"Alright, you ready?"

"Um... I suppose so."

"Great, carry this."

• Cole & Gadriel

Cole and Gadriel were greeted by the sight of jade walls and rising inscriptions as they entered the central room of the Temple. The waters sparkled a shimmering green hue, reminding Cole that a new day had begun.

"Y'know, if that King Urga guy did as much as you say he did, he musta been pretty cool," Cole said, letting the bag rest on the floor as he walked over to the steps of the basin to take a seat.

Gadriel just looked away and replied with, "Y-yeah... um."

An awkward silence permeated the air as Gadriel struggled to think of something to say. Of the many challenges typically presented to the small feathered serpent, social ones had been ones he had never even considered preparing for. To say he felt overwhelmed attempting to converse with a creature that can talk back would be... an understatement.

Cole raised a brow after a moment, but decided not to bring attention to the awkward silence - when had that ever made things less awkward?

"So... you were gonna tell me how this place got all abandoned?" Cole said, after a further moment more.

Gadriel was jolted by the reminder, and quickly said, "Y-yes, correct!"

"Well... um, if you... have re- a really small, um, location. Then, uh, it's alot easier to... well..." Gadriel stared at his feet as he thought of how to put it.

He blinked twice, let a puff of air through his nostrils, and said, "Some oimanon... d-died from the, um... because the a-air went bad after, um, liquid fire spit from... some mountains that n- are near, and some were killed after. There's... well, r-remember... the book that I put inside the bag?"

Cole nodded and replied, "Yeah."

"We- I- well, Oimanon don't, um, die, exactly. Or..." Gadriel struggled to put it into words, "We can be killed, but um... not... die."

There was a pause in the conversation as Cole processed the sounds that had just penetrated his skull.

"I'm... not sure if that makes sense, dude," Cole said, leaning back against the step behind him.

Gadriel swallowed, nodded, and continued, "Um... well, when we get really, um, old. Then. We take... about fourteen to sixteen watercycles to, well, prepare our bodies to... be reborn."

"We don't... remember our, um, past lives, but... we retain our affinity towards what... we were... passionate about in our previous lives," Gadriel said, nodding before moving on, "Unfortunately, um... without that... grace period, then... you just, well, die."

Cole nodded in response to that. To be honest, he was beginning to feel antsy to leave the place, knowing that everyone there died so suddenly. He felt like he was sitting inside of someone's burial spot.

"So what's the book for?" he said, trying to hurry along the explanation.

Gadriel - brought back to the point - replied, "It's my j-journal. Um... I've been writing in it for... seven lives... apparently, according to... well, the e- older entries in the, um, book."

Cole again politely nodded. He was absolutely getting this kid out of here. 'This is... geez an', this is really just... depressing. This is gonna be a more win-win deal than I thought.'

A moment passed in silence, and Cole sprung up from the step. He stretched a moment, let out a groan, before walking over to the door once again.

"Okay, cool. That's all some pretty, uh... interesting stuff you know about Gadriel. I remember last night you were asking about a way outta here, right?" Cole asked to Gadriel as he opened the door and was greeted by the sight of the corridor that he had initially entered from.

"Y-yes, I um, I do believe so," Gadriel answered.

"Alright," Cole replied, "You ready?"

"Um, I suppose so," Gadriel answered with a nod.

Cole smirked, picked up the bag off the floor, and tossed it towards Gadriel.

"Great, carry this."

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