Chapter 107: The Violet Key

Odhran stared at the photograph lying on the table, his expression remaining remarkably composed despite the restraints holding him in place.

The golden fruit depicted in the picture was unmistakable, and the fact that these people had managed to connect it to him was already troubling enough.

What concerned him more, however, was how quickly they had accomplished it.

He had taken considerable precautions when arranging the sale, using intermediaries and false identities to ensure that nobody could trace the transaction back to him. Apparently, those precautions had been insufficient.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Odhran answered, leaning back against the chair as much as his restraints permitted. "If you’re planning to rob me, you’ve chosen the wrong person. I don’t have anything worth stealing."

The stranger sitting opposite him was a slender man who appeared to be in his forties. His dark hair was neatly combed backward, and a pair of silver-rimmed spectacles rested on his nose. He wore an immaculate black suit, with white gloves covering his hands.

Nothing about his appearance suggested that he was particularly dangerous, but Odhran had survived enough battles to understand that appearances meant very little among Awakeners.

"My name is Lucien," the stranger introduced himself, offering a courteous smile. "I specialize in obtaining information from individuals who are reluctant to share it. Unfortunately, my employers are rather impatient people, so I would appreciate your cooperation."

Odhran examined him carefully before responding. "Then your employers should have hired someone competent enough to capture the right person. I’ve never seen that fruit before, and I certainly don’t know why anyone would pay ninety million Union Dollars for it."

Lucien’s smile widened slightly. "One hundred and twenty million, actually. The final buyer was quite generous. But the price isn’t particularly important anymore, Mr. Odhran. What interests us is where the fruit originated, whether more of them exist, and who else knows about them."

Odhran felt a faint chill travel down his spine, although he maintained his indifferent expression.

These people weren’t merely interested in recovering the fruit. They suspected that something far more valuable existed behind it, and if they continued investigating, they might eventually discover the expedition.

That could not be allowed.

He had sworn an oath alongside the others, and whatever his reasons for attempting to sell the fruit, he had no intention of revealing the Palladium Tree’s existence.

"You’re wasting your time," Odhran replied, deliberately allowing irritation to enter his voice. "I’ve already told you that I don’t know anything. If you’re expecting me to invent some ridiculous story just to satisfy your curiosity, you’ll be disappointed."

Lucien regarded him for several moments before releasing a quiet sigh. He removed his spectacles, carefully polished them with a handkerchief, and returned them to his face.

Throughout the entire exchange, his composure had remained unchanged, as though interrogating a restrained Awakener were nothing more than an ordinary afternoon appointment.

"I was hoping we could avoid unpleasant methods," Lucien explained, resting his hands on the table. "You see, I find conventional interrogation rather tedious. People lie, become emotional, demand lawyers, threaten revenge, and occasionally insist on dying before revealing anything useful. It’s an exhausting process, particularly when the information already exists somewhere inside their heads."

Odhran narrowed his eyes. "What exactly are you implying?"

Rather than answering immediately, Lucien raised his right hand. Dark-purple markings emerged beneath his glove, spreading across his wrist and fingers in intricate patterns resembling interlocking locks. The temperature inside the interrogation chamber seemed to drop as a strange pressure settled over the room.

Odhran’s expression changed immediately.

A Divine Rune.

The markings continued spreading until a small object began materializing above Lucien’s open palm. It was a key, approximately the length of an adult’s hand, fashioned from what appeared to be dark-purple crystal.

Its handle resembled an open eye surrounded by twisting symbols, while its teeth formed an intricate arrangement unlike those of any ordinary key.

Lucien caught the object between two fingers and examined it with unmistakable satisfaction.

"My Divine Rune possesses a rather unusual ability," he explained, turning the key slowly. "Most people believe their memories belong exclusively to them. They imagine that thoughts are private possessions, safely locked away where nobody else can reach them. It’s a comforting belief, although unfortunately, it happens to be incorrect."

Odhran pulled against his restraints as the implications became clear. "Stay away from me," he warned, his voice hardening. "Whatever that thing does, you’d better think carefully before using it."

Lucien merely chuckled at the threat. "There’s no need to become agitated, Mr. Odhran. I assure you that struggling will only make the experience more uncomfortable."

He extended the key toward Odhran’s forehead.

A faint purple circle appeared in the air directly before his face. The circle expanded, its edges twisting inward until they formed the outline of an elaborate keyhole suspended several inches from his forehead.

Odhran attempted to jerk his head backward, but an invisible pressure immediately immobilized him. His eyes widened as Lucien inserted the dark-purple key into the floating keyhole.

"Now then," Lucien murmured, his expression becoming focused. "Let’s see what you’ve been hiding."

He turned the key.

CLICK!

Odhran screamed.

An unbearable sensation erupted inside his skull, as though invisible hands had seized his thoughts and begun pulling them apart. His vision blurred, the interrogation chamber disappeared, and countless memories flashed before his eyes in a chaotic procession.

Lucien closed his own eyes as his consciousness slipped through the opened passage.

When he opened them again, he was standing somewhere else entirely.

A vast wilderness stretched before him beneath an unfamiliar sky. Towering trees surrounded a narrow trail, their enormous branches forming a canopy through which scattered sunlight filtered.

The air carried the distant cries of monsters, and several armed figures were moving cautiously through the vegetation.

Lucien glanced down at his hands. They appeared translucent, confirming that he had successfully entered the memory.

"Beyond," he murmured, observing the surroundings with growing interest. "So that’s where you obtained it."

The scene shifted abruptly.

He found himself watching a group of Awakeners gathered around a temporary campsite.

Captain Adesewa stood near the center, speaking with several members of her Raid Team.

Cassian was examining his sword, while Marcus and Bastian discussed something beside a collection of supplies. Safiya stood nearby, inspecting her equipment.

Lucien listened carefully, but the conversation dissolved into meaningless fragments whenever he attempted to concentrate on certain details.

He frowned.

Ordinarily, memories were remarkably cooperative once unlocked. Even forgotten conversations could sometimes be recovered if the subject had retained enough impressions of them. Yet portions of this particular memory appeared strangely resistant.

He dismissed the irregularity and continued searching.

Another scene emerged.

A valley.

Lucien found himself standing among towering vegetation as a fierce battle unfolded around him. Monstrous beasts charged through the undergrowth, their roars echoing between the surrounding cliffs.

The Awakeners fought desperately, their Divine Runes illuminating the battlefield with brilliant flashes of Mana.

He watched Safiya slash across a beast’s flank, leaving behind a temporary Hunt Mark that guided her subsequent attacks. Nearby, Bastian intercepted a tremendous impact with his shield, the thirteen plates of his tortoise-shell Rune briefly illuminating before he released the stored force through a crushing counterattack.

Cassian redirected an incoming physical strike through one of his Nine Returning Gates, while Marcus established a golden circle beneath his feet, forcing a charging monster to struggle against the physical relationship he had imposed.

Above them, arrows curved through impossible trajectories as Odhran repeatedly exploited fragments of their previous flight paths.

Lucien observed everything with fascination.

"Quite an impressive expedition," he remarked, watching Captain Adesewa move through the battlefield with terrifying precision. "And such interesting Divine Runes."

He attempted to examine Adesewa’s movements more closely, but the memory suddenly accelerated, dragging him toward another scene.

The battle had ended.

The expedition members were gathered around something enormous, and Lucien immediately noticed the expressions on their faces. Exhaustion, disbelief, excitement, and naked greed mingled as they stared at the discovery before them.

A magnificent tree stood in the center of the valley.

Its branches stretched outward like an enormous golden crown, and dozens of radiant fruits hung among its leaves. The surrounding air shimmered with Mana so abundant that even within the memory, Lucien could almost imagine feeling its presence.

His eyes widened.

"There you are," he whispered, taking an involuntary step forward.

The Palladium Tree.

Although he had never encountered one before, the sight left little doubt that this was the source of the mysterious fruit. A single specimen had sold for one hundred and twenty million Union Dollars. Here, an entire tree stood bearing dozens of them.

Lucien’s breathing quickened as he watched the expedition members begin collecting the fruits.

He counted fifty-seven. Fifty-seven extraordinary treasures, each potentially worth a fortune.

But the tree itself was the true prize.

Lucien immediately attempted to retrace the expedition’s journey, searching for landmarks, recognizable terrain, and anything that might reveal the valley’s location.

That was when the memory began to distort.

The surrounding mountains flickered.

The trees dissolved into overlapping shadows, and the sky fractured into countless dark-purple fragments. Lucien stopped walking as the landscape repeatedly shifted between several impossible arrangements.

"What?" he muttered, looking around in confusion. "What’s happening?"

He attempted to return to an earlier memory, but the same distortion appeared. Whenever he approached a scene containing information about the expedition’s route, the surroundings became increasingly unstable.

A mountain vanished before his eyes, replaced by an unfamiliar forest. The forest collapsed into darkness, and when another landscape appeared, its landmarks were completely different.

Lucien frowned deeply. He had encountered damaged memories before, particularly among individuals suffering from severe mental injuries.

This was different. Odhran clearly remembered the journey, yet the information refused to reveal itself.

Lucien forced his consciousness deeper, attempting to bypass the distorted fragments.

For an instant, he glimpsed a narrow passage between two enormous cliffs.

Then the entire scene shattered.

An invisible force struck his consciousness, throwing him backward through the collapsing memory.

Lucien gasped as his eyes snapped open inside the interrogation chamber.

The dark-purple key trembled violently between his fingers before dissolving into particles of Mana. The floating keyhole disappeared moments later.

Across the table, Odhran hung limply against his restraints, unconscious, with blood trickling from his nose.

Lucien remained seated for several seconds, recovering his composure. His forehead was damp with sweat, and a dull pain throbbed behind his eyes.

He had obtained almost everything his employers wanted.

Almost.

The door opened, and Corvin entered with two armed men.

"Well?" Corvin asked, examining the unconscious prisoner. "Did you discover where the fruit came from?"

Lucien slowly removed his spectacles and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His expression was troubled, but beneath that concern lay unmistakable excitement.

"Yes," he answered, looking toward the photograph on the table. "And I believe our employers will be extremely interested in what I’ve discovered."

Corvin stepped closer. "Then tell me."

Lucien replaced his spectacles before continuing. "The fruit came from Beyond. Captain Adesewa Afolayan led an expedition that discovered something extraordinary. A tree bearing fifty-seven golden fruits, all possessing the same appearance as the one we purchased."

Corvin stared at him in disbelief.

"Fifty-seven?" he repeated, his expression changing. "You’re telling me they discovered an entire tree producing treasures worth over a hundred million Union Dollars each?"

"Precisely," Lucien confirmed, folding his hands together. "Unfortunately, there’s one complication. I witnessed the tree, the expedition, and the collection of its fruits, but every memory concerning its location became distorted whenever I attempted to examine it."

Corvin’s excitement faded. "You couldn’t recover the route?"

Lucien shook his head, glancing toward Odhran’s unconscious figure. "No. Something prevented me from accessing that information. I tried several times, but the memories became increasingly unstable. Forcing my way through them nearly damaged my own consciousness."

Corvin remained silent for a moment before asking, "Then what exactly should I report?"

Lucien looked at the golden fruit’s photograph once more, his eyes gleaming with fascination.

"Tell our employer that the Palladium Tree exists," he answered quietly. "But its exact location remains inaccessible."