CHAPTER 1453: BENEATH THE ASHES

A dim, flickering light shimmered in the far distance, swaying like a lone lantern in the void. Lucas quickened his steps. The light swelled as he approached, until it swallowed the darkness entirely. A moment later, he stepped into a place that stole his breath.

Before him, countless doors stretched side by side in endless rows, their frames glowing faintly. They climbed upward in spiraling tiers, winding into the top until they vanished, engulfed in the darkness itself. Lucas noticed that each door was different, some gilded, some carved from ancient wood, some made from heavy stone, yet together they formed a vast, infinite labyrinth.

Lucas’s chest tightened. His voice came out in a whisper.

"Heavens... what is this place?"

"The Oblivion," Lory said softly, brushing his arm. "The space between every world."

The words sank in like a distant echo, but Lucas’s gaze had already been drawn to he giant white figure at the center.

There he was, standing with unshakable stillness like a mountain, beautiful and imposing, Girsha. The great bird’s feathers shimmered like snow, and his golden tail feathers flickered under the dimmed light. meanwhile, his emerald eyes scanned the endless doors like a guardian of the void itself.

"Girsha!" Lucas’s voice broke into a joy of relief as he strode forward. "Thank goodness you’re all right!"

The bird’s head turned, eyes softening. "It has been a long time, Prince—ah, forgive me... My King." Girsha bowed his massive head with the elegance of royalty.

"It was indeed far too long, lord Girsha." Lucas bowed his head in the same courteous manner, then he said in a warm tone. "Thank you for always watching over my troublemaker sister."

"Don’t mention it, it’s not like I have a choice." Girsha gives Lucas a helpless look.

"Ah, I know what you mean," Lucas nodded with a knowing look.

"Hey, you guys always bully me when you get together!" Lory protests.

"Birdieee~!" Jade’s joyful cry rang out as he darted forward, throwing himself into Girsha’s wings. The great feathers folded around him like a silken embrace.

"How is the tree?" Zhao Li Xin asked, his sharp eyes turning toward the peculiar trunk in the corner. The few leaves that once were there are now scattered like lost whispers on the floor.

"It has lasted longer than I dared hope," Girsha replied gravely. "But from the look of it, the tree will need a recharge."

Zhao Li Xin nodded. "Jade, can you help?"

The boy peeked out from the plumage, his face brightening with understanding. Without a word, he scampered to the tree, pressing his small hands to its bark.

Light pulsed from his palms, threading through the trunk like liquid gold. The branches trembled, then burst with life, emerald leaves unfurled in a rush, it was more dense and vibrant than before, then the tree stood whole once more.

Jade spun around, throwing Zhao Li Xin an unmistakable look that all but begged for praise. Zhao Li Xin didn’t say a word—he simply summoned a gold ingot and tossed it to him without a second thought.

Jade’s face lit up, overjoyed to receive his very first gift from Zhao Li Xin. He turned it over in his hands, laughing heartily as he played with it.

Off to the side, Lucas watched the boy with a complicated expression, while Lory sighed, rubbing her forehead over her husband’s tactless gift. She then noted herself to give Jade a better gift.

Zhao Li Xin, on the other hand already turned his attention to something else. "His power has grown," Zhao Li Xin murmured, his gaze lingering on the leaves that gleamed under the Oblivion’s faint light.

"It seems so," Girsha agreed.

"At least we can confirm one thing," Lory said, patting the boy’s head. "Jade won’t have to stay here in darkness forever. He can live in the Mystique Realm, check on the seal when needed... and Zalchana could do the same. If she agrees to take over Oblivion, she can visit Mystique’s realm if she gets bored, while Girsha and Jade are free." To Lory, it was the perfect solution. Zalchana will be locked away in another dimension without killing her, while Jade and Girsha walked free.

She turned toward Zhao Li Xin. "Would that be alright, Li Xin?" she asked, seeking his permission.

Zhao Li Xin’s smile was warm and doting. "Whatever you want, wife."

Lucas, watching them, was quietly amused by just how much Zhao Li Xin spoiled Lory—and happy for it.

"But..." His tone dropped, firm and unyielding. "We still need to determine whether Zalchana acted of her own will, or if she’s still under Lazarus’ influence. I understand your feelings, Lory—but regardless of her reason, Zalchana is still responsible for the deaths of many healers. If we show her too much mercy, it would be an insult to the victims and their families."

Lory froze, caught off guard. Lydia’s and Madeline’s faces flashed vividly in her mind, tightening her chest. She drew a slow, steady breath before giving a small nod. "I... understand."

"Mama?" Jade’s large amber eyes glimmered with a silent question as he looked up at her.

Her heart ached for him, but she understood Lucas’s reasoning. Perhaps bound her to the dark world like oblivion would be the suitable punishment for Zalchana, but still, she felt sorry for Jade.

Zhao Li Xin placed his hand on top of Lory’s head, stroking her head gently. "Don’t think too much about it. It’s not your responsibility to help them all." He understood why Lory felt for Jade; after all, she had lost her own mother at a young age.

"The first thing we should do," Zhao Li Xin said, his voice steady but low, "Is to unravel Zalchana’s past, first."

Lucas’s jaw tightened. "Yeah, let’s not waste more time."

"Okay." Lory drew in a deep breath, then extended her hand to Jade. "Would you lead the way?"

"Yes." The boy’s small fingers curled around hers, his smile oddly bright for a place that seemed to darken the air.

They ascended a narrow staircase, each step creaking faintly. At the top stood a door half-hanging from its frame, splintered and rotting as if it had been abandoned for centuries. The air here was heavier, pressing against the skin like damp cloth.

Lucas slowed, his shoulders stiffening. "Is this the place?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yes," Zhao Li Xin replied without hesitation, while the boy pushed the door wide.

Beyond lay a wasteland. The soil was cracked and black as ash, littered with the brittle skeletons of trees. The sky above was not simply dark, it was hollow, like the kind of emptiness that swallowed all light.

The sight stirred old memories in Lucas: the Dark Age War, battlefields where the air reeked of death. Only here, there were no demon beasts, just silence, vast and suffocating.

"It’s..." Lucas’s words caught in his throat.

"I know," Lory said quietly, as though speaking louder might wake something.

They crossed a long stone bridge spanning a crater so deep it seemed to have no bottom. Once, it might have been a lake or a river, but now it was nothing but a wound in the land. On the other side, the ruins of a palace awaited them. Crumbling pillars leaned like weary sentinels. Shattered walls gaped open to the sky. Everything here felt like it was still watching.

At the heart of the ruins stood a giant statue of a woman. Time and destruction had erased her face, leaving only the outline of what had once been beautiful.

"Mama!" Jade’s voice rang out as he pointed, cheeks flushed.

Lucas’s frown deepened. "Is that Zalchana?"

"It’s supposed to be," Lory murmured. "But Li Xin isn’t certain whether she’s his birth mother... or if the boy is merely a fragment of her."

"Either way," Lucas said, "she matters to him."

"Mm. You’re right. I just hope..." Lory’s tone darkened, "For his sake, we won’t have to kill her."

Zhao Li Xin led them further, into an open circle framed by towering pillars. Long ago, it might have been a garden filled with color and life. Now, at its center gaped a hollow so vast and deep it seemed the earth itself had been gutted.

"This," Zhao Li Xin said, eyes fixed on the pit, "is where the Scion went mad—and tried to devour me."

Jade shrank behind him, peering at the chasm as though it might pull him in.

Lucas knelt at the edge, pressing a hand to the soil. His eyes closed, lashes trembling as his brow furrowed. Beneath his lids, his eyes darted frantically, chasing something only he could see.

When he looked up, Lory was already watching him. "What is it?"

"So many dead..." His voice was raw, low. "The earth here isn’t just soaked in blood. It’s drowned in it. Every grain remembers." his ability to restore the time on the object gives him the ability to take a glimpse of the past.

Lory’s hands began to glow with a faint, cold violet light. She formed a small orb and sent it drifting down toward the ground. The instant it touched the soil, it shattered and vanished.

Her lips tightened. "Not even my power can heal this place."

Lucas let out a slow, almost bitter sigh. "No. only god could heal this cursed place..."

Lory puffed out her cheeks, then cracked her fingers. "Shall we start here?"

"We’re gonna need mana potions ready after this," Lucas said, pulling three small vials from the bag strapped to his leg and setting them on the ground beside him.

"You’re right." Lory did the same, then glanced at Zhao Li Xin. "If we pass out after this, just shove the mana potion into our mouths." she half jokingly said.

Zhao Li Xin’s face tightened into a mask of concern. "Is this going to be dangerous?"

Lory shrugged. "Every spell has its risks, but don’t worry, we’ll be fine. It’s just going to be exhausting," she added, drawing out the word with a helpless whine.

His expression didn’t ease; if anything, it grew tenser. He bent down, picked up the potions, and held them ready in his hands as if they were weapons.

"From now on, nobody moves. Li Xin, make sure Jade doesn’t get panicked or run around," Lory reminded him.

Zhao Li Xin gave a short nod, then turned to the boy beside him. "Stay!"

Lucas and Lory exchanged a look, both momentarily speechless at how he sounded like he was addressing a well-trained dog. Still, Jade obediently sat down next to Zhao Li Xin’s leg.