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The massive stone doors of the ancient temple slowly opened.
A deep, echoing sound resonated through the water as the entrance revealed a dark corridor within.
Cold mana flowed outward like a silent warning.
Izumi stared into the darkness.
"…This doesn't feel welcoming."
Mira smirked.
"When has anything in this place felt welcoming?"
She stepped forward without hesitation.
Her two short daggers were already in her hands, shadow magic flickering faintly around them.
"Let's go."
Dianara sighed softly.
"Stay alert."
She raised her staff, and a soft blue light formed at its tip, illuminating the dark entrance.
Lior hesitated for a moment before following behind them.
The moment they entered—
The doors behind them slowly began to close.
BOOM.
The sound echoed through the temple.
Izumi turned quickly.
"…Yeah. That's definitely not a good sign."
Mira shrugged.
"No turning back now."
The group moved deeper into the temple.
The interior was massive.
Tall stone pillars stretched upward, disappearing into darkness above.
Ancient symbols covered the walls, glowing faintly with the same blue light as the rest of the city.
The floor was smooth, carved from a single piece of stone.
And everything felt…
too quiet.
Dianara carefully observed the markings on the walls as they walked.
"These inscriptions…"
She ran her fingers lightly across the glowing symbols.
"They're ancient."
"Even older than the current elven kingdoms."
Izumi looked around.
"What do they say?"
Dianara narrowed her eyes, focusing.
"…It's not a language I fully recognize."
"But I can understand fragments of it."
Mira chuckled.
"Fragments about fragments."
Dianara ignored her.
"…It mentions 'the Core'… and 'the Seal'."
Izumi frowned.
"Seal?"
Before she could explain—
The ground beneath them suddenly shifted.
CLICK.
Mira's eyes widened.
"…Trap."
The floor lit up instantly.
Glowing lines spread across the ground like a magic circle.
A second later—
The walls moved.
Stone panels slid open, revealing hidden mechanisms.
Then—
Dozens of sharp stone spears shot out toward them.
"MOVE!" Dianara shouted.
Izumi reacted instantly, grabbing Lior and pulling him back.
Mira vanished into the shadows, reappearing above the traps.
The spears slammed into the ground where they had been standing.
CRACK.
More traps activated.
Blades spun from the walls.
Pressure currents shot through the corridor like invisible blades.
"This place is trying to kill us!" Izumi shouted.
Mira laughed mid-air.
"Now this is more like it!"
She flipped forward, dodging multiple attacks with unnatural agility.
Dianara raised her staff.
"Barrier!"
A sphere of water formed around them, blocking several incoming attacks.
But the traps didn't stop.
The corridor had become a deadly gauntlet.
Izumi clenched his teeth.
"We can't just keep dodging!"
Dianara pointed forward.
"There!"
At the end of the corridor—
A glowing stone platform pulsed faintly.
"The control point!"
Izumi nodded.
"I'll go!"
He dashed forward.
Dodging traps.
Jumping through spinning blades.
Sliding under stone spears.
The forbidden training from Lord Alba sharpened his reflexes.
Ice formed beneath his feet, allowing him to push forward faster.
"Almost there!"
A massive blade swung toward him.
He raised his sword.
"Frozen Guard!"
Ice formed instantly, blocking the attack.
CRACK.
The ice shattered, but it gave him enough time.
Izumi reached the platform and slammed his hand onto it.
The glowing symbols flickered.
Then—
Everything stopped.
The traps deactivated instantly.
The corridor fell silent once again.
Izumi exhaled heavily.
"…That was too close."
Mira dropped down beside him.
"You're not completely useless after all."
Izumi glared at her.
"Can you stop saying that?"
Dianara and Lior walked up behind them.
Dianara examined the platform carefully.
"This is definitely part of the city's control system."
She looked back at the glowing walls.
"This temple… isn't just a ruin."
"It's still functioning."
Lior looked around nervously.
"…I don't like this place."
Izumi placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Stay close."
They continued moving deeper into the temple.
The further they went, the stronger the ancient mana became.
The walls changed.
The symbols grew more complex.
And the atmosphere felt heavier.
Finally—
They reached a large chamber.
The room was circular.
In the center stood a massive structure.
A floating orb of ancient energy.
It pulsed slowly.
Connected to the ground by streams of glowing light.
Dianara's eyes widened.
"…This is it."
Izumi looked at her.
"What is it?"
She stepped forward slowly.
"The Core of Nerathis."
The orb pulsed again.
And the fragment in Lior's hand reacted instantly.
Its glow intensified.
The two energies resonated with each other.
The entire chamber vibrated.
Mira frowned.
"Okay… that doesn't look safe."
Suddenly—
Images appeared in the air.
Like memories.
Ancient scenes projected from the core.
A city in its prime.
People walking the streets of Nerathis.
Powerful mages controlling massive magical systems.
And then—
War.
Flashes of destruction.
A massive shadow rising beneath the city.
Something enormous.
Something terrifying.
Izumi stepped back.
"What… is that?"
Dianara's voice trembled slightly.
"…That's what they sealed."
The vision ended abruptly.
The chamber fell silent again.
But the truth remained.
Nerathis had not been destroyed.
It had been sealed.
And whatever lay beneath it—
Was still there.
The chamber remained silent.
The glowing Core of Nerathis pulsed slowly at the center of the room, its light casting shifting shadows across the ancient walls.
Izumi couldn't take his eyes off it.
"That thing… showed us the past."
Dianara nodded, her expression serious.
"It wasn't just a vision."
"It was a recorded memory."
She stepped closer to the Core, carefully observing the streams of energy connecting it to the ground.
"This is the heart of the city's entire system."
Mira crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed.
"Cool."
"So how do we turn it off before something worse wakes up?"
Lior stood quietly behind them, staring at the fragment in his hand.
It was glowing brighter now.
Almost as if it was… responding.
"I think…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"I think it wants me to go closer."
Izumi turned sharply.
"Wait, that might be dangerous."
Dianara hesitated.
Then she looked between Lior and the Core.
"…No."
Her voice became firm.
"He's right."
"The fragment and the Core are connected."
"If we want answers…"
She looked at Lior.
"…you need to approach it."
Mira raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, let's send the kid toward the ancient glowing orb that shows apocalyptic visions."
Izumi sighed.
"Not helping."
Lior swallowed nervously.
But slowly—
He stepped forward.
With each step, the Core's light grew stronger.
The air in the chamber became heavier.
Ancient mana flowed faster through the glowing streams.
The fragment in Lior's hand lifted slightly on its own.
Floating higher.
Reacting.
When he finally reached the center—
The Core pulsed violently.
BOOM.
A wave of energy spread across the chamber.
Everyone braced themselves.
The light intensified.
Symbols began forming in the air around Lior.
Ancient runes.
Moving.
Rotating.
Dianara watched in awe.
"…It's activating a deeper layer of the system."
Izumi stepped closer.
"What does that mean?"
"…It means we're about to learn the truth."
The Core flared again.
And the world around them changed.
They were no longer inside the temple.
They stood in the middle of Nerathis… as it once was.
The city was alive.
Bright.
Full of people.
Massive towers stood tall.
Magic flowed through the streets like a living force.
Izumi looked around in shock.
"This is… the real Nerathis."
Mira whistled softly.
"Not bad."
Dianara's eyes moved quickly, observing everything.
"This is another memory."
"But this time… it's deeper."
Suddenly—
The scene shifted.
The sky darkened.
The ocean trembled.
People began running.
Screaming.
The ground cracked.
From beneath the city—
Something massive began to rise.
A shadow.
Endless.
Terrifying.
Even just seeing it made Izumi's body freeze.
"…What is that thing?"
Dianara's voice was barely a whisper.
"…An ancient entity."
"The one they sealed."
The ground split open.
Gigantic tendrils of darkness burst upward.
The city's defenses activated.
Massive magical constructs.
Guardians.
Barriers.
Everything attacked the rising entity.
But it wasn't enough.
The creature kept rising.
Destroying everything in its path.
Then—
Seven figures appeared above the city.
Floating.
Radiating overwhelming power.
Izumi's eyes widened.
"Those… are…"
Dianara nodded slowly.
"…The Earthian Gods."
The seven powerful beings raised their hands.
The entire city's magic gathered toward them.
The Core of Nerathis shined brighter than ever before.
A massive sealing formation appeared.
Ancient runes filled the sky.
The ocean itself seemed to freeze.
Then—
The seal activated.
The entity screamed.
A sound so deep and ancient that it shook reality itself.
And slowly—
It was forced back.
Sealed beneath the city.
The ruins of Nerathis formed around it.
Not destroyed.
But rebuilt as a prison.
The vision faded.
The group returned to the temple.
Silence filled the chamber.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Izumi finally broke it.
"…That thing is still down there, isn't it?"
Dianara nodded.
"Yes."
Her voice was heavy.
"And the fragment…"
She looked at Lior.
"…is part of the key that keeps it sealed."
Lior stepped back in fear.
"I don't want this!"
Mira sighed.
"Yeah, well…"
She pointed at the ground.
"Too bad."
"Because if that thing wakes up…"
She smirked slightly.
"…we're all dead."
Izumi clenched his fists.
"So the Architect…"
Dianara finished his sentence.
"They're not just after power."
"They want to break the seal."
The Core suddenly pulsed again.
This time—more violently.
WARNING symbols appeared in the air.
The glowing lines flickered.
Dianara's eyes widened.
"No…"
"The system is destabilizing."
Izumi looked around.
"What does that mean?!"
Dianara's voice became urgent.
"The fragment's awakening disrupted the balance."
"If this continues…"
She looked toward the ground beneath them.
"…the seal could weaken."
At that exact moment—
A powerful wave of dark mana crashed into the temple from outside.
The entire structure shook.
Mira immediately drew her daggers.
"…That's not the city."
Her eyes sharpened.
"…That's them."
Another explosion echoed from above.
Stone cracked.
Dust and debris fell from the ceiling.
Izumi raised his sword.
"They're back already?!"
Dianara shook her head slowly.
"…No."
Her expression darkened.
"This isn't just Kareth."
Far outside the temple—
Multiple powerful presences entered Nerathis.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
The Architect had arrived.