"You should go first. I told you a lot of things I shouldn't have the other day," Isa insisted while keeping up with Rowan's pace in the dark. They were currently on their way to the marsh. Isa was quite curious to know why Rowan would take such risks these days.
Whatever Rowan's secrets were, Isa was sure it wouldn't lose to the one he had in his hand.

Rowan was silently observing Isa from the corner of his eyes. After assuring him that the poison would take a long time to come into effect, Isa had calmed down and now seemed as harmless as a kitten. Chip told him a few minutes ago that he could finally sense Isa and scan him. The stats that popped out following the scan was unsettling. Even though Rowan was mentally prepared for something unusual, he was still caught off guard.

[ subject's stats-
  Strength: 5
  Speed: 4.5
  Physique: 4.8
  Innate ability: none awakened.
  Elemental affinity: metal (level 4) earth (level 4)
  Mutation compatibility: 61%
Constitutional limit: rank two (evolvable)  ]

The amount of change in Isa's stats was ungodly. Ten percent increase in mutation compatibility, two levels increased in elemental affinity, and the primary stats were already catching up with Rowan's own. No wonder it had been so difficult to duel with him a while ago. Isa's speed of improvement might leave his in dust if he slacked off for a single day.

"Hey, stop checking me out. It's creepy."
Isa's complain broke his chain of thoughts, making him grit his teeth in anger. Swallowing the urge to smack him on the back of his head, Rowan started his tale,  albeit with much edits. Instead of telling him about Chip, Rowan spun a half-true, half-false story where he found the legacy of the blademaster, hidden in an inexplicable machine that now resided behind his left eye. He told Isa how the machine told him about the benefits of consuming monster flesh. He skipped the parts with sensitive information, like Chip's abilities, his exchange with Turio, or his experience with magic. But he knew that Isa wouldn't press too far. Everybody had some secrets they would rather not divulge even in moments where they had to confess it all. Rowan similarly wouldn't push him to tell him anything Isa didn't want to as long as he got a satisfying explanation from Isa.

After hearing Rowan's outlandish tale that sounded like a wild fantasy even in the dark, abyssal pressure of the night sky, Isa remained silent for a long, long time. Rowan could feel his disbelief; hell, he himself wouldn't believe it if someone were to tell him something like this. Just the amount of time he had escaped death in the last few weeks was enough to stun a veteran of continental wars.

"I think it's time you started speaking, Isa."

Isa finally broke his silence and cleared his throat awkwardly. Hesitantly, he begun his own tale.

"You remember that day when I told you about the musician's book? Yeah, I wasn't being totally honest there."

It was Rowan's turn to be struck with disbelief. Was there more to the story? Damn, that's what it seemed!

"Wait, don't give me that look. I actually didn't lie at all that day. I simply chose to hide some details...ok, a lot of details. So let me recount the story."

"That day, before going to the bunker with the rest of the kids, my dad and mom called me over to a side where no one could hear us and gave me some weird instructions. I tried to persuade them to tell me what was going on and how they knew those things, but they refused to tell me anything."

"What was the instructions about?"

"...About the bunker, or more accurately, a certain something hidden inside the bunker."

Rowan's mind raced. A lot of thoughts flitted through his consciousness as he re-evaluated his opinions about the chain of events that led to their venture into the bunker that day. He remembered the oddity of an AI at the front door of the bunker, refusing to let others in unless they were under seventeen, and the town council's unnatural ease regarding this matter.

"They wanted me to look for a book. Yes, it was the book written by the musician. My parents specifically told me to get my hands on it, no matter the cost.
Do you remember how I told you that no team would take me with them? Yeah, that wasn't what actually happened. I knew that chances of me getting my hands on the book would be low if the team i joined discovered it. Do you really think it'd be that difficult for me to join a team? Hah- I am not as much of an outcast as you are...
You could imagine my happiness when you agreed to 'let me tag along' with you."
Isa chucked dryly.

" When we were inside the room, you never noticed it. I was quite surprised that the book was really there. It's almost as if my parents knew exactly what the book looked like and its content. And that's when it struck me hard. How did my parents know for certain that THIS book would be here if the AI never let anyone in as long as they were over seventeen? And why were they so anxious to get their hands on a book that seemed to be an ancient man's dying will?"

Rowan had long been entranced with the tale. The complexity of the situation was much greater than he had thought. All his previous assumptions were rolling in the dust.

"After getting back home from the hospital, I gave the book to my parents. They were ecstatic...no, not just that. You should've seen how they looked at the book. It was worship, pure and stubborn worship. They looked like they had found their salvation."

Isa paused for a moment, as if reimagining the scene.

"Then I asked them what the hell was going on. This time they answered. And what an answer it was! You think your secret, my secret, our abilties, those things are unbelievable?!

Naive!

You think sand town is just another town at the outskirts of the holy kingdom? You think the denizens of this town are some simpletons who are struggling to survive the eclipse? You think after having Chip, it's only a matter of time before you become invincible?

You're  wrong, very much so."

Rowan simply ran dumbly while listening to Isa's raving. His mind no longer tried to fit things into the large jigsaw puzzle in his imagination. He could only watch it all unfold.

"To correct your previous assumptions about our harmless little town, let's get back to the first eclipse, hundreds of years ago.
The first eclipse, undoubtedly was the most deadly crisis within the history known to us. The mutation and ferocity of monsters was beyond anyone could ever imagine at that time. Thus, few people survived those ten years. Then came the so called peaceful century, where civilization was rebuilt, magic was discovered, heroes were born, sects and kingdoms were established.

Except, that wasn't the real history. Monsters became less frequent but humanity itself was a monstrosity unmatched under the nine suns. Ether and blood flowed equally in those days. Magic reigned supreme. Society was reshaped. But the most notable things were none of these.

The legacies were discovered. The seven mysterious legacies, the thirty-three divine legacies, and countless others made their way into the list of things every human would wish for. How could one not crave the amazing power they granted?!
Each time a famous legacy showed up, bloody chaos would paint the earth and reach the sky.

Thus, those who could get their hands on the legacies would hide away before becoming strong enough to slaughter anyone who came to snatch it from them. Slowly the legacies were lost into the endless river of time, occasionally resurfacing in vague tales we now consider folklore. But the people searching for them were never deterred. Many influential figures who had established themselves after becoming a legacy bearer created families and sects and kingdoms. They spread across the continent, searching for clues regarding these legacies."

Rowan had started to connect the dots. Legacy, Turio, magic, musician, bunker, secrets...

"The one clue that was the most common was the existence of the bunkers. No one is sure about why or how they affect legacies, but after searching old history books with unnecessarily details and much research, someone found out that roughly every one out of four times legacies appeared, there would always be a bunker around, recently explored. This made everyone suspicious and as you can expect, all the influential figures spend their efforts to find these bunkers. Some were found. And the result was unbelievable!

There really were legacies inside, and not just one but sometimes many of them. Once again, wars were fought over them. The second eclipse came, but by then, humanity was no longer the helpless prey as before. Ten years passed by. Some became heroes, some heretics.

Now, let's flash forward to a hundred years ago. A bunker at the outer sector of the Holy kingdom was discovered. The news spread. Holy kingdom had to form an alliance with the triumvirate to suppress the invading forces. One of the agreements in the alliance was that the Holy kingdom would let the mages from the Triumvirate's lands to enter the bunker. However, the bunker was guarded so well that even the top experts from the two kingdoms were unable to force their way in. So they settled down in the nearest habitable area, namely Sand town. Years passed. Experts failed to open the door to the bunker. Many left, many stayed. No one could keep track of everything. Naturally, some powerful beings never gave up or simply liked this place. They mixed among the normal people, living like them, shedding their previous extraordinary identities.

But then, three months ago, the bunker finally opened up. An AI guarded the door, refusing to let people in unless they were under seventeen. Old monsters pretending to be harmless hunters and merchants opened their eyes, their sight set on the bunker. They all had many descendants by now, many of whom were under seventeen. So the anonymous decision was made.
You don't think the archmage came here just to save us from monsters, did you? He is the representative of the triumvirate. Also, his job is to kill the monsters to keep the town safe, a quite unnecessary job seeing how powerful the powerful hidden figures in the town are, don't you think?

Hehe, he was forced to do the job by the Holy King himself in order to let the hidden figures stay hidden. Otherwise, fending off strong monsters would expose them. That's how influential they are, powerful enough to make the holy king take measures to protect their  identity.

My parents turned out to be members of a family I have never heard of. But they're supposed to be quite reputable. I was chosen as the family representative.

We, the kids of the sand town entered the bunker. Some with instructions from their parents, grandparents or close relatives. Everything was kept secret, not one hidden figure came out in the light. Yet under the daylight, the shadows moved, restless.

No one could be sure of how many legacies were discovered. I found one, and so did you it seems. Blademaster? That's quite strange. It's not listed among the seven mysterious legacies, nor among the thirty-three divine legacies. It's probably a lower grade one, based on fragments of major legacies.

There are still unexplored area of the bunker where monsters would kill you the moment you try to enter. Kids have no chance of getting the legacies protected in there. But that wouldn't discourage the people who have waited for nearly a century.

Sand town is about to face chaos. And we can only strengthen ourselves in order to protect our lives, because the moment our secrets are out, you can be sure that we'll die, miserably. Any of those human shaped disasters hiding in the town will not hesitate to snatch that legacy from us and make sure to kill us in the process to hide the news."

The two kids ran along the narrow trail in the dark. Both of them now silent as their surroundings. Each of them were thinking different things. Rowan's back was drenched with sweat. Reality was so much more than what he had assumed. He used to think that monsters were the most horrifying existences, enemies he must kill in order to survive. Yet, he was proved wrong.

There were many questions he needed answers to. But the most pressing one was that, the legacy of the blademaster was given to him, carried within the diary, at a very young age by his grandfather. That was years before the bunker had opened. 

Where did it come from? Why did his grandfather possess the legacy? What was the exact background of his ancestors?