Lucy POV
"Hm. Ah, I got it."
After pouring one more burst of my light magic into the last withered magical flower, I feel the resistance break and the warmth from my mana fills the plant, restoring it to its original, beautiful appearance.
I glance up at the clearing, now completely filled with colorful flowers, and I can't help but smile a little. Partially because I'm proud of all my work, and also because my small wish of seeing this place full of flowers has come true in the end.
"That was the last one, everyone get ready."
Miss Julia's voice brings me out of my daze and everyone else quickly gets into position as well.
"Do we really need to be this wary? This was supposed to be the trial, right? I doubt anything extreme would happen when it's completed."
"Well, we're still talking about the greatest mage, Magnus Latimer, so just about anything could happen."
Bernard and Arthur quietly exchange a few words while Hugh is already on high alert, ready for whatever's about to happen.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, hm."
Hina offers me her hand and gently helps me to my feet.
"...!"
"Ah!"
After a brief moment, numerous soft yellow lights begin glowing all across the clearing, or rather, around each one of the magical flowers. They then connect to each other, filling the ground with complex patterns that spread out all around us.
"Beautiful…"
I can't help but mumble that at this breathtaking scene.
After a few more moments, the light spreads to the statue in the middle, making it glow as well. Then, with a creaking sound, it begins to slowly slide backwards, revealing a spiral staircase leading underground.
We wait a little longer, but nothing else seems to happen.
"Okay, I'll go first. All of you, wait until I say it's okay."
Miss Julia says and then descends the staircase. We hear her footsteps fade and then disappear. After a minute of waiting we begin to get a little restless, but soon Miss Julia's voice echoes from underground, saying:
"Um… You can come down too. There doesn't seem to be any danger."
For some reason she sounds a bit hesitant, but we descend as well, soon reaching an underground chamber. There are glowing yellow patterns on the walls, similar to what covered the clearing above, making the entire chamber visible at a glance.
The first things that stand out in the chamber are the numerous portraits lining the walls, with some even placed directly on the ground. Even though they must have been here for a long time, there isn't a hint of aging on any of them. The same is true for the entire room as well. It's as if time had stopped here.
But what catches most of our eyes first is the subject of the paintings.
"Eh, isn't that Lucy?"
Bernard is the first to voice his question, but probably all of us were thinking the same thing. The woman depicted in all these paintings bears a very close resemblance to Lucy, though she looks a little bit more mature. Calling it an older version might be more accurate.
"Ah, was she the one depicted on the statue outside, too? I knew she looked familiar."
"Remember what that voice in the workshop called Lucy? This mystery woman is probably that Cecilia."
Arthur and Hina also share their thoughts and we look at the rest of the items in the chamber. A large desk stands to one side, with neatly organized books and papers arranged on it. In the middle lies a single letter, clearly intended to catch our attention first.
I glance at the others and they all nod upon noticing my gaze, so I reach out and pick it up.
I don't exactly know how my arrival in this world is connected to this letter, so it's time to learn the truth. And not just for me either. They all deserve to hear this too.
I take a deep breath.
"Haah… Um, I'll read it out loud."
So while trying to keep my voice steady I begin reading out loud the contents of the letter.
"My Dearest Cecilia,
I apologize for making your search for answers so convoluted. Even though our old lab was sealed off after we left, the two of us aren't the only ones who still have access to it. The secrets I'm about to reveal are very sensitive, so they can't be known by anyone else. Therefore, I had to make sure you would be the one to receive this letter. Actually, even telling you this now could be considered high treason on my part, but I no longer care about that.
I would have very much liked to meet you in person again and tell you this myself, but that no longer seems possible. And that is why I chose this place to hide my message.
I still remember those dark days we spent here during the war, back when tragedy was all around us and with each step forward, the future only looked more bleak. Then, on the darkest of nights, I came across a single point of brilliant light pushing back the darkness in the middle of a small clearing within the dead forest. Even in this land tainted by darkness, you were still determined to bring life into it and created all those magical flowers that could live off of mana alone.
Even though others must have viewed it as a pointless effort at the time, I saw life returning to the eyes of everyone who beheld your creations. I was one of them as well. Your figure in the middle of this clearing is still vivid in my mind.
You must have noticed upon your arrival that nature has returned to this land. That old fortress is no more, and in its place, I founded an academy in your name. The scars of the past have begun to heal, and yet, whether our efforts meant anything at all… I'll leave that for you to decide by the end of my letter.
I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so I'll start at the beginning. Your understanding of Project Last Light was incomplete from the start. While the foremost objective of our work was to use the enhanced version of the curse transfer spell to purify and destroy Agramon within your soul, even from the early results, it was clear that something like that had a very low chance of success.
The reason our research continued despite that was… because this really was the last possible way to deal with that evil god. A desperate final effort, kept alive only by delusions and unfounded hope. Of course, very few of us were aware of this reality. There were many times when I wanted to tell you about it, but your light always made me change my mind and believe in that foolish hope as well.
Until one day… I made a breakthrough.
While the destruction of Agramon through this process was unlikely, there was another approach that we haven't considered before. Normally, a curse transfer spell has two possible outcomes. First, the curse is destroyed within the light mage's pure mana, in this case Agramon would be destroyed. Second, the curse takes hold of the light mage, or in this case, Agramon would have taken over your body. But what if there could be a third possibility?
What if Agramon could be taken into your soul and simply trapped in there? No longer battling with the mana in your soul, and with no way to escape. Of course, this would need a lot of preparation in advance and setting up a complex magical array within your soul that could seal him away like that.
After this idea came to me, Project Last Light gained a new meaning. We were now testing whether this possibility could become reality. A secret kept from almost all involved parties. And after a lot of experimenting, it did seem possible.
So, all the while you thought we were testing whether you could destroy all those curses, we were actually testing the soul cage array we had placed on your soul. And it worked even better than we thought. No matter how powerful the curse we used was, each one could be sealed away this way, preventing it from affecting you and leaving it with no chance of escape.
Of course, that much wouldn't have been enough. Even if we succeeded with this method and managed to seal Agramon in your soul this way, when you eventually passed away, that evil god would have become free once more.
So we further improved the soul cage array, engraving it into your very soul and making it so the array could be passed down through your bloodline. As long as you or your descendants were alive, Agramon would have no chance to be free.
But back during the final battle, when you finally used the curse transfer spell on Agramon, I was sincerely hoping that against all odds, you would actually manage to destroy that monster. But after just a few minutes, it was clear that he was going to defeat you.
So I triggered the soul cage, and Agramon was sealed within your soul and bound to your bloodline. Even though this was a hard battle won at your expense, we lied to you again and told you that you defeated Agramon.
It was decided that we would keep all of this from you because you were the best candidate for this plan and we couldn't risk you refusing to carry this burden.
So by this point, you probably realized why our attitude seemingly changed towards you after defeating Agramon. To keep morale up and legitimize Lucian's new nation, the truth that Agramon wasn't truly dead could not be made public.
We also had to make sure your life was safe and protected, so that's why it was decided to send you to a remote village under a new identity. It must have seemed like exile to you, and in a way it was, though a number of undercover guards were also assigned to safeguard you in secret.
To further ensure your safety, your name was also erased from all records, and all traces of your existence were concealed. So instead of all four of us involved in the final fight, only three were recorded.
Given all the secrets we kept from you, I'm sure you harbored a lot of resentment towards us. And after reading this, I'm sure that resentment has only grown. For whatever it's worth, I'm truly sorry that all of this happened to you. I have thought for a long time about what to do to atone for my sins.
I founded this academy in your name, or at least as close to that as I could manage. Since I couldn't use your name, I named it Golden Vow Academy, in honor of the only service this nation ever rendered you. It was the promise that Meridia will always protect you and your descendants, though even that wasn't for your sake, but for humanity's.
I soon found this effort lacking. Since I couldn't reveal all these secrets to you in person, I decided to create a place where you could find all these answers if you ever managed to return in search of them.
To make sure that you are the only one who can access this place, I created a magical array around the entrance that can only be opened if all magical flowers are brought back to life. I'm sure you saw them as well, I based them on your designs and with this many of them, you're the only light mage that could nourish them. Though I also modified the array slightly so that only your mana could activate the final mechanism and unlock the entrance. Just in case someone unrelated finds this place first.
But after I made all of these arrangements, I still found my efforts lacking. So while I can't deal with Agramon directly, I've decided to enter Old Meridia by myself in search of answers and any other ways to truly defeat that monster.
I also checked the source of darkness that we've built our old lab around again, but it still appears impossible to reach the other side. Whatever emanates such pure dark magic remains a secret for now. So I've turned my attention to delving deeper into other parts of the ruins instead. Whether I succeed or not, I suppose only time will tell.
But now you know everything that happened back then, so it's time for you to make your decision. If you wish to be free of this burden that was pushed onto you without your knowledge, I have left all documents and technical papers concerning the soul cage array within this hidden chamber. They also detail the process of removing it.
Of course, that would also free Agramon, but after the world has treated you so badly, I imagine you don't feel much affection towards it either. As for me, I'm in no position to judge you if you choose to open the soul cage. I leave the decision entirely in your hands.
So, my dearest Cecilia, it's time to say goodbye. I hope time treated you more kindly than your supposed old friends did.
And you, my friend, the one reading this letter, I hope this has satisfied your craving for answers as well. I'm well aware that the likelihood of Cecilia finding this letter is close to zero. First, escaping from the small town she is confined to is already a major hurdle. Then she would have to make it to our old lab, and finally, find her way into this hidden chamber.
If anything, the probability of you being her descendant is much higher. Addressing this letter to Cecilia was just a way for this old fool to make himself feel better by hoping for the best outcome, but I know that is very unlikely.
So, dear descendant of Cecilia, I don't know how life has treated you and your kin through the passage of time, but if you're here, something must have gone wrong with Operation Golden Vow. Lucian promised all of us that the nation of Meridia will always safeguard Cecilia's descendants in that small town, and yet you somehow ended up here.
But in the end, none of that matters. Just like with Cecilia, I leave the final decision in your hands. Just as my array must have recognised your connection to her, undoing the soul cage would require following the same steps outlined in the documents in this secret chamber.
So I wish you the best, whatever your choice may be. After finishing this letter, I intend to keep my word as well and head deeper into Old Meridia than anyone before me. I know my fate is sealed, but I still hope for the best. Perhaps I will find a way to defeat Agramon there after all, and then I'll be able to make my way to my dearest Cecilia, finally bringing this nightmare to a close for good. So I wish for this hidden chamber to remain forgotten, as its purpose is already meaningless.
That's all I can hope for.
Magnus Latimer."
I finish the final sentence of this long letter and suddenly an oppressive silence fills the chamber.
"Eh? The one inside my soul is Agramon?!"
I can't help but shout in disbelief.