Five Keys

Chapter 89 — Five Keys

The battlefield slowly became quiet.

Blackridge had withdrawn.

The bodies of their fallen soldiers remained scattered across the ancient road.

Aether looked toward the five keys.

Their energy was changing.

The Crimson Key.

The Sunken Key.

Kael's damaged fragment.

The Verdant Key.

The Crown Key.

Five separate energies.

Five connected points.

But the sixth remained inside Elara.

Evelyn approached.

"The formation is reacting."

Aether nodded.

"I know."

He could feel it too.

The five keys were becoming increasingly synchronized.

Elara stepped forward.

"I can release the sixth key."

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Aether looked at her.

"Can you control it?"

She shook her head.

"Not completely."

"Then don't."

Elara looked surprised.

"You're not going to force me?"

"No."

Aether turned away.

"We don't activate something we don't understand."

Seris smiled faintly.

"That's probably the first sensible thing you've said today."

Aether looked at her.

"Only probably?"

She smiled.

Lyra laughed.

Aria shook her head.

Even Sylvara couldn't suppress a smile.

The tension eased.

For a moment, they simply stood together.

Then Aether's body suddenly trembled.

A surge of energy flowed through his Origin Core.

He immediately sat down.

Seris rushed over.

"What happened?"

"Nothing serious."

His eyes closed.

Inside his body, the Origin Core Shard reacted to the five keys.

Energy flowed through his meridians.

The integration percentage began rising.

The process was painful.

Aether gritted his teeth.

He didn't resist.

He guided the energy carefully.

After several minutes, the surge finally stopped.

Only Aether could see the System.

[Origin Core integration: 27%.]

[Origin Energy efficiency increased.]

[Origin Sense effective range increased.]

Aether opened his eyes.

His senses had expanded.

Thirty meters became nearly forty.

The improvement wasn't overwhelming.

But it was useful.

Seris looked relieved.

"You're stable."

"Yes."

She smiled.

"Good."

Aether stood.

The five keys suddenly resonated.

HUMMMMM!

A projection appeared in the air.

Six points.

Five were illuminated.

The sixth remained dark.

Then a location appeared.

Not north.

Not south.

Not east or west.

It was directly beneath the central continent.

Aether stared.

"The sixth key isn't on the surface."

Evelyn stepped closer.

"Where is it?"

Aether pointed downward.

"Below us."

Sylvara frowned.

"But there's nothing beneath this region according to the map."

"There is."

Aether's Origin Sense spread.

For the first time, he felt something far below.

Not a beast.

Not a human.

A structure.

Enormous.

Ancient.

And moving slowly through the earth.

Elara's expression changed.

"The final chamber."

Aether looked at her.

"How do we reach it?"

She answered:

"Through the Origin Heart."

Aether smiled slightly.

"Then that's where we're going."

The five keys pulsed together.

The path ahead opened.

And for the first time—

Aether could see the final destination.