Ethan stood calmly before the orange shimr, his hand flat against the vibrating energy. On the other side, the Queen’s massive, toothed maw was pressed against the barrier, her breath leaving a foul, acidic mist on the surface. She was a nightmare of scales and teeth, but here, she was nothing more than a beast behind a cage.
[Analysis complete, Master,] said Crul. [I have mapped the energy flow. This is known as the Two-Headed Dragon and Eight Trigrams Barrier.]
"Eight Trigrams? What does that an in plain English?" said Ethan.
Crul projected a holographic blueprint into Ethan’s vision. It showed a vast underground complex shaped like a geotric flower. At the center was a massive central vault, surrounded by eight satellite chambers. One of the outer chambers flickered in deep red.
[We are currently standing in that red vault,] said Crul. [The central hall we saw earlier houses the transport matrix. According to the data, six of these eight vaults have suffered a total structural collapse. The transport matrix itself is in an intermittent state—essentially useless without a massive power surge.]
"So this place was a fortress?" said Ethan.
[Unlikely. The records suggest a resource depot or a high-security research base. However, the exact purpose remains classified within the damaged sectors of the core,] said Crul.
"So, looking at this massive wall... was this entire matrix built just to contain that overgrown worm?" said Ethan.
[My sensors say a definitive no, Master. There is a glaring discrepancy here. This Queen shows energy levels barely at the peak of Spirit Gathering. Using a Spiritual Core-level barrier to trap a creature like that is like using a diamond-reinforced vault to cage a common beetle. It is a massive overkill,] said Crul.
"Then what’s the point of all this?" said Ethan.
[This matrix was designed to contain sothing far more dangerous—sothing that makes that Queen look like a pet. Yet, here is the mystery: the seal isn’t ant to keep things out. It is sealed from the inside, as if the creators were terrified of what was trapped in here with them. It wasn’t built for the worm; the worm just moved into an empty cage,] said Crul.
Ethan pulled his hand back, looking at the Queen’s frustrated growl. "Why did it let through but stop her? If it was a simple wall, I should have been blocked too."
[This is an intelligent matrix. Unlike a simple physical wall, it can be programd with exclusion filters. However, with the main controller fried, I cannot see the ’Source Code.’ I can run the application, so to speak, but I cannot see the instructions that dictate who is allowed to pass and who is a prisoner,] said Crul.
"How do you even know that?" said Ethan.
[Runes are simply a physical form of computer code, Master. Ancient masters etched information directly into the pillars so future users could understand the system. But without the central console, I am blind to the original intent. I can see the result, but not the ’Why’,] said Crul.
Ethan felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cave’s temperature. "If that’s the case, we need to know what else is in here. Can we access the other vaults from this hall?" said Ethan.
[The access points should be located right here in the central chamber. If the structural integrity holds, we might find what they were so desperate to hide,] said Crul.
Ethan nodded, turning back toward the main hall. [Then let’s find those doors.]
Ethan nodded, turning back toward the main chamber. "Okay, we’re here. Now where exactly are these entrances?"
Crul highlighted a section of the wall buried under tons of ancient silt and collapsed rock. Ethan didn’t hesitate. He activated Harder than Steel and began to dig, his fingers moving like industrial shovels. With his superhuman strength, he cleared four ters of earth in minutes.
Behind the dirt, a door appeared. It was made of a strange, cobalt-blue tal that showed no signs of rust or decay. It shone as if it had been polished that morning.
"Blue tal... is that a good sign?" said Ethan.
[It is an advanced alloy, Master. It shouldn’t exist in a primitive outpost like this. It proves that whoever lived here had the ans to travel between these islands and the main continent with ease. To open it, place your hand on the center and inject your spiritual energy. I will handle the frequency modulation,] said Crul.
Ethan pressed his palm to the cold tal. Runes began to glow, spiraling outward from his hand like golden snakes. A heavy, chanical thud echoed through the chamber, and the door hissed as it slid into the walls.
Ethan stumbled back, gasping for air. The door had drained a massive amount of his energy in a single go. But as the dust cleared, his eyes widened. Behind the door was a solid wall of jagged rocks and twisted debris. The entire corridor beyond had been pulverized.
[Just as I suspected,] said Crul. [It appears soone initiated a self-destruct sequence.]
"Do you think all the vaults are like this?" said Ethan.
[Likely. Soone deliberately triggered the collapse of six vaults to reinforce the seventh—the one we just left. They diverted the energy of the entire system into a single barrier to keep sothing buried forever. Then, they destroyed the transport matrix to ensure no one could leave or enter. There are no signs of a surface exit. These tunnels we found? They were dug by humans with shovels much later. Perhaps scavengers or the union found the vault with the worm and were devoured before they could find the rest,] said Crul.
Ethan stared into the rubble, a chill running down his spine. "So they buried themselves alive just to make sure whatever was in here stayed here."
[The evidence is purely circumstantial, Master, but the intention is clear. There are no bodies, so it’s possible they fled in the grave and destroyed it, or soone stayed behind to destroy them and is in so other vault.]
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