Chapter 603: A Strange Location (1)

Chapter 601

Whoooosh!

In a dimly lit environment, a white portal opened in the air, with runes shimmering around its edges.

Crack! Bang—!

Lightning streaked downward with a sharp crack that reverberated throughout the entire place.

The brilliant flash illuminated the surroundings for a brief moment, revealing sparks flying and crackling in the air.

The next moment, the light faded, and a body came crashing down onto the ground like a sack of grain.

"Ah, fuck."

The portal overhead didn’t waste a second before snapping out of existence.

"Ugh.... That was dangerous."

A groan escaped the boy’s lips as he rolled onto his back before immediately jumping to his feet to examine his surroundings carefully.

He had taken an enormous risk without caring about the consequences, hoping he could deal with whatever came afterwards.

A few months ago, Elyon had told him that he knew how to create a rune.

The Celestial had managed to retain the memory of a specific rune capable of opening a portal to another location.

Where that location was, neither Ray nor Elyon had any idea.

So the Tribrid decided to take the risk.

Anywhere was better than remaining imprisoned in the Celestial Realm.

Day after day, he had worked under Elyon’s guidance.

Due to how hazy the Celestial’s memories were, completing the rune had taken quite some time.

Another reason it had taken so many months was that his Celestial Points were simply too few for something like that.

With his Werewolf bloodline inaccessible, he couldn’t use his claws to carve what he needed.

Hence, he improvised under Elyon’s guidance, infusing his finger with a minuscule amount of Celestial energy that allowed him to create the runes.

It was such a tiny amount that it wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention. And so far, he had been lucky enough to ensure that the First Ones never figured out what he was doing.

He had deliberately masked his actions, making it seem as though he was gradually losing his mind.

He knew he was being watched, so he remained careful until the very last moment, when the rune was finally completed.

He had waited for his Celestial Points to replenish before activating the runes, unaware that he was no longer being watched.

Ray had hoped that by the time the portal opened and he escaped, it would be too late for anyone to stop him.

And he had been right.

But now, the Tribrid had no idea where he had ended up.

The reason he had trusted Elyon’s memories was simple. If it was somewhere the Celestial had visited before, it should be safe.

.... Better than spending another few months imprisoned while his friends worried about him.

Turning his head around, with lightning crackling around his hands in case of any threats, Ray’s brows suddenly drew together at the sight before him.

’Wha—?! What the hell is this place?!’

.....

The portal had deposited Ray inside a cavern hidden deep beneath some mountains.

At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an abandoned underground passage.

Jagged stone walls surrounded the narrow entrance, their surfaces dark and uneven, while faint traces of moisture glistened beneath the dim light. The air was still, and the passage appeared to have remained untouched for an incredibly long time.

But the deeper Ray looked, the more unnatural the cavern became.

The rough stone gradually gave way to enormous sections of reinforced metal embedded directly into the walls.

Strange metallic structures extended from the ground and disappeared into the ceiling, their surfaces covered in intricate lines and unfamiliar symbols that pulsed with a faint blue-white glow.

This place had not been carved by nature.

It looked as though it had been built into it.

Ray gulped and stared at the only opening on the other side of the cavern, wondering where it could possibly lead.

He had extended his Perception to cover the entire place, carefully examining his surroundings, and so far, he couldn’t sense anything that posed a threat to him.

There was no sign of any living creature, nor could he detect anything approaching his position.

Hence, he summoned his courage and began walking forward, remaining alert as his footsteps echoed through the passage.

Tak. Tak. Tak.

Soon, the cavern eventually opened into a massive underground chamber.

At its center stood a circular platform surrounded by an elaborate network of machinery.

Computers that looked as though they had stopped functioning centuries ago stood in different sections of the chamber.

Keyboards were covered with soot and dust, so thick that even a powerful gale wouldn’t have been able to wipe them away so easily.

Thick metallic cables extended from the platform into the surrounding walls, while several enormous crystalline components hovered above it, suspended within rings of rotating metal.

Some of the machines resembled enormous mechanical frames, their inner sections filled with glowing energy.

Others consisted of transparent cylinders reinforced with thick metallic bands, their interiors now empty but still faintly illuminated.

Large mechanical arms hung motionless from the ceiling, each ending in a different instrument. Some resembled claws, others delicate needles, blades, or crystalline probes.

Along the walls stood rows of strange apparatuses, tables, containers, and partially dismantled machines.

Some were covered in a thin layer of dust, suggesting they hadn’t been touched in centuries.

Others still hummed faintly, as though some remnants of their original functions remained active despite the passage of time.

In the center of the chamber stood the largest structure of them all.

A towering circular apparatus surrounded a small elevated platform, with multiple rings suspended around it at different angles. Each ring was covered in glowing markings, and thin streams of energy occasionally flickered between them before disappearing.

The entire machine appeared to have been designed to contain something.

Or perhaps to create something.

Scattered across the chamber were the remains of research that had clearly been interrupted.

Broken instruments lay across the floor, some of their components scattered several feet away from their original positions.

Several glass containers had shattered, leaving fragments scattered around their respective stations.

Pages of notes, some partly burnt or torn, had been abandoned beneath layers of dust, while metallic components had been ripped from their original positions and left hanging from damaged cables.

Whatever had once taken place within this chamber, it certainly hadn’t ended normally.

’Huh? Why would the rune take us somewhere here? Had Elyon visited here before? If so, what for?’

«Well, will you look at that. We are now in a moody cave? Interesting.»

Ray froze.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Even Elyon froze as both their attention immediately shifted inward, towards the Mindspace.

Right there, as though materialising from thin air, Bruce appeared with his eyes glowing yellow and his bulky arms crossed over his chest.

For a moment, both Ray and Elyon simply stared at him.

[DING!]

[Conditions lifted as Host is no longer in the Celestial Realm.

All skills, transformations or techniques relating to the Werewolf bloodline are now accessible.]