In Pursuit of the Universe

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

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

Elias stood at the edge of the castle's shadow staring at the massive structure looming before him. The jagged spires reached into the sky, glowing faintly at their tips. The castle's silhouette seemed to ripple faintly as if it were an illusion caused by the black mist clinging to its wall.

The noise he had heard earlier, a low, guttural sound, still echoed faintly in his mind It came from within the castle, though its source remained a mystery. Every instinct in him screamed to stay away, yet he pressed forward, drawn by the gnawing curiosity and the feeling that answers awaited him within.

"As they say, curiosity kills the cat", Elias chuckled nervously.

[ The source of all your answers might as well be your curiosity. ]

As he approached the outskirts, he noticed the ground below had changed. It wasn't dirt or stone beneath his feet but a coarse layer of ashen remains, with cracks running deep, glowing faintly with a pulsating cyan light. The air felt heavy with remnants of old, powerful magic emanating from the castle itself.

There was sparse vegetation surrounding the area, but it was unlike anything Elias had ever seen before. They were small and malformed. Their stalks were brittle and bent at unnatural angles. Thin, wiry blades of grass, dark as soot, sprout intermittently. Scattered fungi grew in clusters, emitting a faint bioluminescent glow.

Elias crouched besides the withered remains of what once might have been a plant. The leaves, if they could even be called that, crumbled at the slightest touch, releasing a faint, acrid scent that stung his nostrils. He narrowed his eyes. Plants? Here? In this forsaken wasteland?

Frowning, he muttered, "System, what is this?"

[ It had been a part of the castle itself, but has now become corroded. Though, it is quite unusual. ]

"Unusual… how?"

[ This is the Ninth Circle after all. ]

A chill ran down his spine. He knew better than to expect a straightforward answer, but something about the System's response gnawed at him. His gaze flickered between the corroded plant and the ruined castle in the distance. What did it all mean?

Elias continued further, coming across scattered remnants of stone buildings lying around the castle, half-buried and crumbling. He also noticed ancient symbols etched into nearby stones and even the ground, which glowed faintly.

His gaze drifted upward as he noticed dark shapes circling above the ruined castle. They moved ins low and deliberate patterns. Their forms were grotesque – twisted mockeries of vultures, with elongated necks and too many eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light.

"And those?", he asked, warily watching their movements.

[ Scavengers. ]

"Of what?"

[ What remains of the souls. ]

A chill ran down his spine. What were they waiting for? Why did they stay near the castle, never leaving, never landing? They almost seemed… expectant.

As he was looking up, he felt something near his leg. His gaze fell to a cluster of creatures on the ground – small, dark shapes crawling out from the cracks in the ice. They were insect-like, their segmented bodies glinting black and red as they darted across the ground. One of the creatures paused as it twitched its antennae as though sensing him, before scurrying back into the cracks in the icy ground.

Elias stepped back instinctively as his unease started growing. "What the hell are those?", he muttered loudly.

[ Lesser manifestations of malice – mere insects. Harmless alone, but in great numbers, they can be overwhelming. Insignificant, for the most part. However, the do seem to be drawn to you. ]

"Me…? Why?"

[ The wind carries scents unseen, and the starving will always seek a feast. Perhaps they have simply found something… familiar. ]

Disgusted, he quickly brushes them off and continues further.

The perimeter of the castle stretched much farther that he'd initially realized. The closer he got, the heavier the air became. Elias moved cautiously, trying to investigate every small detail when suddenly, he noticed something move from the corner of his eye.

"What is that!?" Elias gasped. It was near one of the castle windows. The shadowy figures moved away in ways that defied logic, hurriedly escaping as Elias' gaze fell over them.

[ Ignoring them would be the best course of action if you wish to find your answers. ]

"Fine… I'll go inside… after I find a way in that is…" Elias chuckled nervously.

Finally, Elias found himself at what seemed to be a weak point in the castle's defenses – a large, shattered window on one side of the structure. The jagged edges of the window framed an entrance. Peering inside, he saw only darkness – a void that seemed to devour the faint light from the outside.

He paused, gripping the edge of the window. The air was colder, heavier, and carried a strange scent – a mix of decay and blood. He hesitated for a moment, then taking a deep breath, jumped inside.

His boots pressed into the frost-laden stone. The crackling of ice beneath his steps was the only sound in the vast empty corridors.

The entrance hall stretched forward into darkness, lined with towering pillars that had long since lost their grandeur. The ceiling loomed far above, but Elias could make out glimpses of a shattered chandelier, its crystals embedded in the frozen ground like shards of fallen stars.

The walls bore faint traces of an unfamiliar script etched into the walls; the carvings nearly consumed by time. Elias ran his fingers over the markings, feeling the deep grooves beneath the layers of frost. They were unreadable, yet carried an unsettling weight – as if the words themselves had once held power.

He could barely make out a few letters misaligned and stretched across the wall. It wasn't a code – it was scrambled, fragmented. Strangely, part of the text was hidden behind a cracked column, making Elias wonder if its true meaning depended on the arrangement rather than the words themselves.

He traced the grooves of the inscription, but the edges felt uneven, as if the letters had been altered – shifted. It was subtle, barely noticeable, but the precision of the marks told him it wasn't erosion. Someone had changed these symbols long ago. Strange. There were 5 deep scratches beside the inscription – almost like tally marks.

There was something peculiar about the inscription – below it, a symbol faintly resembling an eye, etched into the stone. As if it were meant to be seen as an image rather than spoken.

"What is this? Can you decipher it?"

[ An ancient script, likely of divine origin. Much of it is eroded, making full translation impossible, and my knowledge of this script remains incomplete. However, fragments such as 'veil' and 'judgement' can still be discerned. The final section translates obscurely to '6OmkdD3'. ]

"Huh? What does that even mean?"

[ Perhaps… it was not inscribed for you. ]

"Then… for whom?"

[ If you must ask, I think that the message holds nothing for you – at least, not yet. ]

Still unable to make sense of the response, Elias furrowed his brows but chose not to dwell on it. Whatever the message meant, it wasn't something he could decipher now. With a quiet exhale, he turned away from the strange inscriptions and continued forward into the depths of the castle.

Scattered along the length of the hallway, the remnants of destruction told their own story. Splintered doors hung ajar, some leading into rooms filled with tattered banners and shattered furniture, while others exposed nothing but gaping voids.

Elias moved cautiously. For a brief moment, he swore he heard an extra step, slightly out of sync with his own. He halted; his breath caught in his throat. Silence. But the air carried something else – a presence, lingering just beyond his reach.

The ground beneath his feet crunched with debris – fragments of armor, broken weapons, and what looked like claw marks gouged into the stone.

He moved on and came upon a door, half-broken as if it was shattered by some immense force. Elias hesitated for a moment before lowering himself and crawling through the narrow gap. Inside, the armory was in complete disarray – weapon racks toppled, shields dented and torn apart, and suits of armor missing entire limbs.

Some weapons remained untouched, their blades glinting under the thin layer of frost as if waiting for a hand to wield them once more. As Elias moved further inside, the wooden floor beneath him let out a deep, resonant creak – too deep. He paused, stepping back, and the sound came again. The ice-coated planks had shifted slightly under his weight, revealing a narrow gap between them. With a cautious press of his boot, the floor gave way, exposing a hidden stairway leading downward.

A rush of warm air met him as he descended, starkly different from the frozen ruins above.

[ You have entered a Protected Space. ]

Elias narrowed his eyes. "Protected Space?" he asked. The System's response came after a brief pause.

[ A region insulated from external influence and sustained by residual energy. ]

"Is it different from a Safe Zone?"

[ A Protected Space is a space deliberately shielded by an entity or their energy. It is governed by its creator's intents. A Safe Zone, however, is different. It is not created but rather exists – space where external threats cannot reach, not because of a will enforcing it, but because of the nature of the place itself. ]

"So one is made, and the other just… is?"

[ Precisely. The difference is in their foundations and origin. ]

"What about the cavern I was in?"

[ That was a temporary Safe Zone – one that fluctuates and is not absolute. Unlike a permanent Safe Zone, which exists as a fixed anomaly, a temporary one is shaped by external factors. However, a Safe Zone – temporary or permanent – does not confine those within. It only denies entry to threats. The cavern allowed you to leave because the protection was woven around you, not binding you. ]

"So… did that girl have a role in it?"

… Silence. It seemed as if the System did not want to respond to any questions related to that mysterious silhouette.

"What happens when a temporary Safe Zone collapses?" Elias asked, attempting to change the subject.

[ It ceases to be. It is only as strong as the factors sustaining it. Once that force fades… so does the protection. ]

"And a Protected Space?"

[ A Protected Space may also be temporary or permanent. A temporary one may collapse under certain conditions. However, a permanent one, like a permanent Safe Zone, does not collapse under normal circumstances. Their existence is anchored either by the realm itself or by an immensely powerful force that ensures their stability. ]

Elias stood still, processing the meaning behind the System's words. This was just the start of his journey and there was a lot he had no idea about. Shaking off his unease, Elias rolled his shoulders and stepped forward. There was no turning back now.

Elias glanced around, his gaze tracing the untouched stone walls of the basement. This place had been abandoned like the rest of the castle, and yet it remained untouched by the decay that had claimed everything above. "Then how is it still here? In a place like this?" he murmured, more to himself than the System.

The silence that followed was telling. The System either did not know – or would not answer. The basement was untouched by time, its stone walls fee of the frost that had claimed the rest of the castle. A single lantern hung from the ceiling, its flame flickering unnaturally slow, casting long shadows over the pristine room. Weapon racks lined the chamber – holding a sword, a shield, a polearm, and a staff, each in immaculate condition, their edges gleaming in the dim light.

Elias approached the weapons cautiously, his fingers grazing the hilt of the sword before moving to the polearm. He picked each of them up in turn, testing their weight, balance and craftsmanship. The sword felt natural in his grasp, its edge keen and unblemished. The polearm was heavier and its reach was impressive, but was not something that Elias could yield. The shield, despite its age, bore no signs of wear, its surface reflecting a faint shimmer under the dim light.

When he reached for the staff, his grip instinctively settled near the top. The motion felt practiced, yet foreign. His brows furrowed. He had no memory of wielding such a weapon. And yet – when he reached for the staff, his grip instinctively settled near the top. A sensation stirred within him, a flicker of something distant – an echo of familiarity buried beneath the haze of forgotten time. The weight of the staff felt right in his grasp, as though his hands were familiar with it. And yet – he knew he had never wielded it before.

[ Incompatible. ]

The designation carried weight – Elias felt a resistance, not physical, but something deeper. The staff rejected him, as if sensing his lack of attunement.

Elias frowned. "Why?" he asked aloud.

The System responded in its neutral tone:

[ Requirements not met. ]

"What requirement?" Elias pressed.

[ Possession of intrinsic Mana flow. ]

Elias narrowed his eyes. "And mana is?"

A brief pause. Then, the System answered:

[ Residual cosmic energy, woven into existence at creation. All life interacts with it, but not all can harness it. ]

Elias took some time to process the System's words before setting the staff aside. He chose the sword, fastening its scabbard to his waist. With a quiet sigh, he turned back, his new sword resting at his side. Climbing up the creaking steps, he moved to leave the armory basement – only to find an unseen force pressing against him. A faint, almost imperceptible resistance filled the air.

[ Exit conditions unmet. The Protected Space you are in is a one-way passage that does not allow escape at will. If you want to leave, you will have to uncover what is keeping you bound within. ]

Tightening his grip on the sword, Elias exhaled sharply, frustration curling in his chest like a coiled serpent. Was he trapped? He clenched his jaw and fists.

A flicker of unease crept up his spine. His pulse quickened and muscles tensed as his anxiety rose steadily. A caged animal – that's what he was right now. The realization sent a cold shiver down his back.