Outside the sealed gate, Kael's voice cracked through the corridor.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Taren?!"
Taren tightened his grip on his spear, breathing hard. "It wasn't intentional. The floor triggered the mechanism. I tried to go back—"
Kael cut him off. "Tch... You just compromised the mission.!"
Lio Vance stepped between them, calm but sharp. "Arguing won't reopen the tomb."
Seris Valenne's gaze stayed on the sealed stone. "Renn is not dead yet."
Kael's fists trembled. "He better not be."
Inside the tomb, silence returned.
Renn stood alone in the sealed chamber, the heavy stone gate behind him locked shut. He turned slowly, eyes fixed on the platform where the scroll had been taken. The air felt different now—warmer, unstable, like something beneath the ruin had awakened.
Then he saw it.
A shadow.
It moved near the edge of the chamber—thin, shifting, almost familiar. Like the presence he once felt deep within the Eldermire forest before the Mist Wraiths attack the village.
Renn narrowed his eyes. "...Who are you?"
The shadow did not respond. It only drifted.
Then it slipped.
A thin stream of mist seeped into a narrow crack along the stone wall—too small to be structural damage, too precise to be accidental.
Renn walked closer. The crack pulsed faintly with residual Aether.
"There's a passage…"
He raised his hand. Golden light gathered around his palm—unstable at first, then compressing into a sharp burst of force.
With a single strike, he shattered the stone.
The wall collapsed inward.
Beyond it, a hidden passage revealed itself—dark, narrow, and untouched. Renn stepped inside.
The passage led to a sealed inner chamber. At its center stood a pedestal.
A book.
No dust. No decay. As if it had been waiting. Renn approached and opened it. The first page contained only one line:
A Valehart and his Sword are one…
The remaining pages were blank.
Renn frowned. "That's it?" A pause.... Then the empty pages began to glow.
Golden lines spread across them, tracing invisible scripture that had never been written physically. The chamber reacted instantly. Light surged outward, filling every crack of the ruin. The tomb trembled—not collapsing, but awakening.
Renn stepped back.
"Wha—"
The light condensed above the book. Then it formed. A creature. Small, floating, feline in shape—golden fur made of pure Aether, wings unfolding like radiant shards of light. Its eyes sparkled with arrogance and joy.
It stretched mid-air. Then spoke.....
"FINALLY! Someone with decent resonance. Do you have any idea how long I've been stuck in page silence?!"
Renn stared. "...What are you?"
The creature puffed its chest. "I am Lumindelle! High-grade Aether weapon manifestation, celestial-class construct, and frankly one of the most important relic entities you will ever meet!"
It spun in the air dramatically. "And now I'm awake! You're welcome, by the way."
Renn blinked. "Weapon manifestation?"
Lumindelle floated closer, inspecting him like a proud teacher judging a student. "Of course I am! And you—" it pointed a glowing paw at his chest, "—are clearly a Valehart, with a crest on your chest.."
Renn froze slightly. "What are you talking about. There's no crest....."
Lumindelle gasped loudly. "What do you mean 'no crest'?! That's the entire point of your existence!"
Renn frowned. "Explain."
The golden cat landed on his shoulder like it owned the place. "Put your hand here," Lumindelle commanded. "On your chest. Stop overthinking. Just feel."
Renn hesitated, then placed his hand over his chest. At first—nothing. Then something answered.
A deep resonance inside him reacted, like something asleep recognizing its name.
Golden energy pulsed outward.
A crest formed beneath his palm—sharp, radiant, incomplete yet undeniable, burning into existence through light alone.
Renn's breath stopped. "...What is this?"
Lumindelle floated in front of him, proud beyond measure.
"Told you! I taught you that!" It crossed its tiny arms smugly. "You're welcome, young boy..."
"It is just as I expected."
Then, without warning —
A voice emerged from behind, calm and certain.
Renn turned sharply, his dagger already in hand. Lumindelle jolted mid-air, wings flaring. The shadow at the edge of the chamber shifted and took form. The black mist unraveled into a robed figure, patterns crawling faintly across the dark fabric. Slowly, the man pulled back his hood.
An old man stood before them—eyes sharp despite his age, a staff in hand crowned with a glowing red orb.
For a moment, Renn stared. Then his eyes narrowed.
"…You."
The memory struck instantly.
"You're the one from the forest… before the attack."
The old man smiled faintly. "So you remember."
He stepped forward, the staff lightly touching the ground.
"I am Malveris."
Renn did not lower his guard. "What do you want?"
Malveris shook his head slightly. "Nothing. I came only to confirm something." His gaze shifted—to Renn's chest. To the faintly glowing crest. "…and it seems I was right all along, VALEHART..."
The word settled heavily in the chamber.
Renn's grip tightened. "I don't know what that means."
Malveris lifted his staff slightly, the red orb pulsing. "You will."
Without warning, he struck the staff against the ground. A deep, hollow sound echoed through the chamber. From the shadows beneath the cracked stone floor, black mist began to seep upward—thick, alive, crawling across the surface before forming shapes. Figures. Distorted and twisted.
Mist Wraiths.
They rose silently, hollow eyes forming within their darkened faces.
Renn stepped forward, drawing his dagger. Lumindelle hovered beside him, voice sharp.
"Hey—hey! Call my name!"
Renn glanced at her.
"…Lumindelle."
The moment the name left his lips, the dagger in his hand reacted. Golden light surged through the blade, reshaping it instantly. The metal refined, edges sharpening into something far more precise—elegant, radiant, alive with Aether.
A golden dagger.
Manifested.
Lumindelle spun proudly in the air. "See?! Told you! High-grade transformation—this is peak weapon manifestation!"
The Mist Wraiths advanced.
Malveris watched quietly. "Even if you wield that weapon," he said calmly, "your body will fail before my Most Wraiths."
He raised his staff slightly. More mist gathered. More forms emerged.
"I can summon them endlessly.." Malveris continued. "Your Aether will deplete eventually…"
A faint smile formed.
"…this will be your tomb."
The chamber filled with shifting shadows.
Dozens now.
Renn stepped forward, golden blade steady in his grip. His expression did not change.
"…Then I'll cut them all down before that happens."
Lumindelle blinked. "…Oh." Then she grinned.
"Yeah—I like that answer."
The Mist Wraiths surged.
Renn, without any second, rushed into the enemies.