NOVEL NEXT Chapter 71: Uncertainty
Bam!!!
Bam!!!
The walls vibrated and the crystals glow greatly intensified, almost ten fold than its original illumination, casting long twisting shadows across the room.
The hum grew louder, resonating through the stone floor of the underbelly castle and making the air feel thick with energy.
In an instant, the crystal shattered and dissolved into a sparkling swirling stream of pure arcane energy that surged around me and filling the room with a blinding light. The energy swirled and twisted, encircling me in an otherworldly dance before dispersing into the air, leaving only a faint shimmer where the crystal had once stood.
As the light faded, I realized I was no longer alone… I felt a presence.
Standing in the place where the crystal had been was a figure ghostly at first, then gradually solidifying until it looked as real as the stone walls of the room.
It was a woman, standing tall, regal but her form was skeletal as if she had been drained of life a long time ago. Her skin was grey pale, almost translucent and her eyes were hollow, glowing faintly with residual energy in both eyes.
Her long white hair fell in long, cascading waves over her shoulders, blending into the shadows that clung to her like a shroud. I felt a chill run down my spine as I recognized her face.
She had an unmistakeable resemblance to one of the figures I had seen from the stone of memory, a relic that held the fragments of the Divine Custodians lost history.
In that moment, the memory came in full detail. She had stood among the last defender of these ruins with her father uncertain and her legacy veiled in mystery.
"You…" I whispered, barely able to find my voice. The vastness of the chamber seemed to swallow my words, amplifying the silence that followed.
"This woman…"
I watched the woman's form begin to flicker and her ethereal glow waning like a fading ember.
Her hollow eyes seemed to be pleading with me and her presence had grown fragile. In that moment, I felt a surge of empathy envelope me. Instinctively, I knelt beside her, extending my hand.
I could use my own arcane energy to stabilize her condition, to offer her strenght if only temporarily. With steady focus, I began channeling my arcane energy and a soft glow emanating from my hand transferred energy into her.
She possessed anti-arcane energy which made sense because she was originally from this ruins, but my arcane energy seemed to return the colour of her cheeks and her form slowly grew more solid.
Her eyes fluttered open, clearer, though burdened by a palpable sadness.
"Who are you?" I asked softly, my voice tinged with both reverence and curiosity.
The woman's lips parted as if drawing from a well of memory deep within her mind to speak
"I… I am the last," she said with a whisper so faint I couldn't her unless for the quiet surroundings.
My brow furrowed deeply. "The last of what?"
Her eyes closed with a heavy silence settling over her.
Then, as though unlocking a long sealed vault, she began to speak, her voice trembling with the weight of her past.
"I was the last survivor," she said. "My name is Elora, the last of the Divine Custodians… we were once the guardians of the gates and protectors of this realms… but in the end, we were unmatched by what fell from the sky…"
Her eyes grew distant, and I sensed she was reliving memories too painful to express.
"My parents… my father was our leader," she whispered again. "We fought until there was no hope left… when defeat was certain, he used the Time Stone to seal me away, locking me in hybernation within these ruins to keep me safe from our enemies. I was placed here, while he…" her voice trailed off. "As the door closed… I saw him fall, his chess pierced by a black blade… he died trying to protect me."
My heart sank immediately, my fist clenched as I struggled with my own emotions.
"My name is Levi… I am a student of Reaper Association Academy and I am also an adventurer…"
I had glimpses of her battle from the stone of memory, but hearing her recount it made the tragedy all the more real.
"Levi… that's a unique name", she said looking down. "I saw his eyes as the doors closed," she whispered, her voice breaking.
A silence lingered between us, filling with the weight of her loss. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're not alone anymore… elora. We are here together now."
Elora's gaze softened, and for the first time, a glimmer of peace appeared in her sorrow filled eyes. She reached out, her hand trembling as it touched mine.
"Levi," she said, her voice barely a whisper, "My path is sealed… my duty and my fate binds me to this place, just as my father's sacrifice bound him to his. But yours, yours is still unfolding. You have a path only you can walk."
I flet a pang of frustration, but I understood. Elora's existence was intertwined with these ruins of this dungeon, a living testament to a bygone era of the custodians. But I couldn't help feeling that she deserved more that the sorrow that clung to her like a stubborn shadow.
"Elora, is there nothing I can do?" I asked with determination in my voice. "There must be someway I can help you break free."
Elora's lips curled into a faint, bittersweet smile. "You've already done more than you realize, Levi. The fact that you're here means that our legacy lives on, even if only through you."
Her hand slipped from mine and her body trembled as if succumbing to an invisible force. "But there are powers even you cann
She took a deep breath, gathering herself and from within her, a faint light began to shine.
***
Elora's lips curled into a faint, bittersweet smile. "You've already done more than you realize, Levi. The fact that you're here means that our legacy lives on, even if only through you."
Her hand slipped from mine and her body trembled as if succumbing to an invisible force. "But there are powers even you cann
She took a deep breath, gathering herself and from within her, a faint light began to shine.