The final glyph gave a dull, echoing click, and then silence.
The towering obsidian gate trembled once before parting down the middle with a slow, grinding sound, ancient metal against stone. A rush of air burst outward, sharp and heavy, carrying with it the stench of
iron and decay
.
Zaria staggered a step back, her face paling as her knees nearly buckled. The golden hue in her eyes flickered, dimmed; her breathing came shallow, strained. A faint trickle of blood ran down from her nose as the aftershock of her forbidden art tore through her suppressed veins.
Ace was startled before he moved instinctively, catching her arm before she could collapse, his voice low and edged with concern, "Zaria, you..."
She shook her head sharply, pulling free, "Donât... talk. Just... open it. I didnât cast that technique so that you could worry about me."
Her tone was brittle but fierce as she took out a pill from her storage ring and swallowed it. Sweat rolled down her temple as she forced her trembling hands to steady, weaving one final rune of stabilization before the door fully released.
At that moment, the colossal vault gate groaned open.
However, instead of the glitter of riches or the sacred hum of sealed treasures, a suffocating
darkness
rolled out; it was thick and cold, laced with the unmistakable copper tang of
blood
.
Aceâs eyes narrowed immediately, the smirk that usually danced on his lips vanishing, "This...something isnât right."
The air that seeped from beyond the doorway wasnât laced with abyssal Qi or the refined Qi of treasures. It felt
alive
, violent, and hungry.
A low vibration pressed against his skin, like the breath of something ancient and chained.
Zaria steadied herself, her expression hardening as her own perception flared.
"You told me this was the treasury," She hissed softly, "This doesnât feel like riches, itâs more like...death!"
Ace didnât answer immediately. His gaze flicked over the edges of the gate, to the formation lines that pulsed faintly with fading power.
He could still feel the resonance of what once sealed this place. It was layered far beyond wealth protection. This wasnât a treasury defense; it was more like
containment.
"I saw this chamber through one of my main bodyâs abilities," Ace muttered finally, his voice low and uncertain, "This had the strongest formation in the entire castle. Common sense would say Khazar would guard his greatest treasures here."
Zariaâs glare softened, though only slightly, "Then whateverâs behind that door is something he treasures, or maybe fears more than treasures."
Ace hesitated, his gaze flicking to the dark corridor beyond despite his instincts sensing danger, yet curiosity, a thiefâs truest sin, pulled stronger.
Ace nodded grimly, "Youâve already paid too high a price to open it. We canât walk away now. Whatever Khazarâs hiding here, itâs worth knowing."
"Fine," She murmured. "But if something happened, remember what Iâve told you before!"
Ace allowed a thin smile, "Donât worry, your safety is our first priority!"
Afterward, together, they stepped past the threshold.
The chamber beyond was vast and utterly still, but there were no piles of Abyssal Gems nor any Abyssal Treasures or materials. There was only
darkness
, dense and breathing.
Runes crawled along every inch of the walls, glowing faintly red, each one shaped like a shackle as black mist seeped from them in slow pulses, flowing toward the
center
.
Ace and Zaria followed the runic trail, and what they saw made them astounded because in the center, bound by seven layers of
pitch-black runic chains
, hung a figure!
It floated midair, suspended like a marionette. Its flesh was torn, half-corrupted, half-regenerating, its veins glowing faintly crimson. Each chain pierced through limbs and torso, inscribed with runes that pulsed in rhythm with a distant, slow heartbeat.
The air hummed with oppressive, abyssal power.
Zaria was startled as she muttered in a gloomy tone, "What the hell is that?"
Aceâs eyes were locked on the chained figure, his expression unreadable, though something cold had entered his tone, "This isnât a treasury, itâs a prison!"
âKhazar, that guy didnât seem like a sadist, and even if he is, this is still going too far to keep his toy in a place like this. He clearly wanted to keep it hidden from others. Just who is that person?â
Ace thought.
At that moment, the low hum in the chamber deepened like a heartbeat echoing through the stone itself. Each pulse rippled along the black chains, making them tremble and glisten with a wet sheen, as if they were alive.
Sensing that undulation, Zaria coldly uttered, "That thing is moving!"
Aceâs gaze sharpened. The figure hanging in the center had begun to twitch, the faint sound of metal grinding against bone echoing in the vast chamber. The smell of blood thickened, turning metallic and suffocating.
For a brief second, Ace could see the figureâs face beneath the curtain of matted black hair, his eyes sealed shut by runic stitching, and his lips trembling, whispering something soundless.
However, for some strange reason, Ace felt that face seemed familiar, which was a ridiculous thought because it was his first time coming here.
At this moment, from its chest, beneath the thorns of runes, leaked a faint, dull light; it wasnât bright but dark.
Then, a voice, not from the figure, but from the chains themselves, hissed through the room, ancient and broken, "...You should not... have come here."
Ace flinched slightly, "Did you hear that?"
Zaria didnât move, and her eyes glowed faintly, analyzing the web of runes, "Itâs not speaking. The chains are like echoing memory essence... someone sealed this thing so deep that even it will bleed through its bindings!"
"Is that even possible?" Ace was astounded, as he didnât doubt Zariaâs words, since she was quite an expert in this type of runic knowledge.
At this moment, the figure convulsed suddenly, and the runes across its body flared, and a wave of
abyssal Qi
burst outward. The chamber groaned, and several glyphs along the wall cracked from the strain.
Zaria stumbled, coughing blood, as the residual shockwave tore through her weakened body. Ace grabbed her shoulder, shielding her with a flicker of divine Qi.
The next moment, the sealed figure twitched violently, and one of its closed eyes openedârevealing not a pupil, but a swirling vortex of blood and darkness.
At this moment, a weak, feeble voice sounded from the runic chains like broken notes, "S-s-s...sa...ve...m...e...me...I...Kh...za...r!"