Chapter 115
Following Nyx's recommendation, Nille decided not to take any unnecessary risks.
"If there are still curse particles lingering in the air, I'll burn them away first."
Rume immediately nodded in approval.
"Aye. That's a smart move, lad."
The old dwarf had seen enough ruins, mines, and forgotten structures throughout his lifetime to understand the danger of complacency. Many adventurers, explorers, treasure hunters, and archaeologists had died because they assumed an ancient site was safe after finding the entrance.
Sometimes the trap wasn't the door.
Sometimes it wasn't the artifact.
Sometimes it was simply the air itself.
A lingering curse.
A dormant toxin.
A magical contaminant waiting for someone foolish enough to inhale it.
The moment Rume gave the order, the remaining workers withdrew from the area without complaint. The tunnel quickly became vacant as personnel retreated beyond the established safety perimeter. Nobody argued. Nobody attempted to stay and watch.
Experienced workers knew better.
Ancient tombs and newly discovered ruins had earned their reputation for a reason.
The dead had a habit of leaving surprises behind.
Soon only a handful of individuals remained near the opening.
Nille.
Lin Yue Meiying.
Head Merchant Rume Ironbark.
And two dwarven engineers responsible for monitoring the tunnel's structural integrity.
The atmosphere became noticeably quieter once everyone else had left.
The newly uncovered opening stood before them like a dark wound carved into the tunnel wall. Beyond it, the ancient stone door remained hidden in shadow, partially illuminated by the artifact lamps positioned throughout the mine.
Inside his mind, Nyx began providing calculations.
"Adjust the output to twenty-three percent."
"Why?"
"Higher temperatures are unnecessary."
"The objective is purification, not destruction."
Nille nodded slightly.
Nyx continued.
"Shape the flame into a concentrated wave rather than an explosive burst."
"Understood."
"This will maximize contact with airborne particles while minimizing damage to the surrounding structure."
Nille slowly raised his hand.
Mana gathered around his fingertips.
A faint glow appeared.
The temperature in the tunnel began to rise, but it wasn't hot
Lin quietly stepped behind Nille and positioned herself slightly to the right of the opening, remaining outside the projected path of the spell. Across from her, Rume and the two dwarves stood on the opposite side, carefully observing the process.
Unlike ordinary fire magic, Nille wasn't trying to create a large explosion.
Every movement was controlled.
Measured.
Calculated.
The gathered mana compressed into a dense sphere of shimmering flame.
Its surface rotated slowly.
The heat radiating from it caused the surrounding air to distort.
Even the artifact lamps appeared to waver.
Nyx completed her calculations.
"Trajectory confirmed."
"Release."
Nille exhaled.
Then thrust his hand forward.
The sphere shot into the opening.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then, WHOOOOSH!
A wave of brilliant fire erupted through the passage.
The flames surged forward like a living current, racing through the newly exposed chamber. The spell expanded exactly as Nyx intended, filling every corner of the confined space without generating a destructive shockwave.
The entire opening became engulfed in fire.
Heat washed through the tunnel.
The stone walls glowed briefly beneath the intense temperature.
Several seconds passed.
Then strange wisps became visible within the flames.
Thin black strands.
Like smoke.
Like threads.
Like something being torn apart.
Nyx immediately confirmed it.
"Curse residue detected."
"Combustion successful."
The black wisps twisted violently before disintegrating completely.
More appeared.
More vanished.
Again and again.
Whatever traces of the ancient curse had remained within the air were being consumed by the flames.
The process continued for nearly half a minute.
Then gradually slowed.
Eventually the fire began to weaken.
The roaring flames subsided.
The heat diminished.
And silence returned.
Only faint embers remained dancing along the stone floor before disappearing entirely.
A few moments later, Nyx delivered her final assessment.
"Analysis complete."
"Residual curse particles have been neutralized."
"Environmental contamination reduced below measurable thresholds."
"Area safe for exploration."
Nille lowered his hand.
The tunnel had become noticeably clearer.
Even the air felt lighter.
Cleaner.
As though an invisible weight had been lifted from the surroundings.
Rume inhaled deeply and nodded in satisfaction.
"Aye."
The old dwarf grinned.
"Now that's what I call proper preparation."
One of the dwarven engineers adjusted his detection artifact and stared at the readings.
"Nothing."
Rume looked over.
"What do ye mean, nothing?"
The dwarf blinked twice.
"The curse readings."
He looked back at the device.
"They're gone."
Complete silence followed.
The ancient contamination that had lingered for who knew how many centuries had vanished within moments.
The passage beyond the opening now stood quiet and undisturbed.
No dark mist.
No lingering corruption.
No hostile presence.
Only ancient stone.
Ancient silence.
And the massive hidden door waiting beyond.
Nille slowly looked toward the spirit boy.
The child remained standing near the entrance.
Watching.
For the first time since Nille had encountered him, the boy smiled.
It was faint.
Almost imperceptible.
But it was there.
And somehow, that simple expression made the ancient chamber feel even more mysterious than before.
Once Nyx confirmed that the lingering curse particles had been completely neutralized, the group carefully returned to the newly exposed opening. The heat from Nille's purification spell still lingered within the enclosed passage, creating faint distortions in the air, though it was already beginning to fade. The atmosphere felt different now. The oppressive sensation that had subtly weighed upon the area was gone, leaving behind only the silence of an ancient place that had remained undisturbed for ages.
Nille took the lead as one of the dwarven workers handed him an artifact lantern. The enchanted light illuminated the narrow passage ahead with a steady glow. Behind him followed Lin Yue Meiying, Head Merchant Rume Ironbark, and the dwarf engineer. Their footsteps echoed softly against the stone walls as they entered the hidden chamber beyond the breach.
The chamber was smaller than anyone had expected. Directly ahead stood the massive stone slab that had been concealed behind the tunnel wall. Up close, it was obvious that this was no natural formation. The surface had been deliberately shaped and polished by skilled hands long forgotten by history. Ancient carvings covered nearly every inch of the stone, their weathered lines stretching across its flat face in rows of unfamiliar symbols and intricate patterns.
Nille raised the lantern higher and stepped closer. The spirit boy remained nearby, silently watching. Unlike before, he no longer pointed or attempted to guide Nille. He simply stood there, calm and patient, as though everything that needed to happen had already been set into motion.
A layer of ash from the purification fire still clung to portions of the slab, obscuring many of the carvings. Curious, Nille reached out and gently brushed the surface with his hand. Dust scattered into the air. More symbols became visible beneath the grime. For a brief moment, it seemed as though entire passages of writing had been hidden beneath centuries of neglect.
Then the stone trembled.
The vibration was subtle, almost imperceptible, but everyone felt it.
The chamber immediately fell silent.
Nille froze.
Lin tightened her grip on his arm.
Rume's expression became serious.
A faint sound followed, a deep, distant noise that seemed to come from somewhere far beyond the chamber itself. It resembled a long exhale. A sigh. The sound of something ancient finally releasing a burden it had carried for centuries.
Then a crack appeared.
A thin fracture ran across the center of the stone slab.
Another followed.
Then another.
The ancient monument began to crumble.
Not violently.
Not explosively.
It simply started falling apart.
The edges eroded into fine gray dust. The carved symbols faded as sections of stone aged before their eyes. Small fragments broke away and disintegrated before they even reached the floor. It was as though the slab had suddenly remembered its true age.
No one touched it.
No mechanism had been activated.
No spell had been cast.
Yet the deterioration continued.
The stone had endured centuries beneath the mountain. It had survived shifting earth, forgotten wars, changing landscapes, and the passing of entire civilizations. Yet now, with the curse finally gone, it could no longer sustain itself.
Almost as if its purpose had finally ended.
Almost as if it had been waiting.
Waiting for someone to arrive.
Waiting for someone to remove the final remnants of the ancient curse.
Waiting for permission to finally rest.
The last sections of the slab collapsed into dust.
Silence returned.
A cold draft flowed outward from the darkness beyond.
The air that emerged carried a scent unlike anything found within the mine. It was neither the smell of decay nor the scent of damp earth. Instead, it felt ancient and untouched, like the air of a place that had remained sealed away from the world for countless generations.
The artifact lantern flickered.
The newly revealed darkness stretched beyond the opening, refusing to fully reveal its secrets.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Nille, Lin Yue, Rume, and the dwarf engineer simply stood there, staring into the hidden space that had been concealed for who knew how long.
The mountain seemed to hold its breath.
And somewhere behind them, the spirit boy quietly smiled. As the dust settled and the final remnants of the stone vanished, the feeling grew stronger.
Something had been found.
Something important, that is still part of the territory.
Something that history itself had forgotten.
The moment the stone slab fully collapsed, the hidden space beyond was finally revealed in its entirety, and what lay inside immediately shifted the atmosphere from curiosity to unease.
The chamber was vast.
Far larger than the tunnel system outside had suggested.
The artifact lantern's light stretched forward, but it struggled to fully reach the far edges of the space, as if the chamber itself absorbed illumination. Massive stone pillars rose from the floor in irregular formations, not carved for elegance but for function, as though they had been arranged to support something unimaginably heavy above. The ground beneath them was uneven, layered with hardened mineral deposits and ancient dust that had settled over centuries without disturbance.
And scattered everywhere, were remains.
Countless skeletal structures lay across the chamber floor, arranged in chaotic clusters and partial formations. Some appeared collapsed where they once stood, others were scattered as if they had fallen mid-motion. The sheer number made it impossible to distinguish individuals. It was not a battlefield in the conventional sense. There were no weapons of modern design, no signs of recent conflict, only the quiet, overwhelming evidence of a mass ritual that had ended long ago.
A sacrificial tomb.
That realization settled slowly over everyone present.
The air inside the chamber felt heavier, not from curse energy, but from history itself.
The walls surrounding the chamber were covered in carvings. Dense, repetitive patterns stretched across every visible surface. The symbols were unfamiliar in structure yet strangely consistent in rhythm, resembling ancient writing systems Nille had once briefly encountered during a fourth-year history class back in Bulacan. He was never particularly interested in the subject, but he remembered enough to recognize the similarity, angular impressions, repeated pictographic sequences, and layered narrative markings carved into stone.
It reminded him of something old.
Something human.
Something ritualistic.
Lin Yue stepped forward slightly, her expression tightening as she studied the carvings more closely. After a moment, she spoke with quiet certainty.
"This… is similar to Sumerian script."
Nille turned toward her.
"You're sure?"
Lin nodded.
"Corazon's sister is married to a Turkish archeologist ," she explained softly. "When I visited Turkey, with here and stayed at Corazon sisters home, I saw photographs of ancient tablets and temple inscriptions. The structure… the way the symbols repeat… it's very similar. Not identical, but the same kind of writing logic."
That confirmation made the chamber feel even older.
More grounded in reality, and yet somehow more impossible.
Rume's voice broke the silence, low and unsettled.
"So ye're telling me… this place looks like something from a world history book?"
Nille didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the carvings, then slowly moved across the skeletal remains scattered throughout the chamber.
"This isn't just a tomb," he said finally.
His voice was quieter than usual.
"It's a sacrificial site."
The words hung in the air.
No one disagreed.
Because the arrangement of the remains suggested purpose, not chaos. The spacing, the positioning, the symmetry embedded in the chamber's design—it all implied structure. Ritual structure. Something deliberate, repeated, and sustained over time.
Lin swallowed slightly.
"How many people…?"
She didn't finish the question.
There was no need to.
The scale answered itself.
Nille slowly stepped forward, lantern light revealing deeper sections of the chamber. The farther he looked, the more the space seemed to extend, as though the underground structure was not a single room but part of something much larger, layered like an inverted cathedral carved beneath the mountain.
And then he noticed something else.
The spirit boy was no longer behind them.
He was ahead.
Standing among the remains.
Watching them quietly from within the chamber itself.
For the first time since they entered, his expression was no longer neutral.
It looked… sorrowful.
As if he had been waiting not just for the stone to break, but for them to finally understand where they were standing.
Nille's eyes remained fixed on the spirit boy standing among the countless remains. Around him, Lin Yue, Rume Ironbark, and the dwarven worker continued examining the chamber, completely unaware that a conversation was taking place. To them, Nille appeared to be staring into empty space. Only he could see the child standing amidst the sea of bones.
For the first time since their encounter, the boy finally spoke.
"These are my people."
His voice was soft and distant, carrying the weight of centuries.
The child slowly turned and gestured toward the countless skeletal remains scattered throughout the chamber. There was no anger in his expression. No hatred. Only sadness.
"We served the Great Enlil," he said. "Long ago, we belonged to a clan that dwelled in a land called Urartu, during an age when humanity was still learning how to speak. Our race shared knowledge, wisdom, and tools with them. In time, mortals came to revere our kind, though we never accepted their worship or offerings."
"As temples rose toward the heavens, the mortals made the land fertile and harvested abundant crops to feed their young. We cared for them, for we saw great potential in those fragile beings. Within only a few generations, humanity outnumbered us by the thousands."
"But then the influence of the Cardinal Sins spread among them. Peace became corrupted, joy turned into suffering, and harmony gave way to conflict. The hearts of mortals, once filled with hope, grew burdened by greed, envy, wrath, and countless other vices. The age of prosperity slowly faded, and the shadows of chaos began to take root across the land."
"Even a handful of our own kind were corrupted. What began as whispers of doubt grew into obsession and madness. Those who had once stood as guardians became tyrants, and the light we had nurtured for centuries was stained by their betrayal."
before the Great Flood came."
"So the Infinite and Everlasting One cleansed the world He had created with water."
The unfamiliar name stirred something within Nille's memory, though he could not place where he had heard it before.
"The waters rose beyond the mountains," the boy continued. "Rivers swallowed entire valleys. Cities disappeared beneath the waves. The sky grew dark, and the kingdoms of old were consumed by the sea."
His gaze drifted into the distance, as though he no longer stood within the hidden chamber but was witnessing the events of a forgotten age.
"My people fled aboard great ships. We followed the stars across the endless sea. Many perished. Many were lost to the depths. Yet those who survived continued onward until, at last, we arrived here."
The spirit slowly looked around the underground chamber.
"When we first came, this land was not a swamp. It was a fertile paradise. Forests stretched to the horizon, rivers flowed with clear water, and the soil yielded abundant harvests. A Divine Beast ruled this region and, in its wisdom, permitted us to settle beneath its protection."
A faint smile crossed the boy's face.
"We built homes. We raised families. We cultivated the land and prospered. For a time, it seemed we had found a new beginning at the edge of the world."
"This place was once part of the Mortal Realm, or so we believed. We never knew our new home crafted by the Everlasting One to shelter us from the influence of the Cardinal Sins, which had never truly vanished. Even after the Great Flood, humanity endured."
The spirit's expression darkened.
"And they changed. They grew more numerous, stronger, and far more ambitious than before. The seeds of the Cardinal Sins, once mere whispers within their hearts, became woven into their very nature."
He lowered his gaze.
"Greed became their hunger. Pride became their crown. Wrath became their weapon. Envy, lust, sloth, and gluttony followed close behind. The sins were no longer temptations that haunted them, they had become part of their flesh, their blood, and their souls."
"Yet despite their flaws, they continued to thrive. Kingdoms rose. Empires spread across the world. And with every generation, the influence of the Cardinal Sins grew stronger, reaching farther than ever before."
"Stories of our kind spread across the world like wildfire. Tales of our long lives and strange gifts consumed the minds of mortals. They came to believe that they had a right to possess the power we carried."
The spirit's voice grew heavy with regret.
"They pursued our blessings without end. Kings sought our wisdom. Warlords desired our strength. Entire nations hunted for the secrets of our longevity. Some even waged wars in our name, while others performed forbidden rituals, summoning creatures from beyond the Void to track us down."
He clenched his hands.
"We were few, and they were countless. Every year, more of our people vanished. We could not fight the whole world."
The boy fell silent for a moment before continuing.
"So the elders made a decision—one born of desperation and fear. They chose to teach certain mortals our arts, our abilities, and fragments of our power, believing these chosen guardians would protect us from those who sought our destruction."
His eyes darkened.
"It was a mistake."
"Power changes people. The mortals we trusted grew ambitious. They demanded greater knowledge, greater strength, and greater authority. What began as a bond of protection became a hunger for dominance."
"The gifts we shared became weapons. The wisdom we taught became tools of conquest. And before long, those we had raised as protectors stood among our greatest enemies."
For a brief moment, Nille could almost imagine it, a thriving settlement where now only silence and bones remained.
Then the boy's expression darkened.
"But then the war began."
"What war?" Nille asked quietly.
The spirit looked upward, as if remembering a sky that no longer existed.
"The war that broke the world."
His voice became distant.
"The seas rose and roared like living gods. The heavens split apart, revealing wounds in the sky through which celestial fire poured endlessly upon the world. The earth groaned in agony as continents cracked and mountains shattered like glass beneath unseen forces."
"Tempests taller than kingdoms descended from the clouds. Great pillars of wind crossed the land, grinding forests, cities, and mountains into dust. Rivers changed their course. Oceans swallowed entire coastlines. Day and night lost all meaning beneath the wrath of the heavens."
The spirit's voice grew distant, as though recalling a nightmare from another age.
"Fire rained from above. Seas rose from below. The winds screamed across the world. The land itself rebelled against all life. And through it all flowed the invisible current of Aether, warping reality and twisting the natural laws that governed creation."
"Entire nations vanished in a single night. Kingdoms that had endured for thousands of years were erased without leaving so much as a stone behind. Countless souls perished before they could even comprehend what was happening."
His eyes darkened.
"It was the Age of Calamity."
"The era when the Five Celestial Beasts awakened."
"The Beast of Earth shook the foundations of the world, splitting continents and raising mountain ranges from the depths."
"The Beast of Water commanded the oceans, drowning civilizations beneath walls of endless tides."
"The Beast of Fire turned the skies crimson, covering the world in storms of flame and molten stone."
"The Beast of Air unleashed hurricanes that spanned entire regions, tearing apart the works of mortals as though they were made of paper."
"And the Beast of Aether..."
The spirit hesitated.
"...it was the most feared of them all."
"Where it passed, reality unraveled. Space twisted. Time fractured. The boundary between worlds weakened, allowing horrors from forgotten realms to gaze upon creation."
"For seven years, the Five Celestial Beasts waged their war across the world. By the time the heavens grew silent once more, nearly half of all life had vanished."
"And even now, the scars of their passing remain upon the world."
The chamber seemed colder as he spoke.
"My sister and I were separated during the chaos."
The boy slowly raised his hand and pointed directly at Nille.
"She was a Seed Bearer."
Nille froze.
The spirit's finger remained fixed on him.
"You carry that Hope. its still weak and fragile but its slowly growing"
"You carry my sister's blessing," he said. "The seed lay dormant, passing through countless generations. It skipped from one bloodline to the next, waiting for a host with true potential."
The spirit studied Nille carefully.
"Survival was her condition. Only one who could endure hardship, overcome adversity, and continue moving forward despite impossible odds could awaken its power. Many inherited the seed, but none proved worthy."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Until you."
For a moment, Nille said nothing. His thoughts immediately turned inward toward the Core Heart, the World Tree, and the strange metaphysical realm that existed within him.
"What happened to your clan?" Nille finally asked.
The spirit fell silent.
Slowly, he lowered his hand and turned his gaze toward the countless remains scattered throughout the chamber.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, but beneath it lingered centuries of sorrow.
"We were sacrificed."
The words echoed through the ancient chamber.
His eyes drifted across the sea of bones.
"Not by monsters. Not by demons. Not even by the creatures from beyond the Void."
He paused.
"We were sacrificed by those we chose to trust."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"The mortals we taught. The mortals we protected. The mortals we blessed."
His gaze hardened.
"They discovered that our blood could prolong life. Our flesh could empower rituals. Our souls could fuel artifacts beyond mortal comprehension."
"To them, we were no longer people. We became resources."
The spirit gestured toward the countless remains surrounding them.
"This is what remained of my clan."
"The price of our kindness."
The answer echoed through the chamber.
Nille frowned.
His voice was filled with sorrow rather than anger.
"They spoke of necessity. They spoke of salvation. They said our lives would preserve the future."
The spirit stared at his own translucent hands.
"They said it was for the greater good."
Nille's expression hardened.
"And your people agreed to this?"
The boy immediately looked up.
"No."
The answer came without hesitation.
"We did not."
His voice trembled slightly.
"We were never given a choice."
Silence followed.
The countless remains surrounding them suddenly felt heavier.
An entire people.
An entire civilization.
Reduced to forgotten bones hidden beneath a mountain.
Nille looked around the chamber before asking another question.
"How did your people come to this place? This is an isolated realm."
The spirit tilted his head.
For a moment, he seemed confused by the question.
Then understanding appeared on his face.
"Ah. You mean what this place has become."
The boy smiled faintly.
"This land was not always isolated."
Nille's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
The spirit gestured toward the chamber and beyond.
"This place was once connected to the outside realm."
The statement sent a ripple through Nille's thoughts.
The boy continued.
"It was a vast storage land. A sanctuary. A reserve. Many things were brought here for safekeeping."
The implications of that statement were enormous.
If the spirit was speaking the truth, then the sectors were not originally separate worlds.
They had once been part of something much larger.
Something connected.
Something whole.
The boy's form began to flicker.
The faint glow surrounding him grew weaker.
Yet somehow, he looked lighter than before.
Relieved.
As though a burden he had carried for centuries was finally beginning to lift.
He looked at Nille and smiled.
"Thank you."
Nille blinked.
"For what?"
"For listening. this simple gesture will be enough to create a crack on law that bound all of us"
A peculiar gentle breeze manifested and moved through the chamber.
The air felt different now.
Peaceful.
The spirit looked toward the remains of his people one final time.
Then he spoke again.
"Spirits are life."
His voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"They are the energy that allows flesh to move, to grow, to choose, and to follow destiny."
The glow around him intensified briefly.
"Many powerful beings. Many gods. Feed upon spirit."
The statement carried no accusation.
Only fact.
The boy placed a hand over his chest.
"Flesh is the vessel."
Then he touched his forehead.
"Spirit is the flame."
His form began dissolving into countless particles of pale light.
"Everything alive is made from these two things."
The glow continued to fade.
"Flesh."
The chamber grew brighter around him.
"Spirit."
The child smiled one final time.
"Nothing more."
Then his body scattered into countless motes of light that drifted upward like fireflies carried by the wind. They floated throughout the chamber before gradually disappearing into the darkness above.
Before the final light vanished, Nille somehow understood what the boy had truly wanted.
Not revenge.
Not justice.
Not even the truth.
The child had only wanted someone to remember that his people had once existed.
And with that final wish fulfilled, the spirit disappeared.
For the first time in countless centuries, the sacrificial tomb felt empty. Yet strangely, it no longer felt lonely. It felt at peace.
"Master Nille?"
Lin Yue's voice carried a hint of concern as she stepped closer.
Nille blinked and slowly returned to his senses. The ancient tomb came back into focus around him, the towering stone walls, the fading ash of the skeletal remains, and the faint glow of artifact lanterns illuminating the vast chamber.
Lin studied him carefully.
"What happened?" she asked. "You were standing completely still. It looked like you were in a trance."
Nille frowned.
"A trance?"
Lin nodded.
"For almost a minute."
The answer surprised him. It had felt far longer than a minute. His conversation with the spirit boy had seemed to last much longer, enough to tell an entire story. Yet according to Lin, barely any time had passed.
Taking a slow breath, Nille recounted what the spirit had told him. He spoke of the ancient clan that once lived in a land called Urartu, of the Great Flood that forced them to flee across the sea, and of their arrival in this land when it was still connected to the outside world.
He explained how the spirit claimed the region had once been ruled by a Divine Beast and how the settlers had flourished until a devastating war shattered the world. Finally, he revealed the most disturbing part, the entire clan had been sacrificed against their will for what their executioners called "the greater good."
As Nille finished his summary, the atmosphere in the chamber became noticeably heavier.
Head Merchant Rume Ironbark folded his arms and slowly surveyed the countless skeletal remains surrounding them.
"If what ye heard is true," the dwarf said quietly, "then these aren't ordinary dead."
Lin Yue glanced toward him.
Rume stroked his beard before continuing.
"In old human tales, these would be considered the remains of the Fallen Ones. Some call them the Nephilim. Beings said to have existed before the rise of modern humanity."
The old dwarf shook his head.
"Most folk consider them myths."
Nille remained silent. After everything he had experienced since arriving at Yamatai, dismissing ancient legends felt increasingly foolish.
After a moment, he looked toward Rume.
"This information cannot leave this chamber."
The merchant leader immediately understood.
"Aye."
"If word of this gets out, every academy researcher, explorer, historian, and treasure hunter on the island will come running."
Nille nodded.
"Then keep it hidden."
Rume gave a firm nod.
"Consider it done."
With that matter settled, Nille stepped forward and raised his hand toward the sea of bones.
The spirit boy's final request lingered in his mind.
He wanted his people remembered.
Not displayed.
Not studied.
Remembered.
Mana gathered around Nille's palm.
A moment later he cast Disintegration.
AS soon he crouch down and touch the first skeleton remains pale wave swept across the entire chamber,
The effect was immediate.
One skeleton after another crumbled into fine ash. Thousands of ancient remains collapsed silently, returning to dust after centuries of imprisonment beneath the mountain. There was no violence in the process. No destruction. Only release.
Within minutes, the vast chamber was free of bones.
The remains of an entire civilization had become a layer of gray ash covering the stone floor.
The chamber felt different afterward.
Lighter.
Peaceful.
As though an ancient burden had finally been lifted.
While Nille observed the transformed tomb, Nyx suddenly spoke within his mind.
"Master, I have detected an anomaly."
Nille immediately focused.
"Where?"
"Approximately three meters ahead."
Following her guidance, he walked across the chamber. At first he saw nothing unusual. Then he noticed a small object lying alone upon the floor.
Everything else had been reduced to ash.
Yet this many of their items remained untouched.
Curious, Nille crouched and picked it up.
The instant his fingers touched the material, recognition struck him.
It was a torn fragment of Celestial Cloth.
Before he could examine it further, the fragment dissolved into countless strands of pale light. The threads flowed directly into the clothing he was already wearing, merging seamlessly with the existing fabric.
The entire process happened so quickly that nobody noticed.
Lin Yue remained focused on studying the ancient carvings covering the walls, while Rume and the accompanying dwarf worker were occupied elsewhere within the chamber.
In fact, the two dwarves had discovered something that completely captured their attention.
Treasure.
Scattered among the ashes were dozens of surviving artifacts left behind by the ancient dead. Weapons, armor fragments, tools, ceremonial ornaments, and countless other relics remained intact despite the passage of centuries.
The reason soon became obvious.
Many of them had been forged from incredibly rare materials.
Stygian Iron.
Mithril.
Gold.
Adamantine.
Materials so durable and valuable that even time had struggled to erode them.
Rume picked up an old axe head and stared at it for several seconds.
"Holy ancestors..."
Beside him, the dwarf worker nearly snatched the relic from his hands.
"Merchant Leader," he said with wide eyes, "tell me I'm imagining this."
Rume examined the metal again before breaking into a grin.
"No."
The old dwarf laughed.
"Ye're seeing it exactly right."
The worker looked around the chamber.
"There are dozens of them."
Rume shook his head.
"Hundreds thousands of items."
Both dwarves slowly surveyed the massive tomb once more.
Then they came to the same realization.
The mithril mine beneath the castle was no longer the greatest discovery hidden beneath the swamp.
The greatest discovery was now scattered all around them.
And from the looks of it, they were only just beginning.
Now that the countless skeletal remains had been reduced to ash, the true scale of the chamber became visible. What they had initially mistaken for uneven terrain was actually layer upon layer of ancient dead. The remains had been piled so densely over countless generations that they had formed massive slopes throughout the chamber, resembling hills and even small mountains of bones.
With the mountain of skeletal remains reduced to ash, the true structure of the tomb was finally revealed.
What everyone had initially assumed was the chamber floor turned out to be layers upon layers of ancient bones that had accumulated over countless years. The remains had buried much of the original architecture, hiding entire sections of the tomb beneath them.
Now, with the bones gone, massive stone stairways became visible once more. Broad steps descended deeper into the underground complex, leading toward levels that had remained concealed for centuries. Ancient pathways emerged from beneath the ash-covered ground, stretching into the darkness beyond the reach of their lantern light.
More importantly, several enormous sealed stone doors could now be seen along the walls. Previously hidden beneath the piles of remains, these entrances were now fully exposed. Some stood several meters tall and were covered in worn carvings and symbols similar to the Sumerian-style inscriptions found throughout the chamber.
Beyond them, additional staircases descended to lower sections of the tomb. Distant archways, hidden corridors, and entire passage networks gradually came into view as the dust settled. It became increasingly clear that the chamber they had entered was not the tomb itself, but merely the uppermost level of a much larger underground complex.
The deeper they looked, the more obvious it became that this ancient burial site extended far beyond what anyone had originally imagined, with countless secrets still hidden beneath the mountain.
Rume Ironbark stared at the newly exposed sections of the tomb and slowly lowered the artifact he was holding.
"Oh, ancestors preserve me..."
The old dwarf's voice carried genuine disbelief.
"We haven't reached the bottom."
The accompanying dwarf worker followed his gaze and swallowed hard.
He had originally assumed the chamber itself was the tomb.
Now it was becoming painfully obvious that the chamber was merely the entrance.
What they had believed to be the floor was actually the top layer of accumulated remains.
With the mountain of bones gone, more structures became visible beneath the ash—stone platforms, collapsed pillars, sealed passageways, and what appeared to be entire sections of buried architecture.
Lin Yue slowly walked toward one of the newly exposed stairways, her eyes widening as she illuminated it with her artifact lantern.
"This continues deeper..."
The words echoed through the chamber.
Far deeper.
The staircase disappeared into darkness below, beyond the reach of the lantern's light.
Nille silently observed the scene.
The spirit boy's words returned to him.
"This was once a vast storage land."
At the time, he had assumed the child was referring to the isolated realm itself.
Now he was no longer certain.
Because standing before them was evidence that this location had once been far more significant than a simple settlement.
Entire generations had been buried here.
The amount of labor required to construct such a massive underground complex was beyond comprehension.
Even Rume looked uneasy.
And that alone was alarming.
Dwarves loved mines.
Dwarves loved ancient ruins.
Dwarves loved treasure.
Yet instead of excitement, the old merchant's expression was becoming increasingly cautious.
"Master Nille," Rume said quietly, "I think we've just uncovered something much older than a forgotten castle."
The old dwarf looked toward the newly revealed depths.
"Something that people may have buried on purpose."
Silence followed.
No one argued.
Because as they stared into the darkness below, all of them shared the same feeling.
The tomb was not becoming smaller.
It was becoming larger.
Much larger.
And whatever secrets had survived beneath the mountain of dead seemed to be waiting farther below.
With the mountain of skeletal remains reduced to ash, the true structure of the tomb was finally revealed.
What everyone had initially assumed was the chamber floor turned out to be layers upon layers of ancient bones that had accumulated over countless years. The remains had buried much of the original architecture, hiding entire sections of the tomb beneath them.
Now, with the bones gone, massive stone stairways became visible once more. Broad steps descended deeper into the underground complex, leading toward levels that had remained concealed for centuries. Ancient pathways emerged from beneath the ash-covered ground, stretching into the darkness beyond the reach of their lantern light.
More importantly, several enormous sealed stone doors could now be seen along the walls. Previously hidden beneath the piles of remains, these entrances were now fully exposed. Some stood several meters tall and were covered in worn carvings and symbols similar to the Sumerian-style inscriptions found throughout the chamber.
Beyond them, additional staircases descended to lower sections of the tomb. Distant archways, hidden corridors, and entire passage networks gradually came into view as the dust settled. It became increasingly clear that the chamber they had entered was not the tomb itself, but merely the uppermost level of a much larger underground complex.
The deeper they looked, the more obvious it became that this ancient burial site extended far beyond what anyone had originally imagined, with countless secrets still hidden beneath the mountain.
As they made their way back toward the surface, Nyx continued analyzing the newly integrated fragment of Celestial Cloth. The additional material had restored far more functionality than either of them initially expected.
"Master, additional information has become available."
Nille listened quietly.
"The Celestial Thread placed upon the Rune Forge Merchant Group flag has successfully synchronized with the newly restored systems."
That immediately caught his attention.
The reason the gate connecting the Rune Forge Merchant Group headquarters and the Castle Swamp Domain remained stable was not solely because of the flag itself. It was because Nille had unknowingly anchored a strand of Celestial Thread to it.
At the time, he had merely used the thread as a practical solution to maintain the portal connection.
Now, however, the Celestial Cloth was revealing that the thread had become something far more significant.
"The thread functions as a spatial anchor," Nyx explained.
"Previously, only a limited connection could be maintained. With the newly recovered fragment, the system's mapping capabilities have expanded."
Nille slowed his pace slightly.
"Explain."
"The Celestial Cloth can now record locations where the user has physically traveled."
For a moment, Nille remained silent.
Nyx continued.
"Every location personally visited by the user can now be mapped and cataloged. Locations connected to active Celestial Threads receive enhanced spatial accuracy."
The implications were obvious.
The Castle Swamp Domain.
The Rune Forge headquarters.
The academy.
His rented residence.
The mining tunnels.
Even the distant areas he had explored within Sector 12.
All of them were now appearing within the Celestial Cloth's growing internal map.
"Current function remains incomplete," Nyx added.
"However, the restored systems can now track, record, and organize visited locations. Additional Celestial Cloth fragments may unlock advanced navigation, spatial synchronization, or long-range transportation functions."
Nille immediately understood the value of such an ability.
A person could become lost.
A map could be stolen.
Landmarks could disappear with time.
But a location personally recorded by the Celestial Cloth would remain preserved forever.
It was like possessing a flawless memory of every place he had ever visited.
Nyx projected a simplified visualization into his mind.
Countless points of light appeared within a vast, dark void.
Some were faint.
Others shone brightly.
The brightest of all was the Rune Forge Merchant Group flag bearing the Celestial Thread.
It stood out among the recorded locations like a beacon in the night.
"Active Anchor Detected."
"Rune Forge Merchant Group Flag."
"Status: Stable."
"Connection: Maintained."
A brief pause followed before Nyx spoke again.
"Would you like to close the entrance?"
Nille shook his head.
"No. I unconsciously created that gateway because of a promise I had to keep. For some reason, it remains open, yet it has caused no negative effects on the Rune Forge personnel. Let it remain as it is."
Nyx processed the response for a moment before replying.
"Understood, Master Nille."
"The gateway is secure. The anchors on both sides are being sustained by the surrounding spiritual energy. Current analysis indicates no structural instability, energy leakage, or threat to nearby personnel."
"As long as sufficient spiritual energy remains in the environment, the connection will continue to function safely."
Nille couldn't help but smile.
What began as a simple piece of enchanted clothing was steadily becoming something entirely different.
The Celestial Cloth was no longer merely armor.
It was becoming a personal system.
A living archive.
A spatial map.
A detection platform.
A concealment tool.
A Self contain space
And perhaps, if enough fragments were recovered, something even greater.
For now, however, the most immediate benefit was clear.
Every place Nille personally visited could now be recorded within the Celestial Cloth's growing network. And locations marked by Celestial Threads, such as the Rune Forge Merchant Group flag, would serve as permanent anchors, allowing Nyx to maintain precise awareness of their position regardless of distance.
Considering how often Nille wandered into forgotten ruins, hidden sectors, and dangerous territories, having a system capable of mapping his journeys was a capability he welcomed wholeheartedly, but without new and added complications as a spirit of what resemble as a primordial being spoke to him that live 4,373 years old ago mention they were used to fuel something .