Lesley and Alvin approached the castle slowly, their footsteps echoing faintly in the broken silence.
Though neither spoke aloud, Alvin was locked in conversation with the sword in his mind.
'How did you sense the people here? You never mentioned having this kind of ability,' he asked.
The sword replied lazily,
"As I said before, I have control over the element of earth. It was through the ground—you humans call it vibrations. I sensed them through that."
'Vibrations, huh... makes sense,' Alvin thought, his gaze sharpening.
They finally reached the castle gates.
The structure before them was an architectural phenomenon—five towering pillars positioned at the four corners, with one massive pillar rising at the center.
But time had not been kind.
Much of the castle had crumbled into ruin, leaving behind only traces of its former glory.
Alvin took it all in, unimpressed.
'Do you know anything about this place?' he asked the sword.
"Yes," the sword answered, a hint of pride in its tone.
"This was the Palace of Queen Chandriya. They say it took two hundred years to complete this wonder."
'Whatever,' Alvin thought, quickly losing interest.
Right now, he needed to focus on the threat ahead.
Lesley stepped into the palace first, her senses razor-sharp. Alvin followed a step behind.
"I can sense people inside," Lesley said quietly. "There are five... maybe six people inside."
Alvin exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"Get ready," he muttered. "It might be Alvida's group... and her."
Lesley didn't hesitate. She pulled out two slender daggers, one for each hand, their blades gleaming under the dim light.
Turning to Alvin, her eyes cold and clear, she said, "Listen. I'm grateful you saved me earlier... but don't expect any help from me."
Alvin gave her a small, crooked smile.
"Same to you," he said calmly. "I don't need any burdens slowing me down."
They shared a final look, understanding each other perfectly, and moved deeper into the ruined palace.
***
Inside inner hall of castle.
One of Alvida's bodyguards stood, his sharp eyes surveying the decaying surroundings.
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
He felt a presence behind him.
The bodyguard spun around, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword.
Standing there was a man with green hair and matching green eyes.
The bodyguard frowned.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sense what stage the green-haired man was at.
Cautious, he gripped his weapon tighter and barked, "Who are you?"
The green-haired man raised both hands quickly, a nervous smile on his face.
"I—Wait! I'm here by Lady Alvida's orders!" he said hurriedly.
Before the bodyguard could question him further, a calm voice echoed from behind.
"Let him through, Uncle Robert. I was the one who invited him."
Robert turned and saw Alvida approaching, flanked by her three personal guards.
He quickly lowered his sword and stepped aside.
"Yes, Milady," he said respectfully.
The green-haired man was Crandell, stepped forward with a relieved breath.
Robert's sharp eyes caught the glint of a ring on Crandell's hand.
'Young Lady thinks of everything,' he thought, feeling reassured.
Before entering the ruins, Alvida had distributed special rings to everyone in her group.
These rings had two functions:
First, they masked and synchronized their mana signatures, making it harder for external forces like ruin portal to separate or identify them individually.
Second, the rings acted as locators, allowing the wearers to sense each other's positions.
Robert's eyes narrowed slightly.
'This guy must have used the ring to find us down,' he thought, keeping an eye on Crandell even as he allowed him to pass.
Watching the exchange from a short distance away, Alvida's expression remained cold, but her mind stirred.
'Even though Robert knew Crandell was stronger than him, he still tried to block his path.'
'All to protect me… even when they can't even protect themselves.'
She clicked her tongue inwardly.
'Humans and their useless emotions.'
Without sparing them another glance, Alvida gave a crisp order.
"You stay here. Stop anyone who tries to enter."
"Yes, Milady," the bodyguards replied in unison, not daring to question her command.
Satisfied, Alvida turned to Crandell.
"Follow me," she said sharply.
Without waiting for a response, she led him deeper into the ruined castle.
Crandell trailed behind, glancing around the crumbling halls with barely contained curiosity.
They soon reached a set of stone steps spiraling down into the underground.
Unable to hold his tongue any longer, Crandell spoke up.
"Miss Alvida... you have some kind of gift, don't you?"
he asked, half-joking, half-serious.
"How were you able to predict the ruin would separate intruders on entry? And now you're navigating this place like you—"
His words were cut off sharply.
Alvida stopped and turned her head slightly, her golden eyes flashing dangerously.
"You betrayed the Moonlight Nightmare intelligence group,"
she said, her voice soft but razor-edged.
"All for what? The promise of reaching the Primordial Steps?"
Crandell stiffened, but said nothing.
"I'll tell you everything after we complete this mission," she continued coolly.
"Until then..." She locked eyes with him, her gaze freezing him in place.
"Keep your mouth shut. I have no patience for stupid questions."
Crandell clenched his fists tightly, anger flashing across his face for a brief second.
But he swallowed it down, forcing himself to stay silent.
The two continued down the corridor, the oppressive air thickening with every step.
Finally, they reached a large, ancient room.
At its center stood a tomb, pristine despite the decay around it.
Carved into the stone was a title:
—Supreme Princess of Chandriya—
Alvida stepped forward, her voice flat.
"It's your turn," she said without looking back.
"Use your nature element on that Dry wood. Open the tomb."
Crandell said nothing.
Biting back his resentment, he placed his hands on the tomb and began channeling his nature element, the energy sinking into the ancient structure.
Seconds bled into minutes.
Minutes dragged into hours.
The once ancient drywood covering the tomb had now transformed into fresh, supple wood under Crandell's relentless effort.
Gasping for breath, Crandell stumbled back.
"Finally... it's done," he muttered, his voice strained. "It took everything I had just to change this."
He barely had time to recover.
Without warning, Alvida moved.
Her arm shimmered, crystalizing into a sharp, gleaming sword—and in a single, ruthless motion, she thrust it straight through Crandell's heart.
There was no struggle.
There was no cry for help.
Crandell, a Savant-stage ranker, fell to his knees and crumpled to the ground without even a final word.
Dead.
Alvida watched his body coldly, her crystal arm still glistening with fresh blood.
"You wanted to know about the Primordial Steps," she said softly, almost mockingly.
"Your greed blinded you, human."
With one effortless pull, she lifted his lifeless body by the chest, blood dripping freely from the gaping wound.
It splattered across the tomb.
Alvida let his corpse fall with a dull thud.
"To open this tomb," she said, wiping her hand clean, "one must offer nature energy... and a living sacrifice."
She smirked.
"Unlucky for you... His eyes just happened to fall on you."
Without hesitation, she pressed her hands against the tomb.
It groaned open, stone grinding against stone.
Inside lay a corpse, perfectly preserved despite the centuries.
Without hesitation, Alvida drove her hand into the corpse's skull.
When she withdrew it, her hand had returned to normal cradling a small, ancient key.
Alvida's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Just as he expected," she murmured, her eyes gleaming. "The key was here."
Glancing between the dead body at her feet and the relic in her hand, Alvida's mind raced.
'Now, all that remains... is for the stringless puppet to unlock the Cursed Domain of Lumina Obscura.'
A ripple of power tickled at the edge of her senses.
Alvida's smile deepened.
"Hm. What perfect timing... the puppet is here too."
Her voice dropped to a whisper, filled with awe and something darker.
"No matter how many times I witness it... I still can't believe it."
"Just how far does the reach of the Lost One Eye truly extend?