mine that was of great interest to such a creature?

As she ventured into the mine the first thing Esperia noticed was that the miners were still absent from this particular part of the mine, a fortunate something for it meant they had heeded her warning, yet it also made the trip all the more uncomfortable, not that she didn't like the quiet, but the eerieness of the place made it somewhat... unpleasant.

WC: 317/2500

After a short delve into the mine Esperia had returned to the area where she had confronted the demon, a light wave of her staff illuminating the darkness, up ahead she could see something, something peculiar. The floor of the cave made way for tiles, something she thought to be handcrafted, it was clearly different from the rest of the mine, so she believed that the place she was entering must have been even older than the mine itself.

It was a thought that was soon confirmed, for stone pillars rose to hold up a structure of sorts, walls were ancient symbols were engraved on it, something that stirred the curiosity in Esperia as she ventured deeper into the area.

"The way those symbols are engraved, the method behind them is far older than the other ruins found on Earthland, even the way those pillars support the entire place, it feels like there is a subtle pull of residue mana into the very structure."

Esperia mused softly as she stopped in front of a giant archway, although it seemed difficult to venture further, since a pitch black void blocked access deeper into the area. "If I recall the workshop from before, then the way ahead should open by means of channeling my mana..."

Esperia pondered quietly as she raised her staff, allowing the mana to surge forwards and just as she had predicted the archway started to lit up, a pathway forming through the darkness as she stepped further inside, wondering what type of secrets she would uncover today.

As she ventured deeper inside the surroundings started to change, no more ancient walls were surrounding her, but instead oddly enough it looked like she had walked straight into a forest! At first she might had thought she was looking at an illusion, for she was certain she was underground in the mines, but the sheer amount of mana flowing around her made it clear she was venturing into a place where common logic was something that would lead her astray...

WC: 340/2500
Total WC: 657/2500

Although she was underground, the lush green forest that surrounded her made it clear she was no longer in the Dawncliff mine. No, it seemed that she was in some sort of different place, maybe a different realm even. The first thing Esperia noticed was that along the pavement that led deeper into the forest, there were a collection of statues, draconic in nature.

"Those statues... could this be a temple in worship of the dragon race?"

Esperia's musing quickly earned a subtle shift in the air, a sudden breeze blowing through the forest as a mysterious voice called out to her.

"Not a temple... but a prison young one..."

Esperia swiftly turned around, looking for the source of the voice as she called out. "Whose there?" But not a single sound came in its wake, nor did she sense any presence nearby.

"Quietly peeping are you? Fine by me~"

A soft chuckle followed as Esperia made her way deeper along the area, finally arriving at what appeared to be the temple she had been searching for. At least, the structure resembled an ancient temple, akin to those of long lost civilizations, but Esperia felt the sheer density of the mana in the air, and as she stepped under the archway she felt something tugging at her own mana, not draining it, fortunately enough but it felt like the air itself was so rich in mana, that something inside was responsible for providing this surplus of energy.

Unfortunately, it appeared that once inside the temple, Esperia found her way blocked, a large dome was held within, but what was inside was impossible to see, this was all courtesy of the thick barrier of mana that surrounded the dome, even obstructing her view of what would be inside.

"Yet another barrier... yet this one it seems isn't going to just open up to me, is it?"

A barrier that was meant to keep her out? Of course Esperia was more than eager to find out what could had been hidden deeper inside this temple!

WC: 343
Total WC: 1000/2500

Although she could try to rely on Morrigan's power to force her way through with brute force, Esperia believed that would not be the solution she was looking for. No, something told her, a nagging feeling in her mind that it was some sort of trick that should allow her to bypass this barrier. Of course, she knew that she had quite an interesting power at her disposal, after all the magic of Kamui allowed her to bypass this defense with quite a simple trick, Her eyes sparkled with a glint of excitement as she raised a hand, seemingly allowing the magic of Kamui to tear a hole into the barrier and allowed the witch to cross through the barrier, yet as soon as she passed through it, the power of her Kamui collapsed, and the path she had forged through her magic had been closed once more. "Perhaps it was a prison indeed..."

Esperia muttered weakly as she turned to face the barrier, slightly concerned that her escape had been obstructed, yet at the same time as she spoke, a soft elderly voice called out behind her.

"Ah... I see you finally have arrived, She who is blessed with the World's Knowledge..."

Suddenly hearing the voice Esperia turned around to find herself coming face to face with the one thing she had not expected at all: Towering above her, at quite an impressive size was a dragon, the green colored creature gazing down at her with a hint of fascination.

"To be trapped with a dragon, this seems like the type of story Kon would love to hear~" Esperia chimed in mild amusement as she warily watched to see if the dragon was hostile or not, considering the recent stories she had heard of dragons their attacks, Esperia seemed fortunate enough that this one didn't seem interested in burning her to ashes.

"You've been expecting me?"

Esperia's inquiry earned a soft huff from the dragon. "I do, I have been longing to meet you ever since I heard of your coming, you walk and intriguing path for a human."

The words earned a brief blink of confusion from Esperia, who decided it was best to let the dragon continue speaking for now.

"A dear friend of mine has been observing your journey so far, after all it is unheard of for a human to be given the blessing of the World's eyes."

The words earned a bewildered tilt of Esperia's head, who clearly had no idea who this friend was. "I'm afraid I can't tell you more about them, lest our enemies are listening in, but in due time you will find out about your benefactor. But for now, considering I have been without company for so long, entertain an old dragon for a while, if you'd please?"

Esperia pondered for a moment, wondering what the dragon meant when it talked about enemies, but for now she decided to play along. "You wish to... talk?" Esperia's question earned a light nod of the dragon who continued.

"I can't help but wonder... What is it that drives you? There was a time when your life was so simple, where all you cared about was your friends and your desire to grow closer to them, but that changed after you became the holder of Morrigan's staff."

Esperia understood where the dragon was coming from, there was a time her dreams and desires were simple, yet it was not only the obtaining of Morrigan's staff that changed this. The growth she endured through her experiences with Asmodeus, the events that led her to leave behind Blue Pegasus, it made her realize something.

"You could say that I had a taste of greed~ While the power of my eyes might be great, the wisdom is not infinite, and there is so much to experience, but above all... I desire to experience the future, the world might know the past, but the future is full of so many possibilities, so many different futures that await us."

The dragon nodded its head lightly in agreement. "And you'd desire to experience such things?" Esperia nodded her head firmly. "To experience means to grow, to learn, to improve and obtain that which I desire." The Dragon looked down at her, and for a moment she could swear she saw something akin to fascination in its eyes. "What would you do, if this concept of a 'future' was threatened?"

The words made Esperia pause for a moment, looking at the dragon as she asked. "How do you mean?" The Dragon clarified with a hint of sorrow in its tone. "What if your infinite possibility of futures became taken away? What if there were forces that are acting to force the world onto one specific path, a future that can't be changed?"

The question sounded horrifying, a world that was predefined into one set path? A future incapable of being changed or influenced? Not only did it sound horrible, it even sounded boring for someone like her who sought to experience the unexpected!

"I would fight against such a threat with all of my being, the future is ours to change, a future that can't be changed is way too boring to exist in."

The dragon laughed softly at her words, slowly crouching her body down. "I see... Then heed my warning little one: There are forces waging a battle in the shadows, with the very future of Earthland at stake. It is not a mere battle between armies, we are talking about dragons, they have returned, some fighting for the sake of Earthland, others for the sake of the coming darkness..."

Esperia felt a hint of concern at this revelation, for dragons were no ordinary foes to challenge... "I have grown old during my captivity, my power sapped by this prison the servants of our enemies build to contain me. I would like to ask of you Esperia..."

The dragon's head rested right in front of her as it spoke. "Take my essence, use it to grow stronger and find allies to challenge the approaching darkness, I hope you will hold out long enough for your benefactor to reach you..."

The words seemed like a plea, rather than a offer. "You do realize that if I were to consume your essence, it could likely kill you?" The dragon grinned weakly at her. "I am tired Esperia, I have long lost the will to fight, if my essence can help you fight this old enemy of ours, then I will gladly part with my life for the sake of the future."

Esperia nodded her head lightly in response, a hand raised to the dragon's head, placing her hand lightly on its snout. "Do you have a name?"

The dragon went quiet for a moment, a soft whisper following as Esperia nodded in response, the staff of Morrigan glowing brightly as Esperia felt the dragon's essence drifting from the creature into her body, it was an overwhelming presence, although it felt empowering, it was also numbing in how intense it was, and at some point it became too much for even her to bear.

Slowly her visage blackened out, and by the time Esperia regained consciousness, it seemed that she found herself covered underneath one of the dragon's wings. Perhaps a parting gesture of kindness from the dragon, a desire to keep her safe while she was unconscious? Sadly she would never be able to ask her.

Rising back on her feet Esperia approached the edge of the dome, attempting to reach out with her Kamui spell, but oddly enough found her magic unresponsive, as if it was... gone? "For god's sake... why do they never tell me that this part of the deal involves losing your magic?" Esperia groaned in anger. It seemed she would have to walk the whole way back to the town!

Unfortunately it was already dusk by the time she had returned, and in all honesty she was quite exhausted from all the walking, only keeping a short stop at the jewelry store to give her report on the mine's layout and receive her payment before she would make her way back to the Sentinel Syndicate's headquarters. For now she would need to gather some information about the warning that the dragon gave her, and figure out how this 'gift' had affected her physically. Perhaps it would be something to inquire with Kon about? In terms of intel gathering he seemed like the perfect person to discuss this matter with, but at the same time she lacked enough evidence to support her claims. Some might even call her story somewhat crazy, a dragon trapped in a temple inside the Dawncliff mine that warned her about an encroaching darkness that would endanger the very future of Earthland? Crazy would not even start describing the situation...

Still, she was kind of curious about what this enemy the dragon spoke of actually was. Or more importantly, the mysterious benefactor she was looking for. Who was it, what were they looking for, and what did it need her for? Only time would tell...

WC: 1500
Total WC: 2500/2500