Chapter Seven: Echoes of the Past
Lucius did not sleep again that night.
When dawn came, it did so reluctantly, pale light leaking through the forest canopy like an afterthought. Mist still clung to the ground, but it no longer felt quiet-it felt watchful. Every sound lingered too long. Every shadow felt deliberate.
Lucius sat against a tree, knees drawn up, sword resting across his lap.
He felt... full.
Not in the way food filled the stomach, but like something had been added where there had once been space. His heartbeat was steady, too steady. His breathing calm, even though his mind refused to be.
Freedom is not corruption.
The words from the dream echoed again, uninvited.
He rubbed his temples and exhaled slowly.
"You're going to rub a hole in your skull if you keep doing that."
Lucius looked up. Alicia stood a few paces away, arms crossed, expression softer than usual. She tossed him a waterskin. He caught it easily-too easily.
"Did I wake you?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I wasn't asleep."
They shared a moment of silence, broken only by the distant murmur of the stream.
"Lucy's been watching you," Alicia said eventually.
Lucius grimaced. "I can tell."
"Not like that," she clarified. "Not suspicious. More like... afraid of missing something."
Lucius stared at the blade in his lap. The metal reflected the morning light faintly, but beneath it, he swore he could see a dull red glow-deep, restrained.
"I don't feel corrupted," he said quietly.
Alicia tilted her head. "That's what worries you?"
Lucius looked at her then. "It should worry you."
She studied him for a long moment. "I've seen corrupted men," she said. "They burn outward. Rage. Hunger. You're burning inward."
That didn't help.
They broke camp before the sun fully rose.
No one said it aloud, but all of them felt it: staying still after an Abyss incident was an invitation for something worse to find you. Whether that something wore scales, shadows, or a crown did not matter.
Lucy took the lead, staff in hand, senses extended. Her movements were precise, almost rigid. She hadn't slept either-Lucius could see it in the way she flinched at certain mana fluctuations, recalibrating constantly.
Jak walked behind Lucius, unusually quiet.
Mike tried humming once. Stopped almost immediately.
The path Lucy chose led them away from the forest and toward broken land-old roads cracked by time, scattered stones marking what had once been trade routes. Civilization's bones.
"This road used to lead to Thakana," Lucy said without turning. "Before the empire fractured it."
Lucius felt that quiet heaviness again, the same one he'd felt among the ruins before. Not grief this time.
Recognition.
Jak noticed his expression. "You alright?"
Lucius nodded slowly. "This place feels... familiar."
Lucy stopped walking.
She turned, eyes sharp. "That shouldn't be possible."
Lucius swallowed. "I know."
They resumed moving, but something had shifted. Lucy began watching him even more closely.
By midday, they reached the outskirts of a ruined town.
Stone foundations jutted from the earth like broken teeth. Walls half-collapsed, roofs long gone. Vines and moss claimed everything not buried by time.
Mike let out a low whistle. "This place feels haunted."
"It is," Lucy said. "In a sense."
Lucius stepped forward, boots crunching against old gravel. The air felt heavier here, thick with residual mana-not Abyssal, but ancient and structured.
Lucia.
"This was an outpost," Lucy continued. "One of many. Dungeons nearby, hidden under cities like this. Libraries. Vaults."
Jak frowned. "Why build on top of them?"
Lucy's mouth tightened. "So no one would look too closely."
Lucius felt his chest tighten again, pressure blooming briefly before settling.
"Someone's been here recently," Alicia said suddenly.
They all froze.
She pointed toward a collapsed archway. Fresh tracks disturbed the dust-boot prints, measured and deliberate.
"Not monsters," Jak said after crouching. "Too clean."
Lucy closed her eyes, extending her senses. Her brow furrowed. "No Abyss residue. No guild markers."
Mike swallowed. "Empire?"
"Maybe," Lucy said. "Or mercenaries working off-record."
Lucius felt something pull at him then-a faint tug, like a thread tightening.
From below.
"Underground," he said.
Lucy snapped her gaze to him. "What?"
"There's something beneath us," Lucius said slowly. "Not a rift. Not active. But... waiting."
Silence followed.
"How do you know?" Alicia asked.
Lucius hesitated. Then shook his head. "I don't. I just-know."
Lucy looked unsettled, but after a moment, she nodded. "He's right."
Mike stared between them. "That was fast."
Lucy exhaled. "Dungeon entrance. Concealed."
Jak cracked his neck. "Of course it is."
They found the entrance beneath the remains of a collapsed chapel.
Stone stairs spiraled downward into darkness, ancient runes faintly visible beneath layers of dirt. Lucia-era craftsmanship-subtle, elegant, and dangerous.
Lucy knelt, brushing dirt away carefully. "The seal's been weakened," she murmured. "Recently."
"By who?" Mike asked.
Lucy straightened. "That's what we're about to find out."
Lucius descended first.
The air below was cool and dry, untouched by surface decay. Mana flowed here differently-contained, disciplined, almost respectful. Torches flared to life as they passed, reacting to their presence.
Lucius felt his heartbeat sync with the dungeon's rhythm.
Not domination.
Resonance.
The first chamber opened wide, circular walls etched with symbols depicting stars, gates, and chains.
Chains again.
Lucius's head throbbed.
"Stop," Lucy said suddenly.
They froze.
She crouched, tracing a symbol with her fingers. "This isn't just a dungeon."
Jak frowned. "Meaning?"
Lucy swallowed. "This was a research vault."
"For what?" Alicia asked.
Lucy didn't answer immediately.
"Gods," she said finally. "Or things close enough."
Lucius's chest burned.
They weren't alone.
Footsteps echoed from deeper within-controlled, disciplined. Voices murmured in low tones.
Jak grinned grimly. "Told you."
They extinguished their torches, moving into shadow.
The group ahead emerged into view: five figures in dark armor, insignia hidden. Not soldiers-but not mercenaries either.
One of them spoke. "The readings were stronger yesterday."
Another replied, "Then someone interfered."
Lucius's blood ran cold.
"They're tracking the rift," Lucy whispered. "And whoever closed it."
Lucius clenched his jaw. "Me."
Before anyone could respond, the dungeon shifted.
Runes flared.
The floor trembled.
A voice-not loud, but everywhere-filled the chamber.
"AUTHORIZED BLOOD DETECTED."
The figures spun, weapons drawn.
Lucius felt something unlock inside him-not power, but access.
The chains etched into the walls glowed faintly.
Lucy stared at him in horror.
"Lucius," she whispered. "What did you just trigger?"
He swallowed.
"I think," he said slowly, "this place was waiting for me."
Deep beneath them, ancient mechanisms stirred.
And far away, in a palace of gold and shadow, the First Prince felt a pressure behind his eyes-and smiled.