CHAPTER 248: CHAPTER 248 CORE SOURCE

"What?" Lance asked again. He had heard the mage perfectly well, but the term Night Walkers meant nothing to him.

"I’ve only heard stories about them," the mage replied, his voice tight. "But from what I’m seeing now... they match the descriptions, and maybe, even worse. We can’t fight these creatures."

"All we can do is wait for dawn and hope they leave on their own. Until then, the mages must focus entirely on maintaining the barrier. Fortunately, the barrier was imbued with light-based magic; otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to hold them back, and we’d all be slaughtered."

He shuddered, refusing to imagine the fate of the guards who had gone outside. He could already guess.

Right now, his only hope was that no one on their side would be foolish enough to interfere with the mages sustaining the barrier, or, worse, run outside. If everyone stayed put, perhaps they could survive until the Princess and the others returned.

Lance didn’t respond, choosing instead to remain silent. For now, he was simply relieved to know that Archmage Elric was safe; it likely meant the rest were as well. All he had to do was hold this side until they returned.

"Everyone, stay inside the barrier," he ordered firmly. "No one leaves. We’ll retrieve the bodies of our fallen comrades tomorrow morning. Until then, no one acts without my command."

"Sir, yes, sir!" the guards chorused.

But when the Night Walkers realized no one was stepping beyond the barrier, no matter how perfectly they mimicked the voices of friends and allies, they grew agitated. Their deception abandoned, they turned violent, slamming against the barrier with relentless force.

The mage who had been speaking with Lance startled at the sudden change outside and quickly rushed back to join the others. The violent disturbance against the barrier rippled through their ranks, and some of the mages trembled as the strain grew, mana draining from them at an alarming rate just to keep the barrier intact.

"Hold on! We can’t let the barrier fail!" the mage shouted, channeling some of his own mana into one of the faltering spellcasters while pulling out several mana stones to replenish their reserves.

"Understood," the other mages responded, their focus unwavering, but beads of sweat soon dotted their brows. The assault was taking its toll. Lance could see the danger mounting, and a nervous knot formed in his chest.

He and the other guards were all shifters, trained for physical combat, but physical attacks seemed useless against the Night Walkers. He had witnessed one pass right through a fallen comrade. From what the mage had told him, only light magic could harm these creatures.

That left them with no choice but to stay strictly inside the barrier, forbidding anyone from wandering outside.

While Lance and the caravan faced imminent danger, Addison and the others stood before the massive door. Elric spent a long time deciphering the ancient text inscribed upon it, carefully choosing his words.

Just like with the array on the platform, one wrong incantation would seal the door shut forever. That was why Elric took so long.

When he finally finished chanting, sweat drenched him in layers, and he let out a shaky breath of relief.

As before, Levi hoisted Elric onto his back to give him a moment’s rest. Meanwhile, Maxwell and Zion positioned themselves on either side of the heavy stone door. Their muscles strained, veins bulging as they pushed with all their strength, but the door was massive, its sheer weight threatening to overwhelm even their combined power.

"Ugh!" Maxwell groaned, struggling against the weight.

"Did you skip a meal or something? Push harder!" Zion teased with a smirk, managing to inch his side of the door open slightly farther than Maxwell.

Maxwell ignored the jab, planting his feet firmly and pushing with renewed force. Slowly, the door gave way another three inches.

"Try using your actions instead of your mouth," Maxwell shot back with a snort before focusing all his strength on the door again.

Zion rolled his eyes but pushed harder, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. After several grueling minutes, they finally pried the massive door open about a meter from both sides.

They paused, knowing it would take too long to open it fully.

As soon as Addison spotted the gap, she thrust the lantern forward and was immediately met with a stronger gust of wind pouring out from within. Undeterred, they pressed onward, but with every step, the air grew colder, biting like the depths of winter.

"This chill must be coming from the nether energy," Elric murmured, trembling slightly behind Levi. Luckily, as a shifter, Levi’s body radiated natural warmth, helping Elric endure the cold until a flicker of light appeared ahead.

"That must be the end of the cave," Elric said cautiously.

What puzzled him, though, was that even after all this time, they hadn’t encountered a single dark fairy or Night Walker, something highly unusual. He suspected those creatures were either deeper inside or imprisoned just beyond the light.

They quickened their pace and soon entered a wide chamber. In the center, atop a meter-tall pedestal, flickered a radiant light.

"The Core Source!" Elric exclaimed, staring at the glowing orb.

Addison scanned the room and noticed it was unlike the cave’s rough exterior. The floor was marbled tile, and seven tall pillars stretched up to the ceiling. Above, a mural adorned the ceiling, though its meaning eluded her.

Then, a distant memory stirred, a snippet from a book she’d read as a child about fairies. Somehow, she felt she had seen that very mural before.

"Now that we’ve found the Core Source, all we have to do is break it, right?" Maxwell said, stepping closer to the glowing orb.

"No... Help me... Help us!"

Addison suddenly heard a faint whisper. Her eyes snapped away from the mural, scanning the room in confusion. She couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from, but she noticed several dim orbs embedded in the seven pillars around them.

Just as Maxwell raised his fist to smash the Core Source, Addison doubled over, clutching her head.

"Stop!" she screamed, pain etched across her face.

Maxwell froze, concern replacing his determination.

"What’s wrong?" Maxwell and Zion crouched beside her, while Levi quickly set Elric down and rushed to Addison’s side.

"Addie, don’t scare me. What’s happening?" Levi soothed gently, reaching out to cradle her and rub her back, hoping to ease the pain just like he used to when he was still her Gamma.

But Addison couldn’t hear them clearly; the voice in her mind was louder, relentless, tearing through her thoughts with such agony she feared her head would burst.

After a while, the pain began to fade, and Addison finally managed to catch her breath. Her face was flushed from the pain, and tears still clung to her lashes, giving her eyes a reddened, haunted look.

"What’s wrong, Addie?" Levi asked gently, his voice soft and coaxing.

"I—I don’t know..." Addison replied, her gaze distant as she looked around the room once more. She was certain she’d heard a voice, but its source remained a mystery. The voice had seemed to invade her mind, forcefully pushing through her thoughts in a way that felt both urgent and intrusive.