'They are its protectors.'
'….'
'How did you find all this out?'
It was certainly strange. That was a lot of information and quite important at that so how did the Scorpion King come about it? But the answer left only more baffled.
'The air told me.'
'The…air?'
'Yes, what you call poison.'
'And it "told" you things? Like you can talk to it?'
'Yes. The air is alive with it and it speaks to me. Tells me all the things it has witnessed.'
'And the poison told you they are sleeping?'
'No, it cannot tell the difference. I felt it. They will stay asleep until it is time. They protect this place, keeping what's 'in' in and what's 'out' out. That is their purpose, they are the keepers of its secrets and many gates.'
'You felt all this…?'
The more he listened the more confused Hao Xuan got. Considering the Scorpion King was a mutantated species, it wasn't too far fetched that he would have a few strange abilities. Talking to poisons could make sense since he used it as a weapon but that would mean it was some sort of a magical ability.
And if he had one, maybe he had more. Or perhaps it was this place that allowed him to do so?
Regardless, what Hao Xuan was more concerned about was the keeping things in and out part. As soon as he heard it, the image of the prison came to mind.
'And gates? You said gates right? What does that mean?'
The Scorpion King didn't respond for the next minute or so. Hao Xuan could sense he was a little confused himself. It was like he was reciting something without understanding it, not much different from a radio that picked up stray signals. He was just an outlet.
And his response confirmed that too.
'I do not know. I can just feel it. It is in the air for anyone to listen to.'
'In the poison you mean?'
'No, in the air when there is no air.'
'Air when there is no air? The hell does that mean?'
Hao Xuan repeated the words a couple of times and understood what he meant. Space!
These feelings or words or whatever one might call them were being broadcasted in this valley. The only problem was that the Scorpion King was the only being that could hear it for some reason.
Thinking it might have something to do with the mental barrier he had up to protect against the whispers, Hao Xuan gingerly lowered it until the whispers returned in full force.
"AHH! NO, IT'S NOT WORKING!"
"WE HAVE TO RETURN!"
"We can't go back! They will kill us all!"
"I must! They have my family, I have to save them-"
"Wake up! Your family is already dead, just like mine. All we can do is keep moving. They won't follow us throu- Did you hear that?!"
"Yea, it sounded like a bell-"
"AHHH! HELP ME!"
"RUN! The only thing we can do is get out of here, don't stop no matter what!"
"I can hear them, they are right behind me! Please don't leave me here, I don't want to-"
"I'm sorry, one of us must stay behind. Don't worry, I will live a long life for both of us!"
"NO PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME SISTER PLEASE!"
*Sigh*
Hao Xuan rubbed his temples and activated the mental barrier once again to block everything out. All he could hear were the screams and echoes of the deceased.
'Maybe not everyone CAN hear it. That would explain why none of the others had any reaction,' he tried to make sense of it while glancing towards Princess Helena who was perhaps the most spiritually awakened person other than him.
From her earlier words it was obvious she didn't know anything but Hao Xuan had completely looked past Ma Jiang's small figure that was squeezed in between everyone.
Her eyes were half-closed as she squinted hard trying to push out the intrusive thoughts. Her mind was full of images and words that were not her own. Not only could she hear them but also see things, much like a slideshow.
The only issue was that it was a little more morbid and gruesome than one would expect. Unlike the Scorpion King, she was getting a lot more 'in-depth' information.
For her it wasn't just a simple feeling that was transcribed into words by the brain but actual vivid memories experienced by the people that lived here.
She could see and feel everything they had up until the end. And there was no way to stop it.
But she still didn't let it show and tried her best to act normal.
Hao Xuan continued to ponder and converse with the Scorpion King while Princess Helena led them through the twisting labyrinth that was the valley. She finally came to a stop in front of a dilapidated stone structure.
From what remained of it, Hao Xuan concluded it must have been much grander when it was still standing.. It looked like a huge temple.
