Chapter 79
Chapter 79. Bellium’s Remnant Will
The glow that surfaced from the doorknob rapidly unfurled across the surrounding chamber, flowing like dark dye unraveling in clear water.
Witnessing the phenomenon, I immediately called out to Adil in high excitement.
“Adil! It’s that glow! The very radiance recorded in the ancient writings!”
“I-Is that true? But my eyes still catch nothing…!”
“It is! There is undoubtedly something waiting on the other side!”
From Adil’s bewildered reaction, it was evident the illumination remained completely invisible to him.
Just as with the phenomena I had observed previously, this visual display was meant solely for my perception.
It went beyond simple visibility; the brilliance was so fiercely blinding that holding my eyelids open became a struggle.
The illumination flooding the entire chamber soon drifted inward, cloaking my frame in its warm aura.
Perhaps due to my proximity to its origin, the rays piercing my vision proved far more luminous than anything I had witnessed before.
Concurrently, a massive surge of draconian vitality coursed along my veins and filled every fiber of my being.
Under the influence of that surging might, I felt capable of wielding Dragon Tongue without restriction, perhaps even compelling the entryway to yield before me.
[Open.]
Clinging to high hopes, I invoked Dragon Tongue while hauling backward on the handle using every shred of strength I possessed.
Yet, despite repeated exertions, the barrier remained completely motionless, refusing to yield even an inch.
On the contrary, each successive tug sent a searing blaze biting into my fingers, resembling the stinging heat of bare embers.
The sensation felt distinctly deliberate, as though whatever concealed presence rested on the far side was issuing a stern prohibition against trespassing.
Unwilling to admit defeat immediately, I persisted in wrestling with the fixture.
Eventually, when my frustration boiled over, I requested Adil’s consent and brought my Dragon Bone Sword crashing down upon the door.
Even beneath that devastating impact, the entrance stayed firmly anchored.
The sole outcome was an intensifying of the scorching agony searing through my skin.
If neither the absolute authority of Dragon Tongue nor the strike of the Dragon Bone Sword could breach it, forcing a way through by brute force was clearly impossible.
With a heavy heart, I conceded that further efforts were pointless.
“Haa…”
The second my grip slipped from the fixture, the sharp pain tormenting my hand dissipated into nothingness, vanishing without a trace.
The entire endeavor ended on an utterly dissatisfying note.
An answer to my burning inquiries rested just beyond the threshold, yet I was expected to turn my back and depart without uncovering a thing.
A weary breath slipped past my lips.
Just as I stood contemplating my next move, the wide swath of light that had illuminated the perimeter abruptly condensed into an isolated point.
From that concentrated gleam, the outline of a minuscule fairy began to take shape.
“…!!!”
The sudden manifestation caught me so off guard that the strength left my legs, sending me collapsing toward the floor.
Adil darted forward in an instant, steadying me before I fell.
“Are you hurt? What could have caused that…?”
“J-Give me a second.”
Adil waited beside me with anxiety etched across his features, though I lacked the composure to offer a coherent explanation right away.
‘From where did that creature just emerge?’
The radiant being, shimmering with intense luster, possessed the visage of a small child.
Its tiny frame was scarcely larger than my clenched hand.
Perhaps it was an envoy dispatched by the mysterious entity sequestered beyond the portal to deliver an instruction.
“Adil, are you able to perceive that fairy?”
I inquired cautiously, wondering whether his senses might register it this time.
“A fairy, you say?”
Just as suspected, the entity existed only within my sight.
I offered Adil a succinct description of the tiny spirit’s appearance.
Upon hearing the details, his composure shattered into sheer fascination.
“Could that spirit you behold be an emissary Lord Bellium covertly stationed in this sanctuary?”
“An emissary of Lord Bellium…”
Reflecting on his words, the hypothesis carried considerable weight.
Had Bellium wished to pass down a testament to future eras, employing such a vessel would be entirely sensible.
As I offered an affirmative nod, Adil eagerly proposed further conjectures.
“Perhaps it is an undiscovered fragment of Lord Bellium’s lingering spirit, preserved through the ages. Or, by some miracle, Lord Bellium has manifested his very presence!”
Though we lacked immediate evidence to validate any of those notions, Adil could barely keep his feet on the ground, proclaiming that we might be standing at the dawn of a monumental revelation.
The hovering spirit seemed somewhat amused by his boundless enthusiasm, letting a gentle smile grace its lips.
Regardless of what reality held, one clear method remained to settle the mystery.
Drawing closer to the creature, I bent low, fixed my gaze on its miniature eyes, and spoke.
“What is your identity?”
Rather than offering verbal clarification, the spirit flashed an enigmatic grin and drifted upward into the air, gesturing toward the corridor for me to follow.
“Adil, it has taken flight. It wants us to trail behind it!”
“Understood!”
Adil swiftly gathered his equipment and matched my brisk pace.
His excitement showed no sign of waning during our pursuit, continually remarking that we might soon bear witness to an extraordinary encounter with Bellium in the flesh.
Every few paces, the guide paused slightly, casting glances backward to ensure we maintained our pursuit.
Before long, the hovering figure settled into place, floating motionlessly above the floor.
The site where our journey concluded was completely unmistakable.
“Adil, could this possibly be…?”
“This marks the descent leading straight down to the base tier, where Lord Bellium’s earthly remains are sheltered.”
Could an occurrence of this nature truly be chalked up to plain chance?
The possibility of mere fortune orchestrating this was nonexistent.
“My original intention was to escort you through the upper sections before concluding our tour down here…”
Adil placed both hands against his waist, exhaling a stressed sigh.
“Yet, having reached this junction, I shall adjust the itinerary and guide you directly down to the lowest tier. We were bound for it eventually. Nevertheless, this descending passage is sealed behind numerous arrays of protective warding, so unraveling the enchantments to forge a path will consume several minutes at best.”
Precisely as Adil indicated, a dauntingly intricate network of mystic runes obstructed the subterranean pathway.
Bearing in mind the deep layers of magical safeguards shielding the sacred-relic vault earlier, this elaborate setup was entirely expected.
Adil had previously explained that accessing the passage necessitated a specialized relic functioning as an administrative key.
Even possessing it merely marked the starting phase.
The geometric matrices inscribed here were substantially more convoluted than those in preceding chambers, ensuring that even with the proper instrument, disarming the seals would demand considerable time.
As Adil frantically searched through his satchel to locate the requisite relic, the tiny spirit reached out a delicate hand toward the active runes.
The second its fingers brushed the boundary, a wide portal, spacious enough to allow two adult travelers comfortable passage, manifested within the runic array as though it had perpetually remained open.
“Where could I have placed it…?”
Adil remained completely absorbed in rummaging through his belongings, oblivious to the miraculous event right before us.
“Adil! Look here, Adil!”
I called out urgently, gesturing toward the already breached barrier.
“Good heavens… What manner of miracle is this?”
A sudden shiver swept over Adil, his flesh prickling with goosebumps.
“Th-That ward was never meant to yield with such casual ease…”
He stammered in stunned disbelief, entirely dazed by the sight.
Regardless of how arduous dismantling the array was purported to be, the passage toward the lower sanctuary lay wide open.
“Let us proceed.”
Taking hold of the stunned Adil, I urged him along as we pursued the guiding spirit downward.
Navigating the cramped, winding corridor for what felt like an extended duration, we finally broke through onto the lowest tier of the enigmatic Sanctuary.
The vastness of the underground cavern was astounding, appearing large enough to contain ten regulation athletic stadiums simultaneously.
Directly within the heart of that immense hollow rested the colossal skeleton of Bellium.
“Ah…”
Confronted by the sheer grandeur of the fossilized giant, a breathless gasp escaped my throat.
The astonishing proportions were commanding on their own, yet pure scale did not account for the awe radiating from the site.
Perhaps the skeletal remnants had endured centuries under flawless preservation, or perhaps draconian anatomy possessed an inherent majesty far surpassing ordinary mortal frames.
Beholding the remnants of Bellium, an indescribable, suffocating pressure seized my senses.
Beside me, moisture welled within Adil’s gaze as he stood transfixed by Bellium’s skeleton.
“Perhaps owing to the long span since my prior descent here, gazing upon his resting form stirs my soul to its core.”
Evidently, despite having witnessed the remains on numerous earlier occasions, the emotional weight had never once diminished for him.
“Simultaneously, a great thrill grips me. Should the ancient scroll hold true, Lord Bellium might well have endured endless eras waiting specifically for the hour of your arrival, Mr. Minjun.”
“Hearing such assertions makes this entire trial feel increasingly surreal.”
“Speaking of which, where has our miniature guide gone?”
Adil inquired about the ethereal sprite only I could perceive, the very guide that had conducted us through the depths.
“Now that you mention it…”
The figure had lingered alongside us mere breaths prior, yet now the perimeter stood vacant.
“Where could it have vanished?”
At that precise instant, an aura nearly identical to the glow I had previously detected began seeping from Bellium’s massive skull.
The brilliance spilled out from within the hollow eye sockets of the bone structure, closely mimicking the sudden opening of colossal eyes blazing with luminous authority.
Before words could form on my tongue, Adil raised his finger in sheer astonishment.
“It cannot be…!”
“Can your eyes discern that radiance as well?”
From the moment I initially perceived the strange illumination, every soul across Elysium had maintained they were blind to it.
Yet observing Adil’s current demeanor, he was unquestionably observing the exact same luminance as clearly as I was.
“Without question! That is the very phenomenon I described to you before. It is Lord Bellium’s remnant will!”
“Th-That brilliance embodies his remaining consciousness?”
At long last, the true identity of the mysterious illumination was brought to light.
“It is!”
Like an impassioned disciple bowing before a supreme divinity, Adil fell to his knees on the stone floor, clasping his hands in fervent prayer toward Bellium’s remains with tear-streaked cheeks.
“Ah, Bellium! Our progenitor, our deliverer, our everlasting companion!”
One could only fathom the profound depths of reverence shaking his spirit in that hour.
“Adil, that intense glow is the exact light I claimed only my sight could capture.”
“…Ahhh!”
A mixture of sheer rapture and disbelief widened Adil’s pupils.
Instantly, an even greater realization dawned upon his thoughts.
“If what you claim holds true, then… it may be possible for you to receive Lord Bellium’s direct intent.”
Prior to setting foot within the Sanctuary, Adil had clarified that Bellium’s lingering consciousness remained anchored within these walls, yet it was thought to be far too faint to permit meaningful exchange.
Perhaps this juncture would defy all precedent.
“Then I shall make the attempt.”
Fixing my gaze upon the brilliance blazing from Bellium’s eye sockets like incandescent embers, I advanced across the stone floor as though aligning my line of sight with his eternal gaze.
With every stride closing the distance, the intensity of the illumination swelled higher and higher.
Concurrently, my pulse hammered violently against my ribs, and the heat within my body surged as if fueled by a blazing forge.
At that exact second, an undeniable certainty seized my consciousness.
No matter the outcome of this convergence, I was on the verge of receiving a profound revelation.
By the time my awareness fully returned to the present, I had halted right beside the colossal bone structure.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
My heart raced at an alarming velocity, pounding near its absolute threshold.
Looking downward toward my limbs, I saw my physical form completely engulfed in radiant light.
As if drawn by an irresistible command, my hand unconsciously lifted toward the remains of Bellium.
Reason dictated that I should have sought Adil’s approval before laying hands upon an object of supreme veneration.
Yet in that suspended moment, the notion of seeking permission never crossed my thoughts.
Before my mind could deliberate, my outstretched palm made contact.
The split second my fingertips met the skeletal structure of Bellium, an unprecedented luminance flared outward from within my very soul.
The brilliance bore a character entirely distinct from Bellium’s fierce shine.
If Bellium’s glow mirrored the blinding, magnificent explosion of a cataclysmic nova, the light enveloping me resembled the quiet expanse of the cosmos.
It was an endless, velvety void studded with innumerable stellar points, gathering into the sprawling river of a distant galaxy.
Immediately following that flare, an ethereal apparition manifested across the canvas of my vision.
Before my eyes towered the magnificent, unbroken silhouette of a living dragon.
Without a shadow of doubt, I realized this vision depicted Bellium exactly as he had stood in his prime.
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