"Madam! Would you like to buy typical Krimishan clothes? Three for only ten copper coins! Genuine fabric!"
"The best food and drink are here!"
"Magic Stones on sale!"
The group had just entered the kingdom and were already witnessing hundreds of vendors doing their best and using their years of sales experience to get any coin from the people there.
Even with the horses, advancing was extremely difficult and time-consuming.
However, all those people made Luna uncomfortable. All those voices pounded in her mind and caused an increasingly severe headache, and she had the impression of being watched by so many people, making her nervous.
"Is everything alright, Luna?" Sariel shouted, noticing the princess's discomfort.
"Too many... people..." she whispered.
After hearing this, the traveler sighed and said, "Well, this noise bothers me too, so..."
Suddenly all voices ceased for everyone in the group, even though the people's agitation and their moving mouths showed they hadn't fallen silent.
"Illusion magic?" Luna asked.
"Yes." Sariel's eyes, which had been pink since they arrived in Krimisha, looked at the princess. "I'm already using magic to alter our appearance to the people, might as well take advantage to deal with this noise pollution."
"Thank you... I feel uneasy in crowded and noisy places."
"I imagine so. It must have been disturbing to hear so many people shouting death threats in front of your house for so long."
The group slowly continued their way uphill while being blessed with the most absolute silence. It was impressive how the traveler's magic was able to completely nullify thousands of voices shouting at the same time; it even seemed as if they were in an alternative reality.
As the princess calmed down, she dedicated her attention to the kingdom of Krimisha and observed it better.
Most of the constructions were made of brown stone, while the large commercial centers, temples, and important buildings were made of a white material, decorated with precious metals and tended to have domes on the roof.
The engineering was very complex and diverse, unlike the Scorched Mountain, which focuses heavily on pyramids.
As for the people, they wore long, colorful clothes with light and comfortable fabric. Many walked barefoot, and some wore a cloth on their heads.
As they approached, the crowd grew larger and larger, further delaying the group's progress. The traveler's illusion was still active, so they didn't realize that the offers had become a bit more expensive, costing several hundred bronze coins and even some silver ones.
As they advanced, however, Aegreon's always serious gaze intensified.
Initially, only the Pillar had noticed something, but Raymond and Shiina also began to feel disconcerted.
"You noticed it too?" Sariel was the first to break the silence, and in response, everyone except Luna nodded in agreement. "Aegreon?"
"What's wrong?" The princess looked at the traveler confused. "Is something wrong?"
"The people of Krimisha... they have no souls," Aegreon said.
"What?! What does that mean?"
"Luna, don't you notice how, despite all seeming lively, you can't feel their happiness?"
"Happiness..." The princess looked carefully at the people around her until she realized that, despite their smiles, she strangely felt no happiness coming from them. It was strange, as they weren't faking it, but something was missing. "I don't feel it..."
"Is it possible that this entire kingdom is following a God of Darkness?" Raymond questioned.
"That's impossible; it's more likely they've been deceived. Aegreon, this worries me. Are we just going to leave, or are we going to investigate this?" Sariel looked at the Pillar.
"We'll make a detour." Aegreon guided his horse and turned onto another street. "We'll speak with Ashoka, the king of Krimisha, and find out what's happening."
With that said, the group began to head towards the kingdom's palace, a grand building with a large garden and its three five enormous domes visible even from miles away.
An hour after passing through the gates, the group finally reached a point where the crowd had thinned out a bit.
Finally, the group approached the palace, larger than Fordurn's palace and smaller than the great pyramid of the Scorched Mountain.
This was one of the few constructions surrounded by a wall, though it was low, and with some trees and an artificial pond with flowing water.
As the group approached, they were immediately stopped by two guards, this time wearing a type of plate armor mixed with mail. Furthermore, the spears they carried had a shine on their blades, showing they were well-maintained.
"One moment! What do you wish to do here?" one of the guards asked.
"I need to..." Aegreon began to say, but Sariel stepped in front of him and made a sign with his hand.
"I'll handle this." The traveler looked at the guard. "We are a commission from Lorelia; we have matters to discuss with Ashoka."
"Ashoka? We haven't heard anything about that."
"I'm sure you must have forgotten..."
Luna noticed something strange about Sariel and used her magical vision to see what he was doing, perceiving a pink aura around him that enveloped the two guards present.
Additionally, there seemed to be a kind of pink line, or current, coming from the traveler's mouth and entering the guards' ears.
The guard looked at the group carefully, stepped away, and spoke with his companion, returning shortly afterward.
"Alright, but we'll have to confiscate your weapons while you're inside."
Luna noticed Sariel's pink aura becoming thicker and more solid.
"You don't need to worry; we won't do anything stupid." His voice sounded extremely friendly and convincing. "They tried to steal our weapons while we were coming here, so we'd like to make sure they're in good hands."
"Ah, in that case, alright, you may enter." The guards' attitude changed completely; they stepped aside and opened the gates for them to pass.
"Thank you, have a good day!"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the group hurried towards the palace.
"Illusion is very useful for infiltrating places, isn't it?" Shiina asked. "I must admit, even I was getting convinced by your friendly voice."
"Indeed," the traveler agreed. "It's been a while since I had to do something like this."
"Isn't it dangerous to use Illusion magic so nonchalantly?" Luna asked. "You told me Alteration can detect Illusion."
"I'm constantly using Alteration to sense what elements people have; these two don't have Alteration, so it's safe." Sariel looked around for a moment. "Besides, people with high Illusion power are also dangerous, as they are immune to their own element and can hear our true voice and see our appearance."
"Like how you didn't get burned by the lava when you switched to Fire?"
"Exactly."
"If the discrepancy between the amount of magical power between two people of the same element is too great, the person with less power is still affected by the magic of their own element, but with reduced effectiveness," Shiina explained. "That's why Sariel, with most of his power converted to Illusion, and the Illusion's Pillar, are perhaps the only ones who can trick me with an illusion."
"I see."
As they approached the palace, they saw several guards staring at them with suspicion, but without approaching them. They found it strange that armed people had been allowed to enter the place, but they also considered that perhaps they were important people and therefore allowed to carry their weapons.
The palace was definitely the most pleasant place there just from the exterior, due to the trees that provided good shade for the group. The floor was well-maintained and clean, very different from the rough streets where people crowded, and the view of the grand palace was a delight to the eyes.
When they reached the palace doors, they were stopped by four more guards who became alert when they realized the group still had their weapons. They wore armor like the guards at the palace gates but had more serious expressions.
"Halt! Identify yourselves and state your purpose here!"
"Good morning, my friends, I hope you're having a wonderful day! My name is Nungal." Sariel exuded a feeling of comfort and friendliness. "We wish to speak with Ashoka."
Once again, thanks to the traveler's Illusion magic, the guards showed themselves favorable to the group.
"I understand, and what would you like to discuss?" The guard, despite being under the effect of the magic, still acted with caution.
"For now, it's a confidential matter. I believe it won't be long before you learn the content of our conversation."
The guards remained silent for a while, slightly suspicious of this unusual situation.
"Alright, but you must hand over your weapons and belongings to us."
"I can wait out here with your weapons while you talk to Ashoka," Shiina suggested. "I don't think you'll mind, right? We can talk a lot in the meantime..."
"Ah..." the guards stammered. "Of course, no-no problem."
Following Shiina's suggestion, everyone left their important belongings with her and were frisked immediately afterward. As they had nothing, one of the guards opened the door for the visitors.
When they entered, they found themselves in a corridor with a predominant light brown color, and the entire floor and walls were decorated with mosaics whose designs were circular and imitated the shape of flowers, while the ceiling was a spectacle of mesmerizing and colorful kaleidoscopes.
Huge vases and statues of a man with multiple arms and legs decorated the interior, and chandeliers made with Alteration stones illuminated all the beauty of that place. A few guards at their posts were surprised by the travelers, as they had received no warning about an important visit.
"These visitors wish to see Lord Ashoka, please guide them," the guard who received the group informed another.
"Alright, please follow me," the other guard instructed.
The group followed the guard through the wide corridors, so polished that they could see themselves reflected on the floor and walls.
They soon arrived at a large room full of plants and with a dome-shaped ceiling featuring a lotus flower mosaic. There were several vibrantly colored padded sofas and benches for them to sit on, and a table full of fruits was located in the center.
"Please sit here," the guard said. "I will inform His Majesty of your presence right now."
Then, the guard left the room. As soon as everyone sat down, Sariel activated another Illusion magic around the group.
"My magic is creating an illusion that makes it seem to others' eyes and ears that we are having a normal conversation, so we can talk without problems." Sariel looked at the group with a serious gaze. "Luna, use Alteration magic and see if there's any powerful aura around besides us; better safe than sorry."
"Alright..." The princess concentrated to look around and see the auras, finding none that came close to Sariel or Aegreon.
"There's no one strong, but there are a few guards secretly watching us."
"Excellent." Sariel rested his arms on his knees. "Something is terribly wrong. At least 90% of the population has no soul."
"90%?!" Raymond was surprised. "Are you sure about that? I knew it was a large number, but that..."
"Yes, even the newborns, that's why I'm being cautious. I find it very difficult that a child who can't even properly perceive the world yet would have learned Feng Ping's technique," the traveler said. "So, there's only one alternative left."
"Is there a Sect here secretly stealing people's souls?" Luna asked.
"It's the only explanation," Sariel said. "And I have a suspicion of who might be causing this."
"Shiva..." Raymond murmured.
"Exactly. All the positive changes in Krimisha were due to Shiva's influence, so it's logical to think that he's been pretending to be a good God to deceive the people."
"But how does that happen? 90% is a lot!" Luna said. "They would have to notice something wrong!"
"That's why I find it strange, perhaps Ashoka knows something," the traveler said. "It's even likely that he's involved in this."
Then, while they were discussing, they noticed a man approaching. He exuded the typical air of royalty and wore golden attire, full of intricate details similar to the mosaics in the palace, with a beautiful red cloak and a cloth of the same color on his head, covering his hair.
He also had a dark mustache, the same color as his eyes. He wore gold bracelets and necklaces, so many that they probably added considerable extra weight.
As soon as they saw him approaching, the group fell silent and faced the King of Krimisha.
*****
Ashoka was sitting at a table, staring blankly at an open book. It was just another day like any other, so even reading or practicing music was tremendously tedious, even though they were his favorite subjects.
Using one of his closed fists to support his head, he tapped a complex rhythm with his fingers on the wooden table, when he was interrupted by another knock, this time an irregular one.
"Your Majesty, some visitors wish to see you," a guard said, entering Ashoka's chambers without waiting for permission.
"Visitors?"
"Exactly, they are waiting for you in the reception room."
"In that case, I won't keep them waiting." The king stood up, checked his appearance in a mirror, and quickly left for the room.
Arriving there, he found people he had never seen before. Two seemed like siblings, as they had similarly colored hair, though styled differently, and their eyes were also similar, one having a violet color and the other a pink color.
There was a single woman among them with green eyes, blonde hair, and exuding an air of kindness.
The last and most striking visitor had dark skin, golden clothes, and black eyes and hair. He had a calm and gentle smile, and his posture showed him to be someone important.
"I apologize for my delay, my dear visitors. I am Ashoka, the King Emeritus of Krimisha."
"King Emeritus? You're no longer in power?" asked the man with black hair.
"Are you travelers from a distant place? It has been some time since I abdicated the throne in favor of my son."
"Forgive our impoliteness, my name is Nungal." Sariel watched Ashoka carefully, analyzing every inch as he approached. "These are Leopold, Luna, and Ammit."
"It's a pleasure," Ashoka said as he approached and entered the range of Sariel's magic. "How may I help you?"
Ashoka sat facing the group, finding the names Nungal and Leopold strange, as he thought they were brothers.
"Ammit. He's within the area; should I undo your appearance?"
"Yes."
Ashoka looked at Ammit, not understanding what that meant, when he believed his eyes were playing tricks on him. Ammit's body glowed pink and gradually became darker and more shadowy, revealing someone he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Aegreon! What on earth are you doing here?" Ashoka unconsciously stood up and looked worriedly at the guards who were watching them, but who did not react.
"I need you to explain the situation in Krimisha," Aegreon said seriously. "Why are there so many soulless people? When did you have your second child? Where is your wife, Bhavna? And why are we being watched?"
Upon hearing this, Ashoka panicked and couldn't help but look at his surroundings. However, the guards did not react to the questions; in fact, it seemed they didn't even hear it, oblivious to the situation.
"Don't worry about it," the traveler said. "I'm using Illusion magic, so nothing we say here will compromise you; to them, you are calmly sitting and having a friendly conversation with us."
Calming down slowly, Ashoka sat again.
"I've been waiting for this opportunity for so long..." His trembling voice showed his nervousness. "I'll tell you everything."