CHAPTER 93: A MEMORY.

His mind immediately raced, trying to figure out what it was. Was it another beast? Or was it something else? He wasn’t sure.

But he knew one thing for sure: he needed to be careful. He couldn’t afford to get into another fight, especially not when he was still injured.

He slowly walked forward, his eyes scanning the area, trying to find whatever it was that he had seen.

The silence of the cave was deafening, making his own heart pound in his ears. Every step he took echoed through the cavern, amplifying the tension he felt.

But then, just as he wanted to take a turn to the right, he noticed another passage leading further into the cave.

And then another.

And another.

About six to seven different paths were presented before Sylus, and each led to different routes within the cave.

That said, there was another thing that caught Sylus’s eyes instantly.

Right in the middle was a strange-looking artifact, hovering above the ground with strange lights dancing around it.

’That’s weird; I don’t think I have seen anything like this in the kingdom before.’

Curious, Sylus decided to move closer.

Getting close, the system notification popped up.

[Interaction with sacred treasure has been registered.]

[Voice transcript transferred.]

[Translation is in process....]

’What?’

He then proceeded to use his Divine Blessing of Information, only to get feedback from the system stating all information pertaining to the instrument was unknown.

’I didn’t even touch it before the system made its announcement. Is this some kind of godly equipment that humans were not meant to make contact with? That would explain why I can’t get any information on it.’

He sighed. ’I am starting to think this place is more dangerous than expected; perhaps it’s best to leave it altogether.’

Then—

[Translation complete.]

[Would you like me to deliver the message gotten from the transcript sphere?]

’Sure.’

Sylus was shocked when a hologram played right in front of his eyes.

It was of a man; his face was clouded in darkness, and his hair was long, lengthening all the way to his back.

He also had what looked to be a small creature hovering beside him like a guardian.

The man soon spoke.

"Is the connection working now? Ah yes, okay, here we go. Hello there, I am sure you are wondering who I am and why you are seeing me in your head right now. Trust me, it will all make sense with time. By now you must have found Alhara, which also means you must have gained some level of authority within the kingdom. I am not totally writing off the fact you may have stumbled upon it by chance, but nonetheless, this is a good thing."

’A message? Is this supposed to be directed at me?’

"There are many things I wish to let you know, but I am afraid right now the best I can give you are simple guidance and resources to help your journey. Heaves was kind enough to allow me to use her powers to send you this message, but listen to me—your world is not as you see it. ...the...destroyer... eh? T...the signal... li..ten..Zani....protect... she is the key!"

Suddenly, there were explosions sounding behind the man speaking.

His last words were...

"You’re not worth saving if you can’t fight."

...then right after, the hologram went off, shattering like glass.

[Message complete.]

[A memory has been obtained.]

[Would you like to unlock it?]

Sylus remained still for a while, allowing himself to process the earlier message he got from the hologram.

First off, the message sounded as though the person knew who he was and also knew he was going to enter the Alhara cave.

Secondly, while it glitched at the end, Sylus could still put two and two together to understand what the anonymous person was trying to say.

’Protect Zani, she is the key.’

There was a chance he might be wrong, but it was very unlikely.

Zani? His Zani?

’Unlock the memory.’ Sylus’s face was now etched with determination.

Whatever was happening in this cave, he needed to know what it was—especially now that Zani’s name was mentioned.

[Memory activated.]

In the blink of an eye, Sylus found himself submerged in a deep sea, his body sinking deeper as the tidal waves pushed him.

He struggled to swim his way back up; every attempt he made seemed pointless. The waves were too strong for him to push against.

Soon his body gave up, the water forcing its way into his nose and mouth.

He couldn’t breathe; his oxygen was cut off, suffocating him. Every single attempt to draw a breath only pushed water into his body.

Before long, he was unconscious, floating endlessly in the deep sea—alone, with no other living thing in sight.

But with that unconsciousness came a voice.

"Sir! Sir! Please don’t die! I don’t want you to die!"

A child’s voice rang out.

Upon opening his eye, he found himself kneeling in front of the sea, three tall men standing around him, a blade aimed at his neck.

And right in front of him was the little girl, her purple eyes sharp and radiant, and a creature hugged in her arms as she cried.

Slash!

His head was sliced off, rolling to the ground in a violent manner.

Then came the ticking clock.

Sylus found himself in the middle of a war; a dark entity had plunged its blade into his chest, and at the side of the war was a witch, her silver hair stained with blood, and yet, a terrified look was on her face.

With a push, the demon pulled out the blade from his chest, and Sylus fell to the ground, his eyes turning dark.

The moment he closed his eyes, monsters of the dark surrounded him, tearing him to shreds.

Then came the voice again...

"Please don’t die, don’t die!"

Sylus’s eyes snapped open, screaming in pain as he fell to the ground; every death he experienced lingered on his skin.

He coughed harshly, trying to regain himself, but the fear of a prince cannot be easily suppressed.