Every few steps, she adjusted her glasses, her fingertips brushing nervously over the frames. Suddenly, she noticed something strange, causing her face to darken slightly.
“My Lord,” Terra called out, stepping closer to Alister as they moved through another expansive corridor. “Something is… not right here.”
Alister narrowed his gaze, glancing toward her without breaking his stride. “Explain.”
“This castle… this library… was built to preserve the knowledge of my ancestors,” she said, her tail wagging calmed as she spoke.
“Although it is obvious they have perished long ago… There should be guardians here. Stone golems or constructs of magic and will, designed to protect the knowledge within. But I can’t sense them… Not even a trace of their presence.”
Cinder’s calm voice interjected. “Perhaps they decayed with time?” Her hands remained folded, her expression serene but inquisitive.
Terra shook her head, her glasses catching the faint light. “Impossible. The guardians were imbued with the very essence of the Great Wyrms. They should be eternal, or at least leave behind remnants of their essence if destroyed.”
“Some how they have been dissappear without a trace… Almost as if they were whisked away.”
“Which should not be possible due to their complex magic disruption runes.”
…
As they continued deeper, the corridors grew wider, their walls covered with carvings of draconic figures, their scales etched in painstaking detail.
The floor beneath their feet transitioned from rough stone to smooth, polished obsidian, reflecting faint golden hues from the lamps above.
The silence was oppressive, broken only by the rhythmic echoes of their footsteps.
“Something else is odd…” Terra murmured, adjusting her glasses again. “There should be monsters here.”
“From what I understand… This is supposed to be a dungeon. And so there should be pawn- like monsters and a boss monster… Right, my Lord?”
“Right,” Alister replied with a small nod.
“But I can’t see or sense anything,” Terra replied with a touch of unease as she took another look around.
“Not a single beast. And look at this.” She pointed toward a shattered pedestal they passed, the remains of a once-glowing crystal now scattered across the floor.
“This was a beacon… That further helps guardians detect the presence of intruders. It’s been destroyed, deliberately.”
Cinder’s crimson eyes lingered on the pedestal, her hands unfolding briefly to rest on the hilt of her blade. “Perhaps someone has been here before us.”
Terra frowned, adjusting her glasses yet again. “That’s what worries me. These halls… They’re not as abandoned as they should be. Look here, my Lord.” She knelt near a thick layer of dust on the floor, pointing to faint but unmistakable tracks.
“Someone passed through recently. The dust is disturbed, and these marks are fresh… a few hours old at most.”
Hearing her words Alister’s thoughts raced… ‘But… That shouldn’t be possible. That would mean someone came in to raid the dungeon before us… But the talent window system doesn’t allow something like that.’
Alister crouched beside her, his sharp gaze scrutinizing the tracks. “Humanoid,” he observed. “Boots, not claws. More than one set, but not many.”
Cinder tilted her head, her silver hair catching the faint golden glow. “Then could someone else be searching for the same thing we are. Restria’s fragment?”
“No… That should be unlikely… But on the off possibility they are…”
Alister’s eyes suddenly became reptilian, his slit pupils narrowing as he added, “…then we can’t let them leave here with it.”
He stood, his black coat trailing behind him. “Continue, Terra. Lead the way.”
“Understood my Lord.”
They moved onward, passing through massive compartments that resembled grand halls, each one more awe-inspiring than the last.
One chamber housed shelves that spiraled upward like trees, their branches laden with glowing scrolls that whispered faintly in an unknown tongue. Another room was dominated by a vast globe of the world, its surface etched with ever-shifting constellations.
“This is all above ground,” Terra explained, her excitement momentarily overtaking her unease as she pointed toward the wonders around them.
“The true library… the heart of it… lies underground. That’s where my ancestors would have hidden something as significant as a fragment of Restria.”
They descended a winding staircase carved from gleaming white stone, its surface marked with draconic runes that glowed faintly beneath their feet.
The air grew colder with each step, and the walls began to seep moisture, reflecting the dim light like veins of silver.
At the bottom of the staircase, Terra paused, her tail twitching anxiously. She adjusted her glasses yet again, her blue eyes scanning the shadowed expanse before them, she noticed the large entrance in the diatence emenating golden rays.
“We’re entering the heart of the library now,” she said softly. “But… I still sense nothing. It’s like that presence we sensed before entering the castle has completely vanished. No guardians, no monsters, no traps. Only emptiness.”
Alister’s gaze sharpened as he stepped forward, his voice low but firm. “Stay alert. Whatever’s going on here, it’s deliberate.”
Cinder unfolded her arms, her flames slowly appeared in both of her hands, dancing slowly, “Understood, my Lord.” She said.
The trio pressed onward, their footsteps echoing ominously as they ventured deeper.
The descent into the underground library ended in an enormous, breathtaking chamber. Terra froze as they entered, her eyes widening at the sheer scale of the sight before them.
Towering shelves, stretching higher than the eye could follow, lined the walls. They were carved from blackened stone and inlaid with silver veins that pulsed faintly, their runes softly
glowing.
Ancient scrolls and tomes hummed faintly with power, exuding a mesmerizing aura. A crystal chandelier hung precariously from the ceiling, its shattered golden fragments still glowing faintly as they levitated in place.
The air was dense, a mix of musty ancient parchment and faint metallic smell.
Terra’s tail began wagging furiously, and she nearly dropped her glasses as she adjusted them
with trembling fingers.
“By the ancestors!” she gasped, her voice nearly a squeal. “These… these are the Scrolls of Fervent Eternity! And over there-look! That’s the Tome of Celestial Descent!”
She darted forward, her hands brushing reverently over the nearest shelf, muttering names of texts as though they were sacred.
“I’ve only read about these in fragments. They’re not just knowledge… they’re power.” Her voice trembled with excitement, her tail thrashing in enthusiasm as she stuffed a few into the
mind space.
Alister frowned, narrowing his gaze at Terra. “Terra… Focus.”
Terra’s ears flattened slightly, her tail stilling as she blushed furiously. “Ah, of course, my
Lord. My apologies.” She adjusted her glasses, taking a deep breath to calm herself, and
turned to lead them.
As they moved deeper, Alister mumbled, his sharp eyes looking around the endless expanse of
towering shelves. “Still no monsters…”
Before Terra could respond, a notification appeared in his field of vision.
[System Alert: Boss Monster has been defeated.]
Alister’s eyes widened. “What…?” he muttered with shock.
Before he could process further, the ground trembled violently.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash echoed through the chamber, sending ripples of force that toppled
smaller shelves and scattered ancient scrolls like leaves in a storm.
From the far end of the chamber, a massive stone golem was hurled through the air like a ragdoll, its hulking form crashing into several shelves.