Chapter 118 - - 118 - One Life is Required

Chapter 118: Chapter - 118 - One Life is Required

Lucien looked down at the palm-sized crystal resting in his hand. Through the smooth, darkened surface, he could see the faint outline of Elyra’s figure. Her will was dangerously weak—so fragile that she couldn’t speak, move, or maintain consciousness.

"It seems I’ve acquired the most expensive treasure here," Lucien murmured softly.

He stared at the crystal for a moment, weighing his options. "I will have to feed her my own astral energy to strengthen her will. Once she recovers enough, she will become useful to me. I need to learn this will cultivation technique she created. And somewhere in the future, I must return to this place to kill that trapped entity. If I don’t come back to end it, it will eventually come for me."

With a thought, Lucien opened his void dimension and slipped the black crystal safely inside.

He raised his hand and slashed through the air. Space tore open like fragile cloth, exposing the dark void beneath. Lucien stepped into the tear and vanished.

When he emerged, he was back in the subterranean chamber where the ancient entity was bound by thousands of thick, glowing chains. The pressure in the air had receded, leaving behind a cold, desolate quiet.

Lucien walked across the stone floor toward the unconscious bodies of Aelene and Beiro. He leaned down, picked Aelene up, and then gathered Beiro.

The dungeon was temporarily safe, but the run was far from complete. Somewhere deep within these ruins lay the Heavenly Marrow—the legendary resource that everyone had risked their lives to claim.

Lucien set them down and began channeling his energy into their bodies. Since their collapse had been caused by the suffocating spiritual pressure of the entity rather than physical attacks, his healing energy quickly stabilized their minds and restored their senses.

Aelene was the first to stir. Her eyelashes fluttered open, and her eyes gradually focused on Lucien standing before her. She blinked, confusion rapidly giving way to disbelief. She was alive. The overwhelming pressure was gone.

"Wh-what happened to that entity?" Aelene asked, her voice raspy.

Lucien looked down at her, his expression calm and unreadable. "It turns out Elyra sacrificed herself and her complete cultivation. Her crystal is shattered now, but she made sure to seal the entity for at least another five years."

"What? She’s gone?" Aelene breathed, staring into the dark expanse of the chamber.

She did not weep, nor did she feel a personal sense of loss. Yet hearing that Elyra had sacrificed herself yet again for the very people who had forgotten her struck Aelene as deeply tragic.

Lucien watched her reaction without giving away a single detail. He had no intention of revealing that Elyra was currently resting inside his void dimension in the form of an Eternal Soul Seed. Some secrets were far too valuable to share.

Aelene sat up, pushing herself away from the cold stone floor. "So... what should we do now?"

"We can leave this dungeon and never come back," Lucien offered smoothly, "or we can explore further for the Heavenly Marrow. We still haven’t found Prince Rumil yet. What would Lady Aelene prefer to do?"

He framed the question casually, presenting it as though they were merely considering their limited choices. But Lucien had already read her character. Aelene was pragmatic to her core. If she saw an opportunity to gain immense wealth and power, she would never turn her back on it.

"We should look for the Heavenly Marrow," Aelene said after a short pause, her eyes sharpening. "Since the entity is sealed once again, we shouldn’t waste this chance. Obtaining it will benefit the kingdom in the future."

Without dwelling on the past or wasting time in false mourning, Lucien, Aelene, and the newly awakened Beiro moved forward. They pressed deeper into the complex, where the passages grew narrower and the darkness hung heavier in the air.

In another section of the dungeon, Prince Rumil, Caelia, Aelvera, and Lysandra were also advancing through the subterranean ruins.

None of them knew that the ancient entity had been sealed again. All they knew was that the terrifying tremors had suddenly stopped and the crushing spiritual weight in the air had lifted. They navigated familiar stone halls that now felt eerie and hollow. No monsters jumped from the shadows, and no traps triggered. The dungeon felt completely stripped of life.

Eventually, they reached the vast central chamber where they had first encountered Elyra.

Caelia froze at the entrance. The sight before her made her heart ache with sudden, crushing guilt. The surrounding crystal structures were completely destroyed. At the center of the altar, the massive black crystal that had held Elyra lay smashed into hundreds of dull, lifeless shards scattered across the floor.

Caelia remembered how Elyra had suddenly teleported them away to safety when the ground began to shake. She knew something monstrous was trapped beneath the ruins, but she had no idea what had transpired after they were separated. Her ancestors had once been saved by Elyra, and Caelia had desperately wished to save her in return—or at least express her gratitude. Now, there was nothing left.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the stone floor before the shattered remains of the crystal. Tears spilled over her cheeks as she began to sob hysterically.

"I couldn’t save her..." Caelia cried out, her voice echoing off the broken walls.

Aelvera and Lysandra walked over and gently rested their hands on her shoulders, attempting to comfort her. But Caelia couldn’t stop the flood of grief. She had always been the type of person who tried to carry the burdens of others, driven by a desire to protect everyone around her.

Lysandra looked around the ruined chamber, her sharp gaze scanning the destruction. "What actually happened here?"

Caelia wiped her eyes, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Perhaps... the entity was attempting to break free. She wanted to save us all, so she sacrificed herself to keep it trapped..."

Aelvera looked up at Lysandra. "What should we do now, Lady Lysandra?"

"We cannot spend our time mourning those who are gone forever," Lysandra replied coldly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We came here for the Heavenly Marrow, and we still need to find it." She turned her focus back to Caelia. "Caelia, decide what you want to do. Are you going to sit here and weep, or will you do something that might actually save the people of Azurefall—and your own clan—in the future?"

Caelia stared at the broken crystal shards for a few seconds. Slowly, the sorrow in her face gave way to something firmer. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and stood up.

"My ancestor’s savior died to protect us," Caelia said, her voice steadying. "I won’t let her sacrifice be in vain."

A fierce determination kindled in her eyes. Nodding to one another, the group turned away from the shattered altar and pushed deeper into the dark passages in search of the Heavenly Marrow.

On the other side of the lower levels, Lucien, Aelene, and Beiro came to a stop before a pair of towering, weathered gates. Embedded into the center of the doors was an emblem depicting two crossed swords, flanked on either side by imposing stone statues of armored guards.

"Do you think the Heavenly Marrow is actually behind this?" Aelene asked, staring up at the massive structure.

Lucien looked back at her with a light, almost playful smile. "We won’t know unless we walk in."

Beiro stepped closer to the doors, his eyes scanning the detailed carvings. "There’s something written here."

Lucien approached the gate, recognizing the ancient script carved into the center frame. He read the words aloud. "One life is all I require."

Aelene frowned slightly. "Is it asking for a sacrifice?"

"It appears so," Lucien said.

Looking closer, Lucien noticed a medium-sized stone basin built directly into the center of the door beneath the inscription. He also realized that the crossed swords in the center were not decorative reliefs—they were actual physical blades embedded deep into the stone, ready to be drawn.

In an instant, Lucien understood the true nature of the mechanism. The gate demanded a blood sacrifice. It wanted the intruders to turn on each other, using the death of one to fuel the array and open the path.

"It seems the Heavenly Marrow really is behind this door," Lucien stated calmly. "The mechanism utilizes a soul-refinement array. Once a life is taken here, the victim’s soul and cultivation will be refined into astral energy to unseal the entrance. Their blood will likely act as the catalyst... quite an interesting design."

Standing just behind them, Beiro felt his blood run cold, but his mind immediately began to race with dark calculations.

Right now, the only person at a disadvantage is this Axel, Beiro thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. If Master Aelene and I attack him together, we can take that weapon. I can finally prove my worth to her... I need to get ready. She’ll definitely support me. After all, I’m her head disciple.

Beiro quietly adjusted his posture, shifting his weight as he slid closer behind Lucien, who appeared entirely engrossed in studying the ancient gate.

Aelene caught the subtle movement from the corner of her eye. She did not flinch, nor did she show horror. Instead, a cold, calculating logic washed over her. She knew what Beiro was planning, and she knew she had to make a choice between her head disciple and the mysterious man who had guided them safely past every deadly trap in this dungeon.

Attacking him from behind? How pathetically foolish, Aelene thought, staring at Beiro’s back with quiet disdain. Even if I helped you, there’s no way we could defeat a man who stood his ground against an ancient entity. Are you truly that stupid, Beiro? Did you drop on your head when you were born? Why can’t you just accept your place? I can hardly believe I ever considered you my top disciple.

Aelene knew Lucien had no reason to turn on her. She was far more valuable alive than dead; she was the fiancée of Prince Rumil, her political standing was useful, and she suspected Lucien possessed a personal interest in her. None of those protections applied to Beiro.

Beiro crept a step closer to Lucien’s back, shooting a brief, desperate signal to Aelene, urging her to strike the moment he plunged his weapon into Lucien’s neck.

He drew his blade, raising the steel high as he aimed directly for the base of Lucien’s skull—

And then Lucien vanished.

The air shifted, and the space where Lucien had been standing a fraction of a second prior was suddenly empty. Beiro’s sword swung through air, his balance stumbling forward.

"Where...? Where did he go?!" Beiro gasped, his head snapping around in panic. "Lady Aelene, he was just right here!"

When Aelene did not answer, Beiro swallowed hard, trying to rationalize what had just happened. "Did he... did he already go inside? Does he have a technique to bypass the gate? Is that why he was so calm about the sacrifice?"

Aelene remained entirely motionless. She did not answer him, nor did she step forward. She simply watched, knowing with absolute certainty that this was merely the silence before a storm.

Sweat poured down Beiro’s neck. Driven by desperate curiosity, he stepped toward the giant door to inspect the mechanism himself. He pressed his bare hands against the cold surface, trying to push it open, before bending over the central stone basin to see if he could peer through any gaps in the frame.

The shadow behind him elongated.

Without a sound, Lucien stepped directly out of Beiro’s shadow. Before the disciple could even register the movement, Lucien brought his foot down in a brutal, crushing kick to the back of Beiro’s head.

BANG!

Beiro’s face slammed hard into the edge of the stone basin, his body bending unnaturally over the altar. Before he could recover or scream, Lucien reached out, tore one of the ancient iron swords from the door, and jammed the heavy blade directly into the back of Beiro’s neck.

He did not sever the head with a single clean blow.

Instead, with a calm, disturbing smile resting on his face, Lucien dragged the jagged edge slowly through bone, muscle, and sinew.

Beiro shrieked, his limbs thrashing wildly against the stone like a dying fish caught on a hook. He sobbed, begged, and clawed uselessly at the ground, but Lucien’s boot remained pinned heavily on his back, holding him down with terrifying, immovable strength.

It took two agonizing minutes of steady, deliberate pressure before the blade finally sliced completely through.

Lucien lifted his foot, letting Beiro’s headless body slump heavily to the floor.

Blood spilled in thick waves, rapidly filling the stone basin to its brim. Almost instantly, the runic arrays etched across the gate flared with dark light. Beiro’s remaining soul and entire pool of astral energy erupted from his corpse in a faint, glowing vapor, drawn straight into the surface of the door.

Aelene stood frozen, her eyes wide as she watched the gruesome spectacle play out.

Horror stirred in her chest, but beneath it lay something far more unexpected—a sudden, electric thrill. Somewhere deep inside her mind, a dark realization clicked into place. She felt no pity for Beiro, no remorse for her fallen disciple. Instead, an intoxicating surge of excitement flooded her veins, making her heart hammer rapidly against her ribs.

With a heavy, grinding roar of ancient mechanisms, the massive doors slowly parted.

A blinding column of brilliant white light burst forth from the chamber within, swallowing the darkness of the dungeon and illuminating the two figures standing before the open threshold.