As they moved forward, the two of them, sharing how much they had missed one another, did not forget to inspect the gravestones around them and remain wary of enemies lurking in the darkness.
Shade noticed that most of the gravestones here bore only simple names and dates of birth and death. A few even had only a name, while the most miserable one bore nothing but "Old Mike," a name that might not even have been real.
The gravestones with more information might include the cause of death, the identity of the person who had erected the marker, or even a short elegy. Judging by this information, the owners of these graves had lived in every era from the Third Epoch to the current Fifth Epoch.
"Are there any gravestones from the First Epoch here?"
Shade squeezed Theresa's hand. The girl, who had lifted the oil lamp again and put on her glasses, shook her head.
"No. The nun and I never saw a single gravestone from the First Epoch here, though we did encounter the graves of Second Epoch dead twice. One had only a name, so there was really no need to dig it up. Behind the other gravestone was an entrance to an Underground Tomb. It looked enormous, so the nun and I avoided it for safety's sake and did not go inside."
"Besides graves, there are Underground Tombs here too?"
Shade was somewhat surprised. Along the way, he had looked as far as he could, yet he had not seen anything other than gravestones on this dark wasteland shrouded in thin mist.
Theresa nodded.
"Not just Underground Tombs. There are also aboveground mausoleums in the style of churches. When I first arrived—when the nun found me—we even saw a cemetery enclosed by iron railings at