Chapter 115 - - 115 - Adapting Shadows and Ancient Truths

Chapter 115: Chapter - 115 - Adapting Shadows and Ancient Truths

"These monsters are just like when we first entered," Lucien said, his voice calm and steady despite the eerie atmosphere of the chamber.

"What do you mean?" Beiro asked, his chest heaving as he stared at the motionless, pale figures crushed under the heavy stone.

"It means whatever technique we use to attack them, we can only use once," Lucien explained, turning his gaze toward the shadows of the corridor. "When one of them dies, the information is instantly passed onto the other creatures in the dungeon, making them completely immune to that same form of damage. Do you remember the seventeen corpses we found near the entrance?"

Aelene nodded slowly, her expression grave. "Yeah... many of them looked like they had been killed with terrifying precision."

"Exactly," Lucien said. "They died from the exact counter to whatever weapon or cultivation realm power they wielded. Remember that girl who froze to death? She was a master of the fire element realm. And the swordsman... he was killed by a single cut from his own weapon."

"What does that actually mean?" Aelene asked, her eyes narrowing as the unsettling truth began to settle in.

"This dungeon studies everyone who steps inside," Lucien answered smoothly. "It creates monsters specifically designed to adapt to their powers. And once a cultivator has nothing left to offer—once all their techniques have been analyzed and countered—the dungeon strips away their will. Since Elyra possesses the most formidable willpower here, consuming the spirit of an exhausted cultivator is child’s play for her. Once their will is completely gone, they die without a struggle—either by their own hand or by the very thing designed to counter them."

Panic broke across Beiro’s face, his composure shattering as he gripped the hilt of his weapon. "So we can only use an attack once before they become immune to it? And once they’re done studying us, we just lose our will and die?! What kind of ridiculous place is this?! How are we even supposed to survive something like that?!" His voice echoed loudly off the stone walls, trailing into an anxious scream.

"It’s a race against time," Aelene said. She was clearly afraid, but her voice remained surprisingly steady, her pragmatic nature keeping her grounded.

"For now, don’t use direct attacks," Lucien instructed, looking up at the high, cracked ceiling above the fallen beasts. "Use external forces instead. Aelene, target the stone structure above them."

Understanding his intent immediately, Aelene channeled her spiritual energy and unleashed a targeted blast of flame toward the weakened ceiling. The explosion shattered the structural supports, bringing down a massive shower of jagged boulders that completely crushed the three humanoid monsters beneath hundreds of pounds of solid rock.

Lucien looked at the pile of rubble, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips. "Now here’s the real question. Does that count as a direct attack?"

"It’s an indirect attack," Beiro answered lucien’s question a second later, the logic clicking into place.

"Precisely," Lucien said. "They weren’t killed by fire; they were crushed by the natural environment of the dungeon. Because the attack didn’t originate directly from our personal energy hitting their bodies, the dungeon’s mechanism couldn’t register the technique to build a direct resistance. As long as we use the environment, we can bypass their immunity—though we can’t rely on this trick everywhere."

Watching Lucien effortlessly analyze the deadly mechanism and command the situation stirred a quiet, uncomfortable sting of jealousy deep within Beiro’s chest. He tried to hide it, but he couldn’t stop the bitterness from rising. He was younger than Lucien, far less experienced, and certainly lacked the calm, effortless presence. Seeing the natural way Aelene listened to Lucien—the unmistakable way she relied on his judgment over her own—made Beiro’s throat tighten with quiet resentment.

Before anyone could say another word, a deep, violent tremor shook the floor. The walls groaned as the entire cavern shuddered around them, mirroring the violent earthquake from moments before.

"Let’s move," Lucien said, his tone shifting back to absolute focus. "We don’t have much time."

Without hesitation, Lucien, Aelene, and Beiro surged forward, moving as fast as their feet could carry them through the shifting stone passages.

In a completely different section of the vast subterranean maze, Prince Rumil and Caelia were navigating a wide, quiet tunnel. Like Lucien’s group, the spatial magic of the ancient formation had separated them from the rest and deposited them in an unfamiliar, shadow-draped hall.

Prince Rumil had agreed to let Caelia join their expedition at the very last moment, knowing almost nothing about her background or her true capabilities. Right now, his mind was consumed with worry for his fiancée, Aelene. Yet, despite his anxiety, a small part of him felt genuinely relieved knowing that Lucien was by her side. Lucien was exceptionally strong and composed; Rumil trusted his best friend completely to keep her safe.

Let’s just hope Axel and Aelene are together and that she’s unharmed, Rumil thought as he kept a sharp lookout. At least I’m in good hands too, since Caelia in Spirit Forge Realm as well. But our information about this place is far too limited... We still don’t even know why Elyra teleported us in the first place.

Unable to shake the heavy silence, Rumil turned to Caelia. "Do you know anything else about this dungeon? It’s connected to your founding ancestor, and you recognized Elyra’s name immediately."

Caelia kept her eyes trained on the path ahead, her expression guarded. "No... not much."

Prince Rumil sighed, his tone carrying a touch of frustration. "To be honest, you claimed your clan held ancient records of this place, but ever since we stepped inside, you’ve barely known anything. If it wasn’t for my friend Axel, we wouldn’t have made it past half the trials."

Caelia glanced at him, her eyes flicking with interest at the mention of the human. "Prince Rumil... what exactly is your friend? Why did Elyra react to him like that, as if she recognized him?"

"She probably mistook him for someone else," Rumil replied, waving a hand dismissively. "She’s been trapping thousands of cultivators here over centuries, even from different realms. Besides, Axel isn’t even native to this land. It’s his first time ever stepping foot in Azurefall."

They continued walking, trying to make sense of the strange architecture and quiet corridors, when another low rumble reverberated through the stone floor.

BOOM!

"It’s happening again!" Rumil warned, dropping his stance.

But almost immediately, a new sound cut through the echoing reverberations—heavy, measured footsteps approaching from the darkness ahead. Rumil and Caelia instinctually looked for cover, but the corridor was completely open, offering no pillars or alcoves to hide behind.

Before Rumil could draw his weapon, a sharp, familiar figure emerged from the gloom.

Rumil froze, his eyes widening in sudden realization. "It’s you... so the rumors were true."

Standing before them was a regal, sharp-eyed woman wrapped in fine travelling armor—his sister.

"Oh?" Princess Lysandra paused, a cold, mocking smile curling her lips as she looked her brother up and down. "If it isn’t Prince Rumil. The future ruler himself has decided to enter the depths."

"Why do you always have to get in my way, sister?" Rumil demanded, his knuckles turning white as anger flushed his face.

Lysandra let out a soft, dismissive chuckle. "Look at you. Still entirely unable to control your emotions... what a useless loser."

Before Rumil could retort, another set of rapid footsteps approached from behind Lysandra. A young woman hurried to the princess’s side, breathing slightly fast as if she had just finished scouting the nearby paths.

"Lady Lysandra, I tried to map out the forward route, but the passages keep shifting," Aelvera reported quickly. "I couldn’t find a clear way through."

"It’s fine," Lysandra said smoothly, raising a hand to stall her detail. "Take a rest. Tell the soldiers to hold their attacks and keep their presence masked. Our primary objective right now is to stay hidden and gather as much information as possible if we want to survive this place. Go inform them."

Aelvera bowed slightly, but as she turned, her eyes landed on the prince. "Oh... Prince Rumil. It is good to see you in good health."

Rumil’s jaw tightened, his teeth grinding together as he glared at her. "Aelvera... so you’re standing with my sister now? Even after everything I paid you?"

"I am sorry, Prince Rumil," Aelvera replied evenly, showing no sign of shame. "I entered the dungeon alone on my own business. I happened to run into Lady Lysandra inside, and we agreed it was in our mutual interest to cooperate."

Lysandra smirked, resting a hand on her hip as she glanced between Rumil and the quiet woman standing beside him. "My dear little brother... what really curious me is how someone like you managed to get this far into this dungeon. Did this girl carry you? If she did, then she must be truly extraordinary... saving a loser like you and guiding you this deep into the dungeon. How interesting."

"It’s none of your business," Rumil spat, stepping forward defensively.

Before the tension between the royal siblings could boil over, Caelia stepped forward, her posture calm and diplomatic. "Princess Lysandra, how about we exchange information and work together? This dungeon is far more complicated and dangerous than it appears on the surface."

Lysandra turned her sharp gaze onto Caelia, studying her for a brief second before giving an approving nod. "Well... I like you. You’re certainly living up to my expectations. Knowing when to set aside useless emotions in favor of practical logic is much better than throwing a childish temper tantrum. Tell us what you’ve discovered, and we will share what we know in return."

Caelia did not hesitate. She clearly explained their journey through the lower levels—how they found Elyra trapped within the black crystal, the glowing golden cracks breaking through the seal, and how the ancient formations were structured. She described how Lucien had deciphered the forgotten scripts along the path, solving everything on his path that even Elyra had acknowledged before the chamber collapsed and she teleported them away. She carefully withheld a few key strategic details regarding their full combat strength, but provided more than enough genuine facts to prove her honesty.

When Caelia finished, Lysandra tilted her head, clearly intrigued. "This Axel... he sounds remarkably capable. What is his cultivation realm?"

"He is at the peak of the Spirit Forge Realm," Caelia replied.

"A hidden master?" Lysandra mused. "An old monster in disguise?"

"No, Princess," Aelvera interrupted gently, clarifying the detail. "He is quite young in appearance—a tall human with long blonde hair. He seems to be a wandering traveler. I saw him with Prince Rumil earlier; he was the one who rescued the prince when he went missing in the wilderness a few days ago."

Lysandra’s eyes narrowed slightly as she processed the information. A human at the peak of the Spirit Forge Realm... traveling alone, solving ancient elven formations in a foreign land he’s never visited before, and effortlessly navigating a legendary death trap...

This Axel, Lysandra thought to herself, a subtle glint of ambition touching her eyes, if that is even his real name... is a very dangerous, very interesting man.

"Now keep your end of the deal," Prince Rumil demanded, stepping closer. "Give us your information."

"Calm down, brother," Lysandra said coolly, waving a hand. "I am not like you; I honor my bargains. Aelvera, show them the jade tablet you recovered."

Aelvera nodded, reaching into her spatial storage. With a faint shimmer of light, she produced an ancient, weathered jade tablet and handed it toward Caelia.

Caelia took the artifact carefully, channeling a thin strand of her astral energy into its core. The tablet flickered, projecting a series of glowing, hovering symbols into the air between them. It was written in an ancient elven tongue—difficult to decipher, but far more readable than the incomprehensible primordial scripts found deeper in the dungeon.

As Caelia translated the lines of text line by line, her eyes gradually widened. The color drained from her face, her pulse quickening as the dark truth revealed on the tablet challenged everything she had ever been taught to believe about the world and her own clan’s history.

"It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?" Lysandra said quietly, watching her reaction with a dark, knowing smile.

"Hard to believe?" Caelia whispered, her hands trembling slightly as she stared at the glowing glyphs. "It seems outright impossible... but after seeing those trapped cultivators encased in crystal back in the main chamber, it all aligns perfectly. If the outside world ever discovers what is written here... it will completely shatter the balance of power."

As the weight of the ancient secret pressed down on her, Caelia’s thoughts immediately drifted back to the blonde human warrior currently separated from them.

If Axel were here, Caelia thought to herself, a sudden wave of quiet reliance filling her mind, he would have pieced all of these clues together instantly and found a way forward. This tablet is just a fragment of forgotten history... but to him, it would be the key to the entire Hollow of Ten Thousand Forms.