What the hell did I do last time to make Chronos so satisfied?
It clearly wasn’t exploring the tomb on my own, as Afterimage revealed moments ago.
I sighed and pressed forward, eventually reaching a staircase descending to the third level. Lumindew’s effect was about to run out, so I consumed my last one, slowly realizing that in thirty minutes, when the night vision wore off, I’d only have my torch to rely on. And that could lead to all sorts of problems…
Taking the stairs down, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. Aside from that large pack of Undead Wolves, and five Undead Warriors guarding the staircase, I hadn’t encountered any monsters.
On the one hand, it was good - I had more freedom to explore. Chronos had said I needed to learn more about the tomb and Gaelith, and that defeating Erebus before my final, 66th run was possible through wit. That likely meant exploration here would lead me to something big.
On the other hand, I needed more XP.
As the third level revealed itself to me, I realized it was nothing like the first two.
First of all, it was a lot colder here.
The ceiling was astonishingly high, and the staircase opened directly into a massive chamber – easily the size of the entire floor of the previous level. Large stone pillars supported the ceiling, though they appeared more decorative than functional – perhaps they were both. Red, worn-out, and torn fabrics hung from the tops of the pillars all the way to the floor, giving the space a ceremonial feeling.
From my elevated point on the stairs, the floor of the chamber was fully visible. It showcased a sprawling mural, covered in a thick layer of dust, both beautiful and unsettling: a large tree, its branches empty – almost skeletal, its roots rotting. Farther ahead was an elevated stage. A pipe organ, broken, rusty, and forgotten, stood on top of it adjacent to the wall. To the left of the stage was an open chamber.
What did any of this have to do with this tomb?
Were the Axul also praying here?
Was this even a tomb to begin with?
As I reached the bottom of the staircase, I noticed the dust-covered floor wasn’t as dusty as I thought. It was filled with footsteps belonging to a set of very large feet. The floor was full of them, so it was hard to conclude anything from them. No one should’ve ventured to this level yet…Was it someone from Lady Mikaela’s party from her first exploration of the tomb? Yeah, that was probably the case. The footsteps, even though large, were still very much human-like.
I glanced toward the stage and suddenly noticed something glowing at its center. Intrigued, I moved closer, passing the entire chamber in about ten minutes. As I was approaching the stage, I slowly realized it was much taller than I had initially thought it was. With no stairs or ladder in sight, I had to do a muscle-up to climb on top.
Once on the platform, I walked toward the glow, discovering it was coming from a helm with two large stag horns. While the helm itself piqued my curiosity, it was the glow that truly caught my attention – it seemed to be interacting with the Déjà vu System.
[Temporal Trace: Time Plane Memory #2 - Available]
What does that even mean?
Also, why was it labeled #2? What happened to #1?
Only one way to find out.
I reached out and touched the helm. The moment my hand made contact, a surge of energy flooded my mind. Images from an ancient past began painting themselves in my mind’s eye.
***
[Time Plane Memory #2]
A tall woman dressed in a green ceremonial dress gently laid the stag-horned helm on a pedestal, resting it on a red cushion.
The luxurious room she was in looked like a combination of an office and a trophy room, though the peculiar helm appeared to be the only “trophy” it contained.
The woman was stunning, with rich, dark hair flowing freely down her back and nearly flawless olive-hued skin. Her light green eyes were likely capable of captivating anyone who looked at her.
“High Priestess Lysandra,” a younger woman called as she entered the room. “I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I felt like I had no choice.”
Lysandra, still facing the pedestal, rolled her eyes subtly before turning around. She gestured toward the couch to her left. “Don’t worry, dear Diona. Please, tell me what’s troubling you.”
“It’s the upcoming ritual, m’lady.” Diona said as she sat down, her voice trembling. “I don’t mean to sound disrespectful or undermine your authority as High Priestess, especially since I’m only a lowly third-circle Priestess, but…it doesn’t sit quite right with me.”
Lysandra nodded understandingly, her piercing gaze fixed on Diona as if she was trying to burn a hole inside her. Then, she sat on the couch beside the younger woman and took her hand gently in her own.
“Don’t worry, dear Diona. I know how faithful you are. I know you wouldn’t try to undermine me.” Lysandra said with a calming smile – a smile that seemed to ease some of Diona’s visible tension.
Lysandra continued, her voice smooth yet inquisitive. “We’ve already discussed the ritual at length plenty of times. Why don’t you tell me exactly what’s bothering you about it? Is it your role in it?”
“Perhaps,” Diona said hesitantly, her voice wavering before gaining confidence. “But it’s not just that.”
“Then, what is it?”
“I’m an eleventh-generation Axul, m’lady.” Diona began. “My parents taught me everything I know about our ways. When I was chosen by you to become a Priestess, they said it was the best day of their lives.”
“I assume there’s a point to this exposition, dear Diona.” Lysandra remarked coldly.
“Of course, m’lady, forgive me for trailing off.” Diona replied nervously. “What I’m trying to say is that my parents taught me to worship the Creator for the beauty of life but also to honor the Destroyer for allowing us to truly appreciate it. For something to be created, something must first be destroyed.” she paused, seemingly hesitating before she finally spoke. “The ritual we’re about to perform…I can’t shake the feeling that it leans heavily into just one of those ends.”
Lysandra shrugged, her expression unchanging. “And why is that a problem?”
“Then you don’t deny it!” Diona blurted out, her voice clearly louder than intended as Lysandra’s icy gaze froze her in place, making her shrink back.
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“I suggest you remember who you’re speaking to, Diona.” Lysandra said, her grip on Diona’s hand tightening. “I’ll forgive you this time, but next time, you can expect punishment.”
“I’m sorry, m’lady.” Diona murmured, lowering her gaze to the floor.
“As for your concerns,” Lysandra continued smoothly. “You are correct. The ritual we are about to perform will honor the Destroyer alone because that is what is needed of us.”
Diona swallowed hard. “I don’t understand, m’lady.”
Lysandra’s expression softened to a smile as she gently rubbed Diona’s hand. “The world has shifted, Diona. We can all see it. Magic is now accessible to almost everyone through this…System, as they call it. People no longer worship the powers that have ruled the world for so long. In the past, the balance you spoke of was maintained by everyone, but now, most people only choose to celebrate life. They fail to understand that to truly appreciate life, one must also honor its end – and the end of all things. Our goal is to restore that lost balance. And with it restored to cancel any threat to our people from the outsiders. That is the purpose of this ritual.”
Diona’s eyes brightened with relief. “Oh, so that is the reason.” She said, sighing. “Thank you, High Priestess Lysandra, for clearing this lowly Priestess’ worries. I feel so embarrassed for even questioning our motives.”
Lysandra smiled softly as she stood, lightly pulling Diona to her feet as well. “Don’t worry about it, child. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must attend to my night routine before bed.”
“Oh, of course, High Priestess Lysandra.” Diona said apologetically. “I’m sorry for taking up your time.”
With that, Diona left, leaving Lysandra alone in the room.
The High Priestess approached the desk, pulling open the second drawer. From it, she retrieved a dark stone, no larger than her palm. She held it close to her ear and smiled.
“I can hear you, Mighty Erebus.” She whispered. “All is progressing as you commanded.”
[Time Plane Memory #2 – END]
***
I never came out of a trance before, but if I did, it would probably feel something like this.
What the hell even was that?
It was a memory – a memory attached to this stag-horned helm. It seems that by touching it, I activated Temporal Trace and its ability to show me the time plane – still not sure what that meant.
The experience was so vivid, as if I were there myself, observing everything from the helm’s perspective.
A chill ran down my spine as I recalled the end of the memory.
Erebus.
The High Priestess of Axul had spoken to that dark stone and referred to it as Mighty Erebus.
So, there was a connection between the Axul and Erebus, or at the very least a connection between their leader and Erebus. The High Priestess had disguised Erebus’ will as something the world needed. Perhaps Erebus hadn’t chosen this place by chance. But so many questions remained unanswered:
What was the ritual the two women spoke of? It was clearly tied to Erebus, but what kind of ritual was it? What did Erebus want from the Axul and the Priestess? Was it the reason the Axul suddenly disappeared from the world?
And why Gaelith? How did the legendary knight, who spent all his life in the capital or on the battlefields, get mixed up in all of this? How did he end up as Erebus’ vessel of destruction? Was simply placing his body here enough for Erebus to take over one of humanity’s strongest and supposedly purest?
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a system message.
[Item Acquired: Time Plane Memory #2 – Added to Inventory #2]
I stared at the message in disbelief.
What?
I opened my second inventory.
[Inventory #2]
- Time Plane Memory #2
- Lesser Health Potion x3
- Lesser Mana Elixir x2
- Lesser Stamina Elixir x3
- Gold Coins x60
- Gethril Root (Consumable) x3
- Lumindew (Consumable) x1
- Skyroot Powder (Consumable) x3
- Ironbark Brew (Consumable) x3
- Heartspore Tonic (Consumable) x3
There it was. The memory.
I selected it, and it immediately replayed in my mind. Me heart raced.
If I kept this in my second inventory, would I be able to play it again at the start of my next run? Could I finally preserve some memories even after my death?
It seemed likely. The items in the second inventory supposedly remained the same as they were at the end of the previous run. But I’d only know for sure after I died.
Unfortunately – or maybe fortunately – I didn’t have to wait long.
Faint footsteps behind me made me spin around, only to see a tall, walking corpse of a woman: High Priestess of Axul, lvl.110. Her face covered by her long black, messy hair.
She raised her hand, and with a snap of her fingers, froze me to death.
[Health: 0% - You Have Died]
***
[Déjà vu System: Level 7]
[Loop Count: 17]
[Experience Points (XP): 2,056 / 2,500]
I woke up. An Echo directed me to my second inventory.
A Temporal Trace mark suggested the items were from Christian.
But one item stood out, unlike anything I’d ever seen before – Time Plane Memory #2.
When I selected it, I caught a glimpse of the past, raising more questions than answers.
As I struggled to remember how I’d obtained this peculiar item, a curious message appeared. Changing the rules of the game as I’ve known them.
[New Quest Available: Memories From the Past]
[Collect the 5 Time Plane Memory Fragments]
[Current Status: 1 / 5]
[Reward: 75,000 XP]
A quest? Since when did quests grant XP? And 75,000 XP no less?
But that wasn’t all. Not yet.
***
Before the quest, we stopped at Christian’s.
During the quest, we cleared three chambers.
I leveled up.
[Déjà vu System: Level 8]
[Loop Count: 17]
[Experience Points (XP): 168 / 3,000]
[Skill Point Available: Choose a skill to level up]
We were on our way back to the main antechamber when I began contemplating which skill to upgrade.
Considering my past self had placed the only Temporal Trace mark I had on Christian’s signature, it was clear I needed at least one more. If I’d had another mark, surely I would’ve left it to guide myself back to wherever I’d found the Time Plane Memory fragment in the previous run.
[Skill Upgraded: Temporal Trace lvl.2]
[Next Level: lvl.3: Increases the number of possible marks available in each loop to 3]
With that out of the way, I allocated the additional point to my Endurance stat, bringing it to 9 - just one point short of its first milestone.
Then, another message popped up. One that was awfully similar to the one that appeared this morning.
[New Quest Available: The Dead Should Stay Dead]
[Slay 100 Undead Warriors or Undead Archers]
[Current Status: 18 / 100]
[Reward: 5,000 XP]
Another quest?
And I’d already completed a fifth of it. All I had to do was slay more Undead. Easy enough. Five thousand XP would be enough to level up once and also be halfway to the next level.
It seemed the Time Plane Memory I found had activated something in the Déjà vu System, triggering an update. This was the second quest I’d received, and there would likely be more.
Suddenly, 66 runs felt like more time than I might actually need.