Chapter 272: The Key?
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Ruvian slowly regained consciousness.
The first thing Ruvian noticed was the cold. It wrapped around every part of his body like the deepest part of the ocean.
His brows slowly pulled together.
Air flowed into his lungs as naturally as ever, even though he was certain he was completely underwater.
Nothing about it made any sense.
Ruvian slowly opened his eyes; but everything was dark, as if there was no ground beneath him, and no surface above him.
His expression changed.
"This..."
Recognition slowly dawned on Ruvian. The endless sea of darkness that let him breathe, and the invisible force surrounding his soul. Those were the pieces that matched the description he had read countless times before.
There was no doubt about it.
This was...
The Sepulcher of Reveries.
The forsaken dimensional realm where the Great Spirit had remained imprisoned for longer than history could remember. A place untouched by the passing of time, and abandoned by the world itself.
Ruvian slowly drew a breath.
"So... I actually made it."
The words drifted into the endless sea before vanishing without an answer.
Then, a faint pull wrapped around his body.
It was gentle at first, almost impossible to notice. Yet with every passing second, the force grew stronger, steadily drawing him deeper into the abyss beneath his feet.
Ruvian lowered his gaze.
Beneath him, the darkness stretched endlessly, a bottomless abyss that swallowed everything in sight.
Yet not the slightest trace of panic surfaced on his face.
There simply wasn’t any reason for it.
True, anyone else would have already been consumed by terror, their sanity slowly eroded by the crushing emptiness that surrounded them.
But Ruvian was different.
He had expected this from the very beginning.
So, instead of resisting, he simply closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the abyss — letting the darkness cradle him deeper toward the forgotten sovereign who ruled this forsaken realm.
And as he descended, a strange voice emerged from the endless darkness.
[Oh my...]
The vast and hymn-like voice gradually became clearer within his soul.
[It seems I have a guest. How long has it been since another has come this far? Ah, I can no longer remember. Ages have passed, and solitude has remained my only companion.]
[Oh, You must be confused. Forgive my lack of manners. It has been far too long since I last welcomed anyone. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself.]
The voice lingered for a brief moment before continuing:
[I am the Night Beyond Night that awaits its true seeker, bound within this Sepulcher, vast and unseen. The first daughter of the Blind Seer. And mostly known as the Sin of Creation. While you... a mortal, as fleeting as a single breath, have somehow defied the impossible to stand within my reach.]
Her voice softened with faint amusement.
[How wondrous. How improbable. Now, the question falls to you. Who are you, little intruder, and tell me, what dream has brought you into my keeping?]
Ruvian remained silent until his descent finally came to an end.
His boots settled upon something solid beneath him, though it felt less like stone and more like the very notion of a surface given form.
Ruvian placed a hand over his chest and bowed.
"It is an honor to stand before the Great Spirit," he said. "A great being who has endured countless ages, while watching over this sacred Sepulcher."
He slowly raised his head, his expression calm.
"Even this realm reflects your greatness," he continued. "To stand here is a blessing no ordinary mortal like me could ever hope to receive."
"My name is Ruvian Castelor, a humble mortal who was fortunate enough to find this place," he said. "I offer my deepest respect to you, and I thank you for allowing me to stand before your presence."
"If my arrival has offended you, then I ask for your forgiveness," Ruvian said. "If not, then I hope you will grant me the honor of speaking with you."
Ruvian lowered his head, bending at the waist with a reverence that was almost instinctive.
Even in the enveloping darkness, in the absence of any shape, he offered the most genuine bow he could muster.
A soft, almost musical hum filled the void.
[Ho~]
Ruvian straightened slowly, his hands resting lightly at his sides.
[Very well. Tell me what brought you here.]
"Great one," he began with a steady voice but humble, "I have come here not to harm you. I carry no ill intent, no desire to conquer, or to impose upon what is yours. I am only a humble wanderer who seeks to witness the strength that breathes within this place."
[Speak without riddles, child. You confused me.]
Ruvian frowned.
’Huh, she didn’t understand? Was I being too vague?’
Ruvian let out a quiet sigh before speaking again.
"Ahem, to speak plainly, I have come for your strength, Great One," he said plainly, without embellishment.
But then, somehow... the world shivered in response. The darkness thickened, pressing closer, as if the Sepulcher itself had drawn a sharp, warning breath.
The abyss contracted around him.
’Did I enrage her?’
Ruvian felt the walls of the realm constrict like the ribs of a vast, invisible beast, the pressure of centuries folding inward.
’I can’t... breathe...’
Then, everything went back to normal when the voice roared, though it carried neither distance nor malice in its timbre — only fury tempered by bitter remembrance.
[So... you have come seeking my strength, correct?]
"Yes," Ruvian answered without the slightest hesitation. "I have come seeking your strength."
Silence followed.
The pressure vanished, yet the Sepulcher remained deathly still, as though the realm itself had fallen into thought.
Then, a long sigh echoed through the darkness.
[That old man... after all these years, he still enjoys throwing trouble at me.]
Her voice carried clear annoyance.
[He could have at least warned me first. Truly shameless.]
The silence returned for another moment.
But when she spoke again, her tone had changed. It was no longer angry. Just curious. [So... are you the one Father has chosen?]
Ruvian’s brows slowly drew together.
"Father?" he repeated.
His lips parted slightly before he spoke again.
"What do you mean by that?"
A quiet sigh escaped the darkness.
[Honestly...]
Although Ruvian could not see her, the Great Spirit rolled her eyes.
[The Key,] Her voice sounded as though the answer should have been obvious. [If you truly are the one Father has chosen, then you should have it with you.]
Ruvian’s expression changed.
"The Key..."
The words echoed inside his mind.
Father. The Key.
What the hell was going on here?
His thoughts raced one after another.
’Is this really what happened in the novel? Was this the same question she asked Zian? Or... did he fail because he never had this so-called Key?’
Ruvian let out a slow breath, his expression remaining calm.
"I’m sorry, Great Spirit, but I don’t understand what you mean," he said. "I truly don’t know which Key you’re referring to."
A soft sigh echoed through the Sepulcher.
Without another word, the Great Spirit casually flicked her hand, and a mysterious power swept across Ruvian’s body, passing through him before reaching somewhere far beyond his dimensional storage.
[There... just as I thought.]
Her voice carried quiet certainty.
[You possess the Key. I suppose Father simply neglected to explain it to—]
Suddenly, her words stopped.
The silence lasted only a second before her voice rose in urgency.
[—Y-you.... Bring out that Key. Now!]
Ruvian’s brows knit together.
"Huh? Which one?" he asked, while opening his dimensional storage. "I have quite a few things inside."
His gaze swept across the floating items one after another.
Then, just as his hand reached toward one particular item, the Great Spirit immediately spoke.
[Yes. That one!]
Ruvian paused, his fingers stopping in place.
"What?" he muttered. "This?"
The next moment, he pulled the item from his dimensional storage. Dark light gathered in his hand before taking shape, revealing the ancient pitch-black katana.
Ruvian suddenly shuddered.
A chill quietly crept up his spine as his gaze settled on the ancient black sword resting in his hand.
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the hilt as a single thought echoed through his mind.
Why... just why would the Great Spirit identify this blade — [The Endseeker] as...
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[Chapter 272: The Key?]
Plot Points= 48,000