After cutting through the last of the Arachasaes, the dungeon fell eerily silent. The only sound that remained was the soft crackling of residual magic within the stone walls, like the fading echoes of a once-powerful storm. I sheathed my estoc, the faint hum of starlight dissipating as the weapon rested once more at my side.
With the monsters defeated, the path forward was now clear. I pressed on, stepping deeper into the heart ofMorrowind’s Vault; mysenses heightened as I prepared for whatever might come next. But as I ventured further, the tunnel began to widen, and the stone walls gradually gave way to an open expanse.
It was a vast, circular chamber. The ceiling arched high above, barely visible in the dim light that filtered through from an unknown source. Ancient glyphs were carved into the walls, glowing faintly with a soft blue hue, their magical presence still potent after all this time.
The floor was smooth, almost unnaturally so, as if the stone had been polished by centuries of magical currents flowing through it.
But what stood out the most was the lack of movement. No monsters. No traps. Nothing.
I stopped at the center of the chamber, my eyes scanning the room carefully.
[No creatures, no lurking dangers…] Vitaliara mused, her voice thoughtful. [But I can feel it. There’s something here, something beneath the surface.]
And it was just as she had said.
‘Just as it was described in the novel itself.’
I thought, my eyes narrowing as I recalled the precise details. This chamber was a place where the flow of mana from several different paths converged, an intersection where raw magical power pooled. InShattered Innocence, it had been depicted as a place of immense potential—but also danger.
[So, what’s the plan here?] Vitaliara’s voice carried a note of curiosity, but there was also an underlying tension. [I feel… stuck as if this place is holding its breath.]
I couldn’t help but smile at her words. “The plan?” I shook my head lightly. “It’s simple.”
Without hesitation, I stepped right into the center of the chamber, the smooth floor almost unnervingly still beneath my feet. The moment my foot touched the very heart of the room, something shifted. A subtle click echoed through the air, like the release of a long-held lock.
And then, the chamber came alive.
I could feel it—mana surging from all directions, as though it had been lying dormant, waiting for the right moment to awaken. My senses expanded, and in that instant, I could feeleverything. The walls seemed to pulse with energy, and all around me, hidden presences began to reveal themselves.
Monsters. Dozens of them. No… more than that. Hundreds.
[What—?] Vitaliara’s surprise was palpable, her voice echoing in my mind. [There’s so many…]
She was right. The chamber wasn’t empty after all. The monsters hadn’t been visible because they hadn’t beentherein the physical sense. They had been hidden, their presence masked by the dungeon’s magic, biding their time until the mechanism had been triggered.
Or was she?
[Hmm?]
It seemed she had also caught something up.
[This?]
Vitaliara’s surprised voice came right into my head. She was surprised, rightfully. Since even if she was a mythical beast, witnessing such a sight would not be something that she would frequently do.
The grotesque monsters continued to emerge from the shadows, their twisted forms growing closer with each passing second. Their appearances were nightmarish—clawed limbs, fanged maws dripping with venom, and glowing eyes that promised a swift and painful death. But I didn’t move. I stood there, my hand resting on the hilt of my estoc, but I made no attempt to draw it.
[What… are you doing?] Vitaliara’s voice echoed in my mind, her confusion barely masked by her usual composure. She was right to question me, but I already knew what was happening.
The first monster, a massive beast with tusks as long as my arm, charged forward, its maw opening wide, ready to sink its teeth into me. But just as it reached me, just as I should have felt the pressure of its jaws closing around me… it passed right through.
There was no impact. No pain. It was as if the creature had never been there at all.
[I see….] Vitaliara’s voice cut through the air again, slightly astonished this time. [That is why I did not sense any Vitality from their bodies.]
“Illusions,” I murmured, watching as more monsters approached. Each one looked just as menacing as the last, their movements precise, their attacks relentless. But none of them touched me. They simply passed through like smoke in the wind.
One by one, the monsters continued to come, snarling and snapping, but none of them were real. Not even close. They were nothing more than phantoms, projections of fear conjured by the dungeon’s magic.
[This dungeon’s magic is stronger than I thought.] Vitaliara admitted, her surprise still lingering in her voice.
“I suspected as much,” I replied, watching as another monstrous figure lunged at me, only to dissolve into nothing as it passed. “This is part of the trial. Arlen Morrowind’s dungeons were never about brute strength. It’s all about perception.”
The monsters continued their assault, each more grotesque than the last, but I remained unfazed. I had read about this trial inShattered Innocence. This part of the dungeon was designed to test not a person’s ability to fight but their ability to see through deception. The illusions were meant to invoke fear, to trick the mind into reacting—but that was the trap.
If you believed in the monsters, if you let the illusions fool you, the dungeon would overwhelm you. But if you saw through them, if you realized they weren’t real, you would pass the test unscathed.
Well, I would not say unscathed if you have really polished your skills.
[Lucavion.]
“I know.”
Seeing through illusions was only part of the trial. In a place like this, it wasn’t just about figuring out what wasn’t real—it was about discerning whatwas. And that line between truth and deception was always razor-thin.
SCHLINK!
Without hesitation, I drew my estoc, the blade humming with the familiar pulse of my mana. The illusions swirled around me, their grotesque forms continuing their relentless assault, but I knew better than to believe all of them were fake. Somewhere within this chaos was something real—something dangerous.
My eyes narrowed, my senses sharpening as I focused.
There.
‘There you are.’
Just beyond the edge of my vision, hidden amidst the phantoms, I felt it—a presence that didn’t fade like the others.
SWOOSH!
In one swift motion, I slashed through the air, my estoc drawing a sharp arc in front of me. The blade met resistance and then came the unmistakable sound of flesh being torn apart. Blood splattered across the stone floor, and the creature that had been hiding within the illusions let out a guttural scream before collapsing.
The illusions wavered for a moment, the magic distorting as the real monster’s body hit the ground. Its grotesque form twitched, the blood pooling around its segmented limbs.
[What a wicked method,] Vitaliara remarked, her voice carrying a mix of fascination and disgust as she observed the fallen creature.
I shook my head, wiping the blood from my blade. “This is how an illusionist mage fights,” I replied calmly. “They mask the truth in layers of deception, waiting for you to let your guard down. In a life-and-death battle, there’s no such thing as wickedness. Only survival.”
Vitaliara hummed in agreement, though her tone remained contemplative. [Still, to mix reality with illusion so seamlessly… It’s impressive in a dark way. You humans never cease to amaze me.]
“Heh…..This is how we are.” I shook my head with a smile. “Impressive but predictable,” I said, glancing down at the creature’s corpse. “Once you know the trick, it’s only a matter of time before the real threats reveal themselves.”
‘I seem to hear some readers saying, you knew from the book already.’
That would have been the case if I was not able to sense the life and death energy from the mana itself.
While I am not that particularly smart, theFlame of Equinoxis a technique that is derived from both life and death, as well as their balance.
That is why, one way or another, I would understand that these monsters were not real, as they would not leave any death mana out when they disappeared.
I sheathed my estoc once again, my gaze turning back to the chamber. This test wasn’t over yet, as there would be many waves coming again and again.
Until that monster is killed, this will continue happening.
‘Heh…..Bring it on.’
I thought as I pushed my hand into the carcass of the monster.
SPURT!
Grabbing the core inside. Since this core is what I will need in the future.