In Pursuit of the Universe

Taking a deep breath, Elias stepped away from the cavern's edge and began his descent, as the castle awaited his arrival.

He trudged forward as the icy wind sliced through his tattered clothes. After a few moments, he spoke again. "What about the Gatekeeper? Why was he so focused on me? Who – no, what – was he?"

The System's response came with its usual lack of elaboration.

[ The Gatekeeper serves a purpose, as do all things in this realm. Perhaps his interest lies in your history. ]

"My history? I don't even remember most of it. How can he know me?" Elias snapped frustratingly.

[ Memory is a fragile construct. Fragments often remain, even when the whole is lost. ]

"That doesn't answer my question though!"

Elias clenched his fists in irritation. "But, you sure are getting more talkative."

[ Sometimes, you have to let your thoughts out. Besides, it seems you are lightening up as well. ]

The System's response caught him off guard. He frowned. "I don't exactly have much to be cheerful about, do I?"

[ Survival often brings clarity. Your current disposition suggests adaptability – a positive trait. ]

Elias rolled his eyes. "Adaptability doesn't mean I'm enjoying this."

He walked on in silence for a while. The frozen landscape was unrelenting. Silence filled the air. The enraged Gatekeeper's bellows had died down as it had returned to guard the passageway. The occasional jagged ice pillar and the shattered ground offered the only breaks in monotony.

"System," Elias began after a while. "Why don't I feel the cold?"

[ Your body has been altered to endure this realm. ]

"Altered? When? And by who?", Elias asked.

[ Only the worthy ones are shielded from the chilling winds of the Ninth Circle while the others are consumed by it. ]

Elias frowned. "So.. I'm worthy to walk around this place without feeling the cold?"

[ Perhaps. Or there may be another reason, buried deep, deep below this frozen wasteland. ]

Elias shook his head, muttering under his breath. The System's cryptic responses had started to irritate him, but at least it offered a bit of clarity this time.

Elias continued in silence for a while before finally asking, "If I go through that passageway… will I truly ascend? Will I finally remember my lost memories?"

For a brief moment, there was only silence. Then, the System responded, its words hovering in air, distant yet deliberate.

[ Ascension may not the path to remembrance. But through the trials ahead, the truth will no longer remain veiled. ]

"You keep saying that. 'Ascend'. What does that even mean?"

[ To ascend is to rise above your current state, both physically and metaphorically. In this realm, ascension often equates to survival and progress. ]

Elias huffed. "You know, for something designed to help, you're remarkably unhelpful."

[ Consider this a test of your patience. ]

Elias muttered something under his breath and then, fell silent again. The icy wind howled around him. Despite his annoyance, he couldn't deny that the System was only source of information – or companionship, for that matter.

The path grew steeper and the jagged ice glimmered like fractured glass. As he climbed, the cold wind stung his face, and the barren landscape stretched endlessly around him.

Elias narrowed his eyes at the distant ruins of the massive castle before shifting his gaze to the raging figure of the Gatekeeper guarding the passageway.

"System… is there a connection between that castle and the Gatekeeper?" he asked, his voice low and cautious.

A pause. Then a metallic chime was heard:

[ One was forged to protect. The other was condemned to be forgotten. ]

Elias frowned. That wasn't an answer – at least, not one that made sense to him. His fingers curled slightly. Whatever lay ahead, it was something the System refused to speak plainly about. "Guess I'll have to check it out anyways. Not like I have anywhere better to-"

The words barely left his mouth when his foot slipped on a patch of hidden ice. He staggered as he flayed his arms for balance. With a started yell, he tumbled down the slope, rolling helplessly over sharp rocks and icy shards. Pain flared with every impact until he finally came to a stop at the base of the icy hill, with his body crumpled.

A sharp, searing pain shot through his arm, and he clutched it instinctively. His breaths became rough as he looked down to see his leg twisted unnaturally.

Elias let out a painful scream as his leg crunched against the frozen ground. Tears pricked his eyes as he clutched his leg with his hands, the unbearable sting making him gasp for breath. A sob of frustration and despair escaped him as he lay there, trembling.

Elias squeezed his eyes shut, his body trembling from the pain, the cold, and the sheer helplessness of it all. Why? Why was he here? Why couldn't he remember anything? Was this some kind of punishment? He felt like a prisoner trapped in a nightmare with no escape, no end, just endless suffering.

"I just… I just want to remember." His voice cracked as his vision blurred. "Why am I even here…?"

A familiar, glowing text appeared before his eyes.

[ You have sustained a severe injury. You are suggested to use the Sigil of Vitality. ]

Elias' blood boiled.

"That's it?!" he roared, his voice filled with frustration and rage. "That's all you have to say?! You tell me to keep going, but you never tell me why! You never give me answers! What the hell even are you?!"

Elias slammed his fist against the ground. "You're supposed to help me! But all you've done is spout riddles and watch while I suffer. Do you even understand what it's like?" he whispered as he glanced at the emptiness around him. "To be utterly alone? To have nothing and no one… except a voice that doesn't care?"

The silence from the System was deafening, and Elias laughed bitterly. "Of course not. You don't care at all. Why would you?!" His voice broke into a ragged whisper, "Are you just here to watch me suffer…?"

Silence.

Elias gritted his teeth, his hands trembling as they clenched into fists. He had no way out. No one to save him. Maybe he was destined to rot here all alone. Forever.

Then-

[ Activating the Sigil of Vitality. Note: There is a 7% chance of corruption. ]

The System's sudden response caught Elias off-guard. "Wai-" he screamed before he suddenly felt a surge of warmth through his entire body. It felt as if life were flooding back into his broken limb. His bones shifted and knitted themselves together in an excruciatingly yet oddly relieving process.

Elias clenched his teeth as the healing burned through him, leaving behind a faint ache where the break had been. He flexed his toes cautiously, marveling at the restored mobility.

[ The Sigil of Vitality has healed your injuries. You remain unaffected by corruption. ]

A shuddering breath escaped him. He hadn't activated the Sigil. The System had done it for him.

Slowly, he turned his gaze upward. The sky was a vast, empty abyss, an endless expanse of darkness that stretched far beyond what his eyes could perceive. There were no stars, no constellations to guide him – just an oppressive void that seemed to swallow everything whole.

Yet, amidst the boundless dark, a single dot of light shimmered faintly in the distance. It was minuscule, barely noticeable at first, but the longer Elias stared, the more it stood out – a lone beacon against the overwhelming darkness. It wasn't like the sun, nor was it like a star, it was something else, something completely different.

The light was weak, fragile, almost as if it could be snuffed out at any moment. And yet, it remained. Persistent. In a world that felt utterly devoid of meaning, where even his own existence seemed uncertain, the solitary glow was the only thing that felt real.

A strange sensation settled over him. It was not relief, nor was it comfort, but it quelled the storm raging inside his mind. The pain, the fear, the overwhelming sense of helplessness – none of it vanished. But in the presence of that distant glow, it no longer felt as unbearable. Something about it calmed him.

Elias exhaled. His anger drained, leaving only exhaustion in its place. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I just… I don't know what else to do."

He paused for a moment, and then asked, "That light… is that where I need to go?"

For the first time, the System's response wasn't cryptic.

[ Beyond the light… lies the truth to this universe. ]

Elias closed his eyes for a moment before pushing himself up. He brushed the frost off his clothes. "Alright. We are back to square one. No more tantrums. No more wasting time. If that is where the truth is, then that is where I will go."

[ Acknowledged. ]

"As robotic as ever, huh. Well at least you're consistent."

[ Your emotional outburst does not affect my operations. ]

"Well it does seem that you've become a bit more talkative."

[ If I were capable of sarcasm, I might have said, "You finally stopped whining, so I decided to reward you with actual words." But alas, I am not designed to deliver insults. ]

Elias let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "great. Even the damn System has a sense of humor." He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Fine… Let's just keep moving."

Elias groaned and pulled himself to his feet. He glanced around, realizing the rumble had brought him to a different part of the landscape.

The ice beneath him had become unnaturally clear, revealing a haunting sight. Dozens – no, hundreds – of bodies were frozen within the ice. Bodies, twisted and contorted in terror and agony. The faintest tinge of red stained the crystalline blue like diluted blood.

"What… is this?" Elias asked, staring at the ground below.

[ A graveyard for those who dared defy this realm and failed. A prison for rebels. Their essence feeds the ice, strengthening the realm's grasp on the soul's within. ]

Elias brushed his hand against the icy surface. The faint red swirls beneath him shimmered ominously. "So are they still alive?"

[ Alive? Not in the sense you understand. Their agony persists, sustaining this realm for eternity. ]

Their empty eyes seemed to plead silently to be released. Elias couldn't help but stare deep into their eyes, full of agony and terror. He tore his gaze away and pressed on.

The castle loomed closer now. Its sheer size seemed even more imposing up close. Frost clung to its walls, and jagged spires pierced the sky. Jagged spires of black stone jutted out from its skeletal remains, their surfaces worn and fractured as if time itself had tried to erase its existence. Massive frozen chains, thick as tree trunks, wrapped around its crumbling towers, binding it to the ground below like a prisoner. The colossal doors warped and splintered, barely hanging onto the rusted hinges.

Elias hesitated. "This feels like a bad idea."

He took a step forward, but the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Something felt wrong, as if the castle itself was watching him. A low creaking sound echoed from the direction of the castle's entrance.

Elias froze. "Did you hear that?", he whispered.

[ Yes… and I am sure you will hear much more before long. ]