Chapter 345: You finally came.

[That’s not possible. My people checked, there is no structure beneath that room.]

Aurelia shook her head with a frown.

And Lucian—

"Well...

I am seeing it right now."

He spoke as he looked around.

The descent continued, there were no side passages, maintenance doors, or adjoining floors, there were just... stones.

An isolated shaft buried inside what every architectural record described as solid foundation.

And Lucian finally understood.

House Veyr had been investigating Arcelis for years now and according to Aurelia, it wasn’t just House Veyr, other Houses were involved too.

Yet, no matter how much they looked, no one could find anything. That wasn’t because the security was absurdly strong, they didn’t create an impenetrable fortress that couldn’t be entered and had guards all around the place.

No, Arcelis’s strongest security was... the lack of it.

A place that would only open once someone stood inside an empty historical room for thirty minutes without moving, an impossible event, really, unless someone knew something was going to happen.

"Whoever created this is a genius."

Lucian spoke out loud as the platform he was on continued moving down. It made him wonder how far down it would go, eventually, the platform slowed, then it stopped with a dull sound.

Thud

Lucian looked ahead and his face changed.

The chamber was enormous, far larger than the room he saw above. Ancient black stone covered the walls, but unlike the upper chamber, this place was filled with formations.

Hundreds, perhaps even thousands of runes carved into the floor and the walls, all of them glowing in an ominous crimson colour.

"Talk about aesthetics."

Lucian was impressed.

[What do you see?]

Aurelia asked.

She still seemed like she was in shock and rightfully so, even before this, her people had investigated this place three times until the place was deemed empty and abandoned in Veyr’s reports.

To think...

What she was looking for was right under her people’s feet three times and she couldn’t find it.

It was... embarrassing.

"Well... it is black... something."

Lucian didn’t know how to describe it.

It was at the very centre of the room, a massive black structure where all the runes and formations met. Even a child could see it was important, in fact, it was the only thing in the room that mattered.

Lucian got a little closer, there was an object inside this massive structure that he couldn’t quite make out.

The lack of proper light here was also a problem, he had to rely on the little crimson glow. He narrowed his eyes and walked a little closer, then, he finally saw it.

"It’s a Sealed Box."

[A Sealed Box?]

"Yes, like a treasure trove."

Lucian nodded.

"It’s attached to this massive structure that is connected to all the runes in the room. I think this is it."

Neroth’s Heart.

This was what they wanted.

[Do not approach it.]

Aurelia warned in a serious tone.

Lucian, whose leg was still in the air as he was about to walk closer, suddenly stopped, then, he backed down and—

"I am not a fool. I obviously won’t go close."

He snorted confidently.

"So what do we do now?"

Lucian asked a question.

They found a place that doesn’t exist in any of the records and had an absurd condition if one were to access it—

It was pretty clear no one wanted this place to be found.

But...

"Is it proof enough that it’s Neroth’s Heart?"

Lucian asked a question.

Varek said this was where Neroth’s Heart was and considering all that happened, his words now seemed much, much more reliable than before but...

Was it enough?

"The Box is attached to this structure, if I try to force it out, I might break the seal."

[Don’t do that.]

Aurelia shook her head.

An Archdemon’s Heart was dangerous, this was the reason it was sealed like this in the first place, releasing the Seal was not the solution but...

This place itself wasn’t enough for an official investigation either, so...

"Then what do I—"

[Wait there, I am coming.]

Aurelia decided and Lucian’s face changed.

"You are...?"

[I cannot stop after coming this close.]

Aurelia shook her head.

"What if it isn’t Neroth’s Heart?"

[Then I’ll face charges of trespassing.]

Lucian was about to mention the Crimson Hearth and how they would know but as if she was reading his mind—

[The Hearth will know I am there, but that no longer matters now. I have enough cause. I saw Varek’s condition, learned about Crimson Crucible and the fact that Arcelis has been secretly using Neroth’s Blood.

That warrants an investigation. Especially because Arcelis was given the responsibility to destroy Neroth’s Heart. I need to know where the blood came from, not to mention their key experimental subject has mentioned the Heart, something he shouldn’t even know about since it was supposed to be destroyed centuries before he was even born.

It is a weak case, but I’ll take the risk, since the stakes involved are too high to ignore.]

Aurelia reasoned.

"Makes sense."

Lucian nodded casually, Aurelia, however, was no longer casual.

[Do not get close, that is a direct order.]

She commanded.

The power and authority in her voice were so strong that for a moment, Lucian actually froze. Then, he smiled and raised both his hands.

"I won’t move until you come, oka—"

Click

Just then, Lucian heard a sound and... he froze.

[What was that?]

Aurelia asked the instant she heard that.

"I swear I did not move."

[What was that?]

Aurelia repeated her question, this time in a stronger tone.

And Lucian, he looked ahead with a surprised look on his face and...

"The Box opened on its own..."

He informed her and Aurelia’s tone became even more urgent.

[Get away from the—zzp!]

Before she could complete her words, her voice cut out.

That surprised Lucian. This didn’t happen before, he had been on underground floors, in more restricted areas and never lost the signal, so why now—

"Aurelia? Aurelia? Are you there?"

He tried to talk but just then—

Swoosh

The Box that had opened released an overwhelming darkness that surrounded the chamber and suddenly—

Lucian found himself inside a familiar-looking dark space.

A space he had been seeing in his dreams.

"You finally came."