CHAPTER 312: THE FINAL QUESTION

"But... the time will be short. I can only hold out for another twenty years after the Stone is removed."

I was keeping the Lens focused on him, so I instantly sensed it. "Senior, please don’t lie."

Ossian’s skeletal features twitched slightly, and the emotional resonance flickered with... annoyance and begrudging respect.

Is it... working?

"...Ten years," he said finally, "That’s the most I can hold out for. Ten years before the seal weakens beyond my ability to maintain it."

Through the monocle, his words glowed with the steady warmth of truth, but underneath it all, there was still that strange undercurrent I couldn’t quite identify. Not deception exactly, but something hidden...

...I’ll find out soon enough.

"Is there no other way forward?" Zephyr stepped forward, his voice heavy with concern. "Some method to strengthen the seal, or transfer the burden to another guardian? Something we can do?"

Ossian shook his great skull slowly, his violet eyes dimming with what looked like genuine weariness. "You think I haven’t spent centuries considering every possibility? I’ve explored every ritual, every technique, every scrap of knowledge from the old world."

He gestured weakly toward the shadowy chamber around us.

"The seal requires a consciousness bound to this place, constantly feeding it will and purpose. When I fade, it fades with me. There’s simply no alternative."

"But there must be something we can do, right?" I pressed. "Some way to buy more time, at least."

"No, at least I don’t know. Besides, ten years... it should be enough," He said quietly. But I only sensed resignation in his voice rather than confidence. Had he given up, I wondered. "...It has to be. I believe that you’ll be able to complete your mission and return by then. Maybe you can even find a way to permanently seal the dimensional tears. Maybe I will be finally free..."

He paused, his gaze growing distant.

"I’ve carried this burden for so long that I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to place my hope in others. But watching you two, seeing the way you think, the questions you ask... perhaps there’s still a chance. Perhaps my sacrifice won’t be in vain after all."

He seemed smaller somehow, the weight of half a million years suddenly visible in the way his skeletal frame sagged.

"So, please don’t let me down," he continued, his voice carrying the weight of desperation barely held in check. "Both my life and the world’s safety lie on your shoulders now. I’m sorry to burden you with such responsibility, but there’s no one else. You’re our, no, my last hope."

His violet eyes flickered between us, and for a moment, the ancient guardian seemed almost... human in his vulnerability.

...Hmmm. Human, huh.

"I know it’s unfair to place such weight on two young shoulders, but you’ve already shown wisdom beyond your years. If anyone can succeed, it’s you two."

The chamber fell into heavy silence, broken only by the gentle pulsing of the Nexus Stone. The enormity of what we were taking on settled over us like a shroud.

"We understand," Zephyr said finally, his voice steady despite the gravity of the moment. "We won’t let you down, Senior. We won’t let the world down."

I nodded in agreement, though my mind was already racing with plans and contingencies. The pressure was immense, but it also crystallized my purpose.

This wasn’t an adventure or a quest scenario anymore; it was the difference between salvation and damnation for our entire world.

"Thank you," Ossian said, relief evident in his voice. "Now, before we proceed, is there anything else you need to know? Any final questions before you take the Stone and begin your journey?"

I seized the opportunity. "Actually, there is one more thing. Before we take the Stone and leave, could you help us check if that big bad mon-I mean the bone wyvern, is still lurking outside? We need to know if the path is clear."

Ossian nodded readily. "Of course. I can even help you take care of it."

He raised one skeletal claw, and the air shimmered before tearing open to reveal a portal overlooking the Ossuary Valleys. Through it, we could see the desolate landscape of scattered bones and twisted bone walls.

We all peered through carefully, scanning for any sign of the massive creature that had driven us to ’seek shelter’ here. The valley appeared empty except for the usual bone debris and occasional gusts of wind stirring the pale dust.

I even stepped out myself to make sure. I pretended to take a look at the surroundings.

...This should work, right?

I then glanced above, using Pulse of the Unseen.

’...’

"It seems to have moved on," Ossian observed after several minutes. "Likely hunting elsewhere by now."

...Done.

"You’re right," I replied, returning. "We should use the chance then."

Ossian closed the portal with another gesture.

"Ah, right, Senior, I almost forgot another important thing," I exclaimed the next moment. "Can I ask it?"

"Of course," Ossian nodded subtly.

"Thank you," I smiled gratefully. "It’s about the Architect of Discord. Can you tell us about his appearance? What he looked like when he was... with you? And his real form, if possible."

Ossian nodded thoughtfully, understanding the reasoning behind my request. "Ah, you want to be able to recognize him if you encounter him. Very wise, considering his talent for deception."

I gave him a weak nod.

He settled back slightly, his violet eyes growing distant as he recalled the memories.

"When he was with me... he appeared as a tall and firmly built man in his late twenties. He had pitch-black hair, always kept neat despite the battlefield conditions. Sharp features, the kind that women found handsome... nearly all the women in his units had crushes on him, actually."

"...Including mine."

A bitter sound escaped him that might have been laughter.

"He had green eyes that seemed to see right through you, as if he could read your very thoughts. Ah, right, he also had a scar across his left cheek from our third battle together, when an Abyssal creature nearly took his head off. I was the one who saved him that day."

Through the Heartstone Lens, I watched the emotional resonance around Ossian as he spoke. The memories glowed with warm truth, tinged with the complex mix of fondness and betrayal that came from recalling someone who had once been dear.

I nodded, filing away the details. "What about his true form? Have you heard about it, or seen it yourself?"

Ossian paused, his expression growing more uncertain. "I don’t remember clearly. Those final battles were chaotic, and as I mentioned, my own memories are... fragmented. But from what I recall, his skin should be completely black, like polished obsidian, and he had entrancing red eyes that could mesmerize even the strongest-willed individuals. A truly majestic figure, in a terrifying way."

He gestured vaguely with one skeletal claw. "But he always wore pitch-black armor and flowing robes that hid most of his form, so it was difficult to get a clear view of his true appearance. The darkness seemed to cling to him like a living thing."

Through the monocle, I could see the truth in his words, but there was something else there too, the same hidden undercurrent I’d been detecting throughout our conversation.

...And it was a lie...

Unfortunately, my guess was right.

Then...

It’s time to make the final move.

I looked at my Inventory while pretending to be searching for something inside the storage ring. After a few moments, I took out the Crescent Mirror, its black surface rippling in the chamber’s dim light.

"Senior, I have this useful relic," I said, holding up the mirror with what I hoped was an innocent expression. "Could you imagine the Architect’s appearance while looking into this mirror? It should help us see his true form more clearly, so we’ll know exactly what to watch for."

Ossian’s violet eyes fixed on the mirror, and for just a moment, I thought I saw something flicker across his skeletal features. But he nodded readily enough.

"Of course. Anything that might help you identify that monster more clearly."

"Then, please look into the mirror and imagine him as clearly as you can."

I watched as he leaned forward, looking into the rippling surface.

"..."

I focused my thoughts on wanting to see the "Architect of Discord’s" true appearance, while Ossian presumably did the same, unaware of its real functions.

...Damn it, I was right!

What appeared in the mirror’s surface wasn’t the handsome man or the black-skinned figure with red eyes that Ossian had described.

Instead, I saw a figure cloaked in writhing darkness that seemed alive with malevolent intelligence. The shadows moved independently around the form, and through them, violet eyes stared back with a depth of cunning and cruelty that made my blood run cold.

Gulp.

The emotional resonance radiating from the reflection was a twisted tapestry of amusement, malice, satisfaction, and something far worse - genuine anticipation, as if everything had been going exactly according to plan.

This was Ossian’s true self, revealed by the mirror’s power to show what lay behind all masks.

Hmm?

Just then, the reflection leaned closer, pressing against the surface of the mirror as though the glass itself might shatter under the weight of its presence.

!

It stared in my direction, its gaze piercing through the veil of the artifact, through my very soul. A voice that was not a voice, but the scraping of ancient bones and the whisper of collapsing realities, echoed directly in my mind.

(Clever boy~)

Shoot!

I kept my expression neutral, my heartbeat steady through sheer force of will, even as every instinct screamed danger.

Shoot.

Ossian was no longer looking at the mirror. He was staring directly at me, those ancient violet eyes growing cold and calculating.

"...You found out, huh?"