Chapter 29: Gaelith of Tepan

  I continued down the corridor, examining the mural to my left - or what was left of it - with the last minutes of Night Vision the Lumindew had provided me.

  What I had thought was the ocean in the previous corridor turned out to be something else. What exactly? I couldn’t tell. But the blue-colored area continued until it reached a dark circle of some sort at the farthest end of the mural, near the chamber Kaelstrife had originally been standing in front of.

  What did it all mean? Could the dark circle represent Erebus, the embodiment of Darkness, or was I overthinking it? I already knew the High Priestess of Axul – the spiritual leader of the people who had built this place – had somehow contacted him, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch as long as the tomb itself was built after the memory I had seen. But if I was right, why did they build a tomb to honor Erebus? What did the blue area in the mural represent? And was it flowing out of the dark circle or into it?

  Realizing I wouldn’t understand much of it at the moment, I turned to the open chamber ahead. Not before using Distance Gauge to make sure there were no monsters inside, though. Once I knew the coast was clear, I stepped in.

  The chamber lit up as soon as I entered, the torches on the walls igniting in bursts of flame. It was relatively small, about the size of a single bedroom at an inn. A desk stood at the other end, with numerous books piled on top, all buried beneath a thick layer of dust. Two chairs sat on opposite sides of the desk, their fragile frames suggesting even the slightest pressure might break them.

  I approached the books first, hoping to find something useful, but none of them were. I mean, they were nameless and completely empty - like the kind of props you’d see in a theater production.

  As I rounded the desk, it struck me how awfully familiar it looked. Then, it hit me: it was the same desk Lysandra, the High Priestess, had in her study room in the memory I’d seen. Sitting down, I immediately reached for the lower drawer and pulled it out, and there it was – or almost. The dark stone Lysandra had spoken to and referred to as Mighty Erebus was there, but it was broken – split into two identical pieces, now gray rather than the black I’d seen in the memory fragment.

  The system recognized the pieces as two distinct items: Darknessbound Core (Shard A) and Darknessbound Core (Shard B). Each shard bore the same description: A shard of a prison long broken, but not lost.

  A prison? Was this stone a prison that had once held Erebus before he was released into our world?

  When I brought the two pieces together, hoping they might magically reconnect, I realized I was wrong in my assessment earlier. There was another piece missing – a third shard, about the size of a fingernail. I rummaged through the drawer to see if it was there, but it wasn’t.

  Of course…nothing’s ever easy. The third shard is probably kept by one of the monsters in the tomb, or by Gaelith himself. Yeah...it had to be. Nothing's easy here.

  But thinking about it more, I came to the conclusion that it couldn’t be in Gaelith’s possession. Chronos had said it was possible to defeat Erebus early through wit alone – likely referring to the Darknessbound Core. If a piece of it was protected by the dungeon’s boss, then there’d be no wit involved. I’d have to fight him to get it, and if I could do that, I wouldn’t actually need the core – defeating Gaelith was supposed to defeat Erebus too...I think.

  I sighed, slipping the two shards into my second inventory.

  [Item Acquired: Key Item - Darknessbound Core (Shard A) – Added to Inventory #2]

  [Item Acquired: Key Item - Darknessbound Core (Shard B) – Added to Inventory #2]

  Key Item?

  Footsteps outside the chamber put me on high alert. I stood, ready to face another monster, but it was just Yana. She had returned.

  She sighed in relief when she saw me, though her expression quickly shifted to one of mild amusement as she raised her eyebrow at the sight of me behind the desk.

  “I saw the destruction outside and was so worried, yet here you are.” She said, her expression slowly brightening. “Just chilling.”

  I chuckled at her reaction. It was nice seeing her smile after I’d been pushing her away all day. Just then the chair cracked under my weight, breaking into splinters, resulting in my rear meeting the stone floor.

  Yana burst into laughter, and I couldn’t help but join her.

  ***

  We retraced the route Yana had taken when she escorted Melissa and Lena.

  Apparently, she was right – Lady Mikaela and the search party she led were at the end of this corridor. Yana also told me that her guild master had insisted she not return for me, but she disobeyed, leading to a falling-out of sorts.

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  “Where did you find that glaive?” Was the first question she asked me.

  I knew this question was coming, so I was ready with a lie, doing my best to sound natural. “It was in that chamber where you found me.”

  “It looks powerful.” She noted, watching it in my hand. “Hard to believe it’s a low-level weapon.”

  I stayed silent, hoping she would drop the subject so I wouldn’t have to lie any further. But she didn’t.

  “Do you mind if I check it out?” she asked, smiling softly.

  When I saw that smile, I almost agreed, but I quickly regained my composure. If she got her hands on Silverfang, she’d see the real level requirement for the weapon. That would lead to a whole new line of uncomfortable questions, forcing me to come up with even more lies.

  Instead of outright refusing, I tried to change the subject. “Maybe later. Hey, uh, where are we going anyway?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, Lady Mikaela and the others have probably already left, right?”

  “Well, yeah, probably.” She nodded. “But it’s not like we have anywhere else to go. This is the only route that isn’t collapsed or a dead end.”

  “That’s right, I guess.” I said, though my mind was preoccupied. I knew I couldn’t stay close to her – she was marked. But at the same time, I couldn’t just ditch her after she’d gone against everyone to come back for me. My conscience wouldn’t allow it.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll make it out of here. I promise.” She said suddenly, making it even harder for me to even consider leaving her. And so, I didn’t.

  We continued forward until Yana stopped us. “This is where I last saw them.” She concentrated for a moment, then signaled toward a corridor to our right. “I can’t sense them with Distance Gauge, but I think they went that way to meet with Lorren and the Keystone he’d found. At least, that’s what makes the most sense to me.” She then pointed forward, to a different corridor. “I’m also pretty sure Lady Mikaela and the others came from that direction when we met them.”

  “Then maybe we should retrace their steps, no?” I suggested. “It should lead us back to the main antechamber eventually. Hopefully, when we get there, the doors will already be unlocked, and we can leave.”

  I’d only said it to give us some semblance of a plan, but was it even possible to leave the tomb? What would even happen to me if I survived the day? Would I reset regardless?

  Yana shook her head quickly. “Oh no, I don’t think it’s safe. Lady Mikaela said they encountered level 90 wraiths there. It’s too dangerous.”

  Level 90 wraiths? I couldn’t help but wonder how much XP I’d gain from slaying one…

  “So is going into unknown territory.” I countered, pointing toward the corridor she wanted us to take.

  “Maybe, but I’d rather do that and hope luck is on our side than go somewhere I know for sure danger awaits.” She disagreed.

  “Yeah, but – “

  She cut me off. “Aidan, please, stop. Don’t make this harder…” she said, her voice weary as her gaze dropped to the ground.

  “Yan?” I asked, worried. It wasn’t like her to look this defeated.

  “I’m just exhausted…” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “So many people have died here today…Good people…I should’ve never brought you here.”

  I shook my head. “You couldn’t have known it would be like this.”

  “Yeah, maybe I couldn’t have predicted all of this,” she gestured around us, “but I had this off feeling that maybe it was too dangerous. Even for me. But I just…missed you. Missed you so much I couldn’t stop to think about the risks.”

  My chest tightened, my heart skipped a beat. Could it be?

  “Yan, I…”

  “I was selfish.” She said, a single tear rushing down her face. “I’m sorry, Aidan.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Yan.” I said, waving off her apology. “I made the decision to come here despite just barely making the cut. I did it because I missed you too.”

  She raised her eyes, and our gazes locked. The world around us seemed to fall silent. Her big green eyes softened as they met mine. If my heart had skipped a beat before, now it was making up for it by beating like crazy.

  I knew I should do the opposite – that I needed to push her away as far as possible until I defeated Erebus – but I couldn’t deny my feelings. I already did for so long. Too long.

  I took a step closer. Our faces were inches apart. She didn’t retreat.

  I raised my hand and brushed my fingers softly against her cheek. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she reached up, gently clasping my hand between hers and holding it against her cheek.

  Time seemed to stop as I leaned in. I could suddenly see every detail of her face – the blush on her freckled cheeks, her beautiful dimples, the way her lips parted slightly as if to say something, though no words came. And then, I kissed her.

  A rush of warmth enveloped me. Her lips were soft against mine, her touch so tender it gave me goosebumps. For the first time, the love I’d carried for so long wasn’t just mine alone.

  When we finally pulled back, I was breathless, my heart still racing. Our gazes remained locked. Swallowing hard, I said something I’d wanted to say for a long time.

  “Yan, I love you.”

  She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak, a chilling voice cut through the air.

  “I take no pleasure in this…”

  The voice was unmistakable. Gaelith.

  He emerged from the shadows of the corridor in front of us, cloaked entirely in a dark robe. His steps were calm, each one accompanied by a faint metallic clink. The hood of his robe obscured his body completely, even his face, but the system recognized him: Gaelith of Tepan, level 100.

  Behind him loomed two figures not less scarier than him - blood-red apparitions with glowing red eyes: Blood Wraiths, each level 90.

  Gaelith stopped and drove his sword into the ground. The blade gleamed so brightly it was almost blinding.

  “I am Gaelith of Tepan.” He began, his tone steady and authoritative. “Your remaining comrades were slain by my blade. You are the last.”

  A shiver ran down my spine as Yana stepped in front of me.

  “You shall fall as well.” He added. Surprisingly, his tone was devoid of malice. In an odd way, it almost sounded like a statement of duty.

  “Why are you doing this?” Yana shouted. Her sword was drawn, ready for battle. “The king who betrayed you is long gone – dead and usurped. Yet you continue killing anyone who steps into this tomb. Why?”

  Gaelith remained motionless, his hands resting holding the hilt of his blade, still embedded in the ground. He didn’t answer.

  Instead, he raised his hand. With a subtle gesture, he signaled the wraiths to attack. They stirred immediately, advancing toward us.

  I raised Silverfang, ready to fight for what I achieved in this loop. But just as we were prepared to meet the attack, Gaelith’s voice pierced the air.

  “Stop!”

  The wraiths froze, then retreated behind him. I exchanged a confused look with Yana before turning back to Gaelith. Though I couldn’t see his face, I felt his attention was focused on the weapon in my hands - Kaelstrife’s glaive.

  There was a long pause, the tension between is palpable. Then, Gaelith spoke.

  “There’s another one of you left.”

  “What?” I blurted, glancing at Yana, but she seemed just as confused.

  Gaelith continued, his tone formal. “I will deal with him first. You two…I will save for last. Enjoy each other's company until then.” He turned and began walking away, the wraiths trailing behind him. As he moved, he spoke again. “Consider this the least I can do…as my thanks for what you have done for him.”