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š©ø Chapter 84 ā
"Some doors don't open. They awaken."
š Scene 1: The Eye Opens
The Thirteenth Eye on the dungeon gate blinked once moreāthen rotated.
The stone gate slid open slowly, hissing like it exhaled a breath held for centuries.
Inside lay a spiraling staircase, lined with glowing red veins that pulsed in rhythm with Aeren's heartbeat.
Anshi gripped her blade tighter.
"I don't like this."
"I don't either," Aeren whispered."But it's calling me."
The moment they stepped past the threshold, a voice spoke inside only Aeren's head.
"Welcome back, He Who Broke the Pact."
š§© Scene 2: The Crimson Pact Memory
As they descended, Aeren stumbledāhis body pulled into a forced memory echo.
He stood, once again, in a version of himselfānot Aerenā¦ but Veleor.
Around him, a circle of thirteen beings cloaked in red flame stood in prayer.
They chanted:
"Blood to power. Time to seal.Let the Crimson Pact be real."
Then he saw his past self raise his hand and refuse the pact.
"This is wrong. You seek to enslave fate."
"Then you shall fall with it," the voices replied.
They turned on him. Betrayed him. He sealed them away in this dungeon using the last of the Clockfire Flame.
Back in the presentāAeren fell to his knees, clutching his chest.
"It was meā¦ I locked them here. I broke the Crimson Pact."
Seris nodded grimly.
"Then they want revenge."
š§ Scene 3: Aeren's Powers Evolve Again
The memory triggered another spontaneous evolution of Aeren's ability:
š Chrono Shatter Mark
He can now mark any object or person with a temporal seal and rewind them to their state 5 seconds earlierāusable once per battle per mark.
š§ Mind Dive (Passive Upgrade)
He can now briefly enter subconscious layers, sensing emotions, hidden intentions, and even unspoken fears.
But using this power comes with a cost:Fatigue, unstable vision, and increased mental noise.
"If I go too deep," Aeren said, "I might not come back."
š³ļø Scene 4: Seris's Past Revealed
As they moved further into the hall of sealed spirits, one of the thirteen cells flickeredāa crimson cage of dreamstuff and memory.
And inside wasā¦ Seris.
Another version of her.
Trapped. Screaming. Chained to the altar of the pact.
"Whatā¦?" Seris whispered.
The cage spoke:
"This is what Veleor chose to forget.To seal usā¦ he had to seal you first."
Aeren turned, horrified.
Seris's face was pale.
"I volunteered," she said, voice trembling."To make you forget. To protect you."
"So the memory I hadā¦ of sealing youā¦"
"Was incomplete. You sealed meā¦ because I asked you to."
š¦“ Scene 5: The Cost of Unlocking Truth
As the truth returned, the dungeon reacted.
The other 12 crimson eyes on the walls began to awaken, shaking the chamber violently.
Anshi turned, blades drawn.
"We triggered something."
Suddenly, crimson-armored figures began crawling from the floorātwisted versions of past Seekers who once tried to claim the pact.
"They're echoes. But deadly ones."
The team fought hardābut during the chaos, one of the shadows stabbed Anshi in the side, piercing her armor.
Aeren froze time for two seconds, marking her wound, then used his Shatter Mark to rewind her body before the stabāsaving her just in time.
But it drained him.
His knees buckled.
"Too closeā¦"
š©ø Scene 6: The Final Gate Awaits
As the corrupted echoes dissolved, a massive red crystal rose at the chamber's center.
Inside itāwas a throne, cracked and pulsing.At its base: a single inscription glowing in gold:
"Only the Clockbearer may judge the Pact."
Aeren stepped toward it, exhausted but firm.
"It's time to end what I started."
But behind him, Seris trembled.
"Aerenā¦ I sense something far worse just woke up."
And far belowābeneath even this chamberāthe Veilmaster stood alone, touching an ancient sarcophagus.
"Begin the resurrection. The Crimson Heartā¦ must beat again."
š End of Chapter 84