36
"Soon enough, you'll understand-the more you take now, the harder it'll be to let go later."
The trees ahead began to thin. A broken flagstone road emerged from the weeds, and the outlines of vine-covered buildings gradually became clear.
When the first half-collapsed bell tower appeared at the edge of their vision, Diamante stopped dead.
His mouth hung open, every sound caught in his throat.
"How... this is impossible..."
Oni raised her head from the pile of sand, gold dust still clinging to her face.
When she turned, she saw Diamante standing there trembling, his lips moving but producing only the same few broken syllables.
"Hey, are you possessed?"
A gust of force swept through the air and struck Diamante across the cheek with a smack.
He swayed sharply, his eyes finally focusing again, but his chest still heaved.
Rossi was already walking ahead.
Dazzling flashes of gold flickered among the grass, occasionally revealing the shape of a brick or a wheel hub.
Oni and Gary exchanged a look, their steps quickening unconsciously.
They passed through the last patch of shade, and the view opened up before them.
The gold nugget fell from Oni's hand.
Her mouth hung open, but she couldn't force a complete sound from her throat.
Before them stood a complex of buildings half-buried beneath vines and earth.
The exposed portions blazed in the sunlight-the walls were gold, the roofs were gold, and so were the steps.
Every inch of the ** surface reflected shifting patches of light, like a sea of solidified lava.
"So... it wasn't a legend."
Gary tilted her head slightly, her cat ears stirring in the wind.
She had always thought it was just a metaphor.
"Now do you understand why I never came here before?"
Rossi's voice came from ahead. "There's