Chapter 37: A Promise for the Future

  [Vestige of Time #1]

  “Watch here, Noctyra.” A middle-aged man said, pointing to a plaque beside a loculus in a dark chamber. In one hand, he held a glowing orb of light, and in his other, the hand of a small child – likely no older than five – whose bald head and neutral attire made it difficult to determine their gender. Despite their young age, the child stood silently, their focus absolute.

  The man continued. “This is your ancestor of old.” He gestured to the plaque with reverence. “Jutta the Wise. He was an admirable man. One of the main reasons our people thrived and prospered. When I was your age, your grandfather brought me here to introduce me to him, and now it is your turn to greet him.”

  The child nodded and bowed respectfully. “Hello, Ancestor Jutta. My name is Noctyra.”

  “Good, my little star.” The man said warmly, lifting the child into his arms and hugging them playfully. “There's only me and you left now, but remember, we cannot turn away from who we are. Our ancestors live through us.”

  Noctyra nodded again, their voice unusually thoughtful for someone so young. “I know, Papa. You’ve told me that before.”

  “And you listened, I see.” The man replied, his smile softening as he kissed the child on the cheek. The child’s face lit up with joy, returning his smile with a happy one of their own.

  “Of course I did.” Noctyra replied confidently. “Our people were the pillars of humanity. They should be respected.”

  “My, my,” the man said, his smile growing warmer. “My child is a genius – and with all the proper manners to boot. If only the rest of the world had seen it that way as well.”

  “The rest are stupid.” Noctyra said, showing their tongue, and the man laughed.

  “You are the pride of our people.” He said. “And a little joker.”

  The child smiled warmly. “Mama told me we need to respect our past.”

  The man nodded, his expression channeling warmth. “Your mother is a wise woman. She’s not one of us, but she’s far better than the rest. At least she respects our place in humanity’s history.”

  “But I’m only half you…” the child said, thoughtful and worried.

  “There are no halves.” The man said firmly, shaking his head but still smiling. “If even a single drop of Axul blood runs in your veins, then you are Axul. There’s no question about that. And today, we’ll prove it to Ancestor Jutta and the rest of our people.”

  “How will we do that?” the child asked curiously.

  “It should be simple for someone as talented as you, my little star.” The man said, his expression turning serious. “This place will challenge you, and if you stand firm, you will be rewarded.”

  “How will I be challenged?” Noctyra pressed, their curiosity growing.

  “This, I cannot say, my love.” The man replied, shaking his head. But his smile remained. “Just remember the prophecies, my little star. Remember what your name means. You are the chosen. The pinnacle of the Axul. The one who will make our ancestors’ dream come true. Our promise for the future. Any challenge you face here is nothing compared to what you can do. Remember that when you fight. Remember that when you move forward. You can do it all. You are Axul.”

  Before the child could respond, the man placed his hand gently over their face, whispering an incantation that sent them into a deep, peaceful sleep.

  Lowering the child to the ground, tears streamed down his face. He planted one last kiss on their forehead, his voice trembling as he whispered. “I know you can do it.”

  Then, without a word, he turned and left. The child lay alone in the dark chamber, undisturbed, until they woke up.

  Waking up wasn’t smooth. Noctyra stirred, their sense sluggish, struggling to understand where their father disappeared to. The disorientation didn’t last long – before they could fully comprehend their surroundings, a massive scorpion had made its way to them, its metallic tail ready for a strike.

  Noctyra instinctively stumbled backward, creating some distance, but the monster lashed out. They rolled to the side just in time, the scorpion’s stinger slamming into the wall, leaving a deep crack where they had been moments ago.

  Despite the danger, Noctyra’s heart remained steady. They knew it was part of the challenge their father had spoken about since the day they were born.

  Raising their left hand, an idea coming to them, they focused intently, calling out their magic. The scorpion struck again, but this time, its tail froze mid-air, as if an invisible force held it in place, protecting Noctyra. Beads of sweat formed on Noctyra’s brow as they visibly struggled to maintain their hold. Then, with a sweeping motion of their hand, they sent the scorpion flying against the chamber wall.

  Noctyra exhaled in relief, watching the creature crash against the wall. But the reprieve was short-lived – the scorpion rose again, shaking off the damage and preparing for another attack.

  Closing their eyes for a brief moment, Noctyra took a deep breath, recalling their father’s teachings.

  They centered themselves, connecting to the magical circles within – the unique power that existed only in the Axul. Raising both hands, they focused their will. The scorpion not only halted its advance, but its body also trembled as its eyes glowed red. Slowly, it lowered its tail and bowed to Noctyra.

  “Good job, little friend.” Noctyra said, a small smile forming as they approached the subdued monster. Climbing on its back, they patted the hardened carapace. “Now, lead me out of here.”

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  The scorpion obeyed without hesitation, carrying the child on its back out of the chamber and into the corridor outside.

  “Papa?” Noctyra called out into the empty halls, but there was no response.

  They knew they had to keep moving.

  On the way down with their father, they had counted ten floors to descent. Now, they just needed to climb them back up. Noctyra’s heart remained resolute – this was all just part of the challenge their father prepared them for.

  On their way up, riding atop the scorpion, Noctyra encountered countless threats – spider monsters, wasp monsters, wraiths, wolves, and the undead. Yet none of these creatures worried them. With a simple flick of their hand, the monsters lost their free will, bowing to Noctyra’s command. One by one, they joined the growing procession, following the child and their loyal pet scorpion. Some even turned against their own kind to protect the Axul heir.

  Noctyra saw them not as threats but as friends, their young heart swelling with pride and joy at the odd yet loyal companions they had amassed. By the time they reached the first level of the tomb, their following had grown into a fearsome army of creatures - enough to raid entire villages, all moving in unison to safeguard the young Axul.

  Emerging from the depths, Noctyra saw their father pacing back and forth nervously, his steps finally faltering when he caught sight of his child riding the scorpion and followed by the monstrous horde.

  “Look, Papa!” Noctyra called out, their voice echoing in excitement. “I made friends!”

  The man froze, his expression shifting into one of awe. Tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees, overwhelmed by what he was seeing.

  “My little star!” he cried, choking with emotion. “You are Axul, through and through. Our ancestors must be proud at such a feat!”

  Noctyra hopped off the scorpions’ back and rushed toward their father, throwing their arms around him in a warm embrace. “Papa, I called this one Stinger.” They said proudly, pointing at the scorpion that had carried them all the way.

  “Oh, my sweet little child.” The father whispered, wiping his tears of joy and relief. “I knew you would make it. I knew you were the one to carry the Axul’s hopes into this world. The one to bring the world into darkness. You are the Axul!”

  Then, to Noctyra’s surprise, the man bowed before them, lowering himself entirely to the ground.

  “Papa?” Noctyra’s voice sounded confused.

  [Vestige of Time #1 – END]

  ***

  [Item Acquired: Vestige of Time #1 – Added to Inventory #2]

  What was that?

  No update for the quest popped up, so this wasn’t part of the ‘Memories of the Past’ quest. Either way, the memory was unsettling. The man mentioned that they were the last Axul, meaning it must've happened after the Axul had vanished. Yet, he addressed this specific loculus as...Jutta? But I thought no one was buried here. At least according to Gaelith.

  I glanced toward the wall and there it was - the crack the scorpion had left when it attacked the child.

  “What happened to you?” Gaelith asked suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. “You just froze there for a second.”

  “Noctyra…” I murmured, the name lingering on my tongue.

  Gaelith visibly stiffened, the reaction subtle but not something I could miss. I turned to him. “Does that ring a bell?”

  He shook his head, though his posture betrayed him. “It doesn't."

  “Really?” I asked, my frustration growing. “You just got uncomfortable now, and I saw it. You clearly know something. With all your knowledge of the Axul, you must know something about this name.”

  Gaelith sighed heavily. “I don’t.” he said flatly. “I only know what it means in the Axul’s ancient tongue.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Dark hope.”

  A shiver ran down my spine. Whatever his words truly meant, they unsettled me.

  "They controlled the monsters..." I muttered under my breath, at awe by the fact that a five-year-old child had managed to control an entire army of monsters. I immediately glanced at Gaelith. Strangely enough, something about him made Déjà vu tick off suddenly, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was.

  “The thing you’re looking for is there.” Gaelith gestured for me to follow, clearly eager to drop the subject. I trailed behind him, my mind racing with questions I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear answered.

  We walked in silence, moving to the end of the corridor. Just before the stairs leading down, we came upon an entrance to another chamber.

  “It’s here.” Gaelith said confidently, pointing inside. “The missing shard is here.”

  “There’s no way I’m going in first.” I said firmly. “After you.”

  He nodded without complaint and stepped in ahead of me. Before I followed, I wondered if we’d find Goren there. Was this all a trap he created after stealing the third shard? The collapsing and rebuilding floors earlier seemed far too convenient to be a coincidence.

  Who was this Noctyra? How were they connected to the mystery of this tomb?

  I ran a quick check before following Gaelith.

  [There is no afterimage to run in this area]

  Again, no afterimages, confirming it was my first time on this level as well.

  Well, if it’s Goren, I’ll have to face him. Despite the clear power difference I could recall we had.

  I stepped inside.

  Gaelith stood motionless, looking forward. Following his line of sight, I froze.

  In the center of the chamber hung a chained man. Each of his limbs was restrained by long chains, glowing with a green hue. Two chains anchored him to the floor, while two others pulled him to the ceiling, suspending him in mid-air.

  Something else was connected to him as well – a black conduit, piercing his gut. The other end of the conduit led to a large glass vessel, slowly filling it with a dark liquid, drop by drop. At first, I thought it was blood, but it was far too dark – like liquid shadows.

  As I focused on the man, the Déjà vu System reacted. Temporal Trace’s upgraded level identified him: Goren Shein, level 113.

  “Goren?“

  The man suddenly lifted his head, his face battered and bleeding. When his eyes met mine, he smiled – a smug that didn't fit his current predicament.

  “Oh, Spellsword, my hero.” He said mockingly. “I wondered if you’d come to save me.”

  “You know him?” Gaelith asked, his tone neutral.

  I nodded. “Sort of.”

  “Wait, Gaelith?” Goren’s eyes flickered to the figure beside me, his surprise apparent. “But you’re…you’re nothing like the one from the depths…”

  His words confirmed Gaelith’s earlier claims of another version of himself. Or was this a part of a more elaborate trap?

  “What happened to you?” I asked, confused.

  “What does it look like?” he snapped, sounding both pained and frustrated. “I got caught! Now release me.”

  “But you were missing at the start of the day.” I countered, stepping carefully toward the glowing chains, still unsure how I felt about all this. “Way before they unsealed the tomb and we entered.”

  “That’s because I was caught before that.” He retorted, sighing heavily. The slight movement made the conduit in his gut hurt him even more. “Now, can you at least get that shitty thing out of me? For fuck’s sake!”

  “Before?”

  “Yes, before!” Goren snapped again, wincing hard. “In the previous loop.”

  “But…it should reset.” I muttered, suspicion growing.

  “I don’t know how he did it.” Goren said, his voice more urgent now. “But somehow, I didn’t respawn back at home like usual. I respawned here. Like this. Now, please, for the love of God, get me down!”

  “He?” I pressed, but before I could get an answer, a sharp whistle cut through the air. My instincts hit, the result of all of those points spent in Agility, and activating Wind Rush I dodged a projectile flying toward me.

  I turned toward the attacker, who slowly reappeared from thin-air as if shedding camouflage. My eyes widened in surprise as I saw him.

  “You just refuse to die, huh?” said Aric Kelltins, an annoyed grin spreading across his face.