Lucas and Elara left The Deep, carrying an unsettling feeling about the Memory Merchant Silas along with the map to the Crystal Catacombs. Lucas still felt a strange current from the Overlord's memory he'd absorbed, like a whispering voice in his mind, guiding him.
Elara watched him, her expression contemplative. "What did he take from you?" she asked after a period of silence. "He can't take your ability, but... a piece of a memory?"
Lucas shook his head. "I don't know. But he called me 'a piece of living crystal.' Maybe he took a part of that." He didn't want to dwell on it. He had a clearer objective now: the Crystal Catacombs and The Purifier.
Silas's map led them out of The Deep's muddy paths, through a network of ancient, dark, and frigid tunnels. These tunnels weren't carved by miners, but were astonishingly precise, straight passages, bearing the marks of a lost civilization.
"These tunnels... they were made by the Overlords," Elara whispered, her fingers tracing the smooth wall. "They lead to their vital structures."
After several hours of walking, they reached a massive, ancient metal gate, intricately carved with archaic symbols, deep underground. The gate was heavily damaged, as if a colossal explosion had destroyed most of it. The faint light from Elara's lamp illuminated huge scratch marks on the metal, as if some giant creature had tried to pry it open.
"Traces of an Abyssal Chimera," Elara said, her voice serious. "Or something similar. This is likely where seekers encountered it, even before you reached the Nexus Crystal."
Lucas felt a strong pull from the scar on his hand. He touched his palm to the gate. Immediately, a massive surge of memories rushed in. It wasn't fragmented this time, but a complete, vivid scene, clearer than anything he'd ever experienced.
He saw a group of Crystal Warriors, strong and resolute, battling a colossal, more ferocious Abyssal Chimera than the one he had faced. The battle was fierce. The Chimera, drawn by the energy within the gate, relentlessly attacked it. The Crystal Warriors seemed to be protecting something. Among them, Lucas recognized a woman with silver hair, resolute eyes, and a deep blue cloak. It was Elara, but much younger, and more powerful, filled with confidence.
In the next image, Lucas saw Elara being thrown back by a powerful blow, falling unconscious. And then, he saw a shadowed figure leap into the fray, not a Crystal Warrior, but someone in a dark cloak, constantly absorbing the energy of the surrounding Abyssal Creatures, becoming terrifyingly agile and strong. This figure used an energy that wasn't crystal, but something darker, yet incredibly effective, pushing back the overwhelming Chimera and saving the faltering Crystal Warrior group.
That cloaked figure... Lucas felt a chilling familiarity. Who was that person?
Suddenly, the memory shifted to another scene. The cloaked figure stood before the gate, touching it. A dark surge of energy enveloped the gate, not destroying it, but "locking" it, sealing it in a strange way, making it impenetrable. The figure turned away, leaving an etched symbol on the gate—a five-pointed star, identical to the scar on Lucas's palm.
Lucas gasped, pulling his hand back, panting. He stumbled backward, staring at his scar, then at the faint star symbol on the gate. Elara turned to him, her face full of concern.
"What happened?" Elara asked, sensing the energy fluctuations from Lucas.
"It was... it was a memory," Lucas whispered, "a living memory. Of a battle... here. And... someone like me." He looked at the star symbol. "That person locked this gate. And that person had a scar... just like mine."
Elara froze, her eyes wide. "Another person with absorption abilities? Impossible... We thought you were unique..." She approached the gate, touching the star symbol. "This is the mark of an ancient lineage, those with the ability to interact with the Abyss without being corrupted... We thought they had vanished after the Great Collapse."
"Is that why you've been following me?" Lucas asked, looking straight at Elara. "Because of this mark?"
Elara nodded slowly. "Yes. You were the first I'd seen with this mark. I wanted to know who you were, and what your intentions were." She sighed. "But the person in your memory... who was that? An Overlord?"
"No," Lucas shook his head. "Not an Overlord. That person fought against the Abyssal Chimera. That person saved the Crystal Warrior group... and saved you, Elara."
Elara stared at Lucas, stunned. "You... what did you see?" She was aghast. "You saw me... when I was younger?"
"Yes," Lucas said. "That person saved you. And locked this gate. Not to protect something, but to prevent something from coming out."
The gate now appeared clearer in Lucas's mind. It not only led into the Crystal Catacombs, but also served as a barrier, a prison for something extremely dangerous within. And the person with the star mark, they were not evil. They were a hero, just like Lucas, someone bound by the Abyss but fighting to protect.
"We can't go through here," Elara said, pulling Lucas's hand away from the gate. "That person locked it too tightly. Even with my power, I can't open it without causing an explosion that could destroy this entire mine."
Lucas looked at the map Silas had given them. "There's another way. He pointed to a hidden tunnel, further north. It seems to be a secret entrance."
They looked at each other. The mystery of the Great Collapse deepened. Silas knew more than he let on. Who was the person with the star mark, and why did they have abilities identical to Lucas's? And what was being held captive inside the Crystal Catacombs that person had to desperately seal away?
They knew they had to find that secret entrance. Only by venturing into the Crystal Catacombs could they find the answers to the mysteries that haunted them, and perhaps, the fate of the world.