Chapter 110: Chapter 105: The Descent to the True Heart (Part 2)
The deafening crack echoed through every layer of the Eternal Archive.
It was not merely a sound.
It was a declaration.
One of the ancient chains had broken.
The entire realm trembled violently as waves of golden energy surged through the void. Countless runes flashed before dimming, while veins of black corruption spread across the fractured chain like poison through living flesh.
John steadied himself as the illusion around him completely shattered.
The peaceful valley disappeared.
The burning forest vanished.
The image of his younger self dissolved into countless motes of golden light.
He found himself standing once again upon the circular platform suspended over the abyss.
The First Warden stood before him exactly as before, clad in radiant crystal armor.
Only moments seemed to have passed.
Yet John felt as though he had relived years.
---
Not far away, Aerion slowly opened his eyes.
His normally calm expression was unusually tense.
A thin cut had appeared across his cheek.
Lythriel was kneeling on one knee, breathing heavily, sweat dripping from her brow despite the freezing air.
Sylvara’s eyes were red.
She quickly wiped away tears before anyone noticed.
John frowned.
"So..."
"You all experienced it too."
Aerion nodded.
"The Heart showed us memories."
"Not just memories," Sylvara whispered.
"Regrets."
Lythriel forced herself to stand.
"I’d rather fight another army than go through that again."
The First Warden raised a hand.
"The first trial is complete."
"You have faced the paths that shaped your souls."
John took a step forward.
"Then let us pass."
The Warden remained still.
"There are three trials."
Lythriel groaned dramatically.
"Of course there are."
John resisted the urge to sigh.
"We don’t have time."
"The Heart decides the pace."
As if to emphasize those words—
**CRAAACK!**
A second chain snapped somewhere beneath them.
This time the shockwave was far stronger.
The platform lurched violently.
Far below, something enormous stirred.
The abyss itself seemed to breathe.
Aerion’s expression darkened.
"Cassian is accelerating the collapse."
The Warden inclined its head.
"He seeks to awaken what sleeps beyond the seal."
John’s eyes narrowed.
"What exactly is sealed down there?"
The guardian remained silent for several seconds.
When it finally answered, even its ancient voice carried a trace of solemnity.
"The First Corruption."
None of them spoke.
"The origin from which all corruption was born."
Sylvara felt the blood drain from her face.
"The source..."
The Warden nodded.
"Long before kingdoms."
"Long before dragons ruled the skies."
"Long before elves planted their first sacred forests."
"There existed only the Primordial World."
Its golden eyes gazed into the abyss.
"And from its shadow..."
"...the First Corruption emerged."
John listened carefully.
He remembered fragments from ancient ruins.
Old prophecies.
Half-forgotten legends.
But none had spoken of this.
"The Primordials united."
"The Ancient Dragons."
"The First Giants."
"The Celestial Court."
"The Eternal Spirits."
"They could not destroy it."
"They could only imprison it."
The colossal chains surrounding the platform suddenly glowed brighter.
"The Heart became its prison."
"The Archive became its lock."
"The Guardian became its keeper."
John immediately understood.
Everything fit together.
The impossible architecture.
The endless knowledge.
The vast magical formation.
It had never been about preserving civilization.
Every civilization had unknowingly helped maintain the prison.
Every spell copied into the Archive.
Every rune engraved upon its walls.
Every generation of scholars.
All had contributed mana to the seal.
Cassian intended to undo thousands upon thousands of years of sacrifice.
---
Without warning—
The platform disappeared beneath their feet.
John reacted instantly.
His wings exploded outward.
He caught Sylvara before she could fall.
Aerion landed gracefully upon a floating crystal slab.
Lythriel planted her spear against another fragment, balancing herself effortlessly.
The abyss was changing.
Hundreds of floating platforms rose from the darkness.
Each carried ancient symbols.
Each drifted independently.
The First Warden floated effortlessly above them.
"The Second Trial."
"The Path of Unity."
John frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Instead of answering—
The platforms began moving.
Separating.
Pulling farther apart every second.
John realized the danger immediately.
"They’re splitting us up!"
Lythriel jumped.
She barely reached another platform before the gap widened.
Aerion attempted to cross toward John.
Invisible force pushed him backward.
His silver aura flared.
It changed nothing.
The Warden spoke.
"None shall cross alone."
John stared around.
The platforms had formed a vast maze over the endless void.
Dozens of glowing bridges flickered into existence before disappearing again.
Sylvara studied the pattern.
"They’re unstable."
"No."
Aerion corrected.
"They’re responding."
"To what?"
The answer came from John.
"Our actions."
The Warden gave the slightest nod.
"Correct."
"The Heart does not test strength."
"It tests trust."
---
The first bridge appeared.
Golden light stretched from John’s platform toward Lythriel’s.
She immediately stepped forward.
Halfway across—
The bridge shattered.
She barely leaped back in time.
"What?"
Sylvara looked closely.
"It disappeared when she acted alone."
John understood.
"This isn’t an individual trial."
Aerion met his eyes.
"We move together."
The four exchanged glances.
John counted.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
They stepped simultaneously.
The bridge remained solid.
A second bridge appeared.
Then a third.
The floating platforms shifted again.
Like an enormous puzzle.
Slowly...
Carefully...
The group advanced.
Every hesitation caused bridges to weaken.
Every selfish movement caused paths to collapse.
Only perfect coordination allowed progress.
Minutes passed.
Then the trial changed.
Illusions appeared.
John suddenly saw Aerion turn and draw his sword.
Lythriel seemed to vanish.
Sylvara appeared surrounded by darkness.
Voices whispered.
"They’ve betrayed you."
"They’ll abandon you."
"You’ll fail if you trust them."
John closed his eyes.
"Ignore it."
His companions heard him.
Aerion spoke calmly.
"The voices lie."
Lythriel laughed despite the danger.
"If I wanted to stab you, dragon, I’d do it to your face."
Even Sylvara smiled.
The illusions cracked.
The whispers faded.
The bridges brightened once more.
Far above them—
Another earth-shaking explosion thundered through the Archive.
The corruption was spreading.
Time continued slipping away.
---
Deep beneath them...
Cassian walked slowly toward the True Heart.
It floated at the center of an immense cathedral carved from pure crystal.
Thousands of ancient chains wrapped around the colossal sphere.
Each chain bore countless runes.
Many had already gone dark.
Black corruption crawled across the remaining seals.
Cassian smiled.
"So beautiful."
His eyes gleamed with obsession.
"So many thousands of years..."
"...wasted."
He raised both hands.
The black crystal embedded within his chest pulsed violently.
Dark tendrils erupted outward.
They wrapped around another chain.
The ancient runes resisted.
Golden light flared brilliantly.
For a moment—
It seemed the seal would hold.
Cassian laughed.
"You still resist?"
His mana exploded.
The corrupted crystal answered.
A deafening roar shook the chamber.
**CRAAAAAACK!!**
Another chain shattered.
This time, the sound was different.
It was followed by something else.
A heartbeat.
One...
Slow...
Powerful...
Heartbeat.
The entire chamber fell silent.
Even Cassian stopped smiling.
From within the radiant sphere...
Something had answered.
A low voice echoed through the crystal prison.
Ancient.
Sleepy.
Yet filled with unimaginable malice.
"...Freedom..."
Cassian slowly knelt.
His entire body trembled—not with fear, but with exhilaration.
"My lord..."
Above, John suddenly froze.
His dragon instincts screamed louder than ever before.
Every scale on his body stood on end.
He felt it.
Whatever lay imprisoned beneath the Eternal Archive...
...had begun to awaken.
---
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