Chương 365: Chapter 360 - Bypassing (not so) mainframes

Scarlett remained on the ruined platform where they'd fought the Cabal troupe, lingering until Rosa stirred. Thankfully, Allyssa's estimate had been accurate, and within minutes, the bard shifted with a faint groan, eyes fluttering open as her fingers twitched against the stone. Kat was already kneeling beside her, one hand firm on Rosa's shoulder to keep her from rising too fast.

"Welcome back to the land of the conscious," she said.

"You alright? You took a pretty nasty blow to the head." Rosa blinked, her gaze drifting past Kat. She tilted her head slightly, taking in the shattered platform and the deep gouges in the stone. Then her eyes settled on Scarlett, and something like awe softened her features.

"You did all of this for me…?" Scarlett gave her a flat look.

"I was not the one responsible for this destruction."

"Oh." A flicker of disappointment crossed Rosa's face, though it was likely more show than not. Kat cleared her throat and held up three fingers.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Rosa squinted.

"Are we talking about you, or your evil twin? Either way, it's three." Kat raised her brows and glanced over at Scarlett.

"…Should I be worried, or...?"

"You should not," Scarlett replied, shaking her head.

"If she retains the energy to be flippant, she is more than likely fine." Rosa chuckled weakly.

"You know me too well, Red. Here I was hoping for some sympathy, and all I get is cold pragmatism." She winced.

"Has my suffering wrung not even a sliver of concern from that thorn-covered heart of yours?" Scarlett regarded her for several seconds.

"…Do you expect me to say it has not? I do not intend to jest or lie." Rosa blinked again. For a moment, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed her face. Scarlett turned away.

"Now that you are awake, heal yourself — and the rest of us. We have delayed long enough." Her eyes drifted upward, scanning the dim heights above for movement among the shifting runes. Hopefully, another lift wouldn't descend anytime soon. Behind her, she heard Kat whisper in disbelief.

"Is this…Scarlett's version of being shy?"

"I'm not sure," Rosa murmured back, a curious note in her voice.

"It's rare. I've maybe seen it twice, ever." Scarlett turned back to them with a frown.

"Why are you still on the ground, Rosa?" The two exchanged a look Scarlett didn't much care for, but Kat helped Rosa up without comment. Rosa moved with surprising steadiness, brushing dust from her clothes and smoothing her curls. Allyssa handed her the klert, and Rosa took a moment to examine the instrument, fingers tracing the wood before gripping the handle at the bottom and giving it a crank. A strained note squealed out. Rosa frowned, adjusted a tuning peg, and cranked again.

This time, a rich, resonant melody emerged. A soft violet shimmer enveloped them all, and Scarlett felt a wave of warmth ripple through her. She glanced at her leg. She'd already cleaned the blood with her hydrokinesis, and her earlier healing had stopped the bleeding — but now, Rosa's magic vastly accelerated the process. In seconds, what remained of the wound closed. The woman's charms really were in a class of their own.

Scarlett suspected that her [Crown of Flame's Benediction] could have healed it completely if she'd flooded the artifact with enough mana, but it wouldn't have come close to this efficiency.

"Wait — what happened to your leg?" Rosa asked, noticing the tear in Scarlett's trousers and the rapidly mending skin.

"A minor injury. It no longer matters, with your charms in effect," Scarlett replied. Rosa frowned, but Scarlett ignored her and turned towards the bridgeways they'd used to get here.

"Let us waste no more time. Fynn, lead the way as before — and stay alert. Any others who have made it this far are unlikely to be allies." Without ceremony, the group moved out, leaving the shattered terrace behind. As uneven and collapsed as it was, Scarlett could thankfully blink across the widest gaps using her [Garments of Form], avoiding the need to be carried like Rosa and Kat. As they crossed the bridgeway, Scarlett noticed Rosa glancing back.

"…Is something troubling you?" she asked. Rosa turned with a faint smile and shook her head.

"Nah." She tapped a knuckle against her temple.

"Just clearing out cobwebs." Scarlett studied her a moment.

"…You are wondering what that attack was, are you not?" Rosa's smile didn't waver, but Scarlett was fairly certain she'd struck home. She had gotten pretty good at reading the woman. Her gaze swept to the others — Kat, Allyssa, Fynn, and Shin. All of them looked to her, waiting, not speaking. Even Arnaud. They likely assumed she wasn't going to talk about it. She walked in silence for a while, then spoke, her voice carrying to all of them.

"…I still do not fully understand what those entities are. However, I suspect they were some form of…overflowing likenesses. Reflections of possibilities."

"Possibilities?" Kat asked.

"What kind of possibilities?"

"The kind where, perhaps, Fynn stood two steps to the right instead of where he is now. Or where Rosa chose to use an illusion charm instead of a healing one." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"You mean like potential futures?" Shin asked, a trace of curiosity in his voice. Scarlett glanced at him, then gave a small nod.

"Yes. In a manner of speaking." Allyssa tilted her head.

"So when Fynn said he sensed himself and Rosa earlier…he wasn't just imagining it? He was literally sensing alternate versions of them? Or, like, reflections of where they could have been?"

"That is my current belief," Scarlett said.

"That's…kind of creepy."

"It certainly is," Arnaud added, his brow furrowed in thought.

"But that means we might run into reflections of me and Shin too?" Allyssa asked.

"And dad? Or Kat?"

"…Perhaps," Scarlett said. Allyssa frowned, clearly chewing on the thought. Then she gestured loosely with one hand.

"But what about the ones none of us recognise? Who are they supposed to be?"

"Presumably, they are individuals who might have reached this place had circumstances unfolded differently."

"Including the one that attacked us?" Arnaud asked.

"Yes," Scarlett answered. The man watched her closely.

"They were a fearsome adversary. Do you know who that reflection might have been based on?" Scarlett met his gaze.

"I have never encountered an individual with that precise ability — if that is what you are asking." He studied her for a beat longer, then gave a slow nod.

"I see." A quiet fell over the group, and the discussion seemed to end there. They drifted into smaller conversations as they continued across the terraces. Scarlett only spoke when addressed, and even then, her replies were brief. Overall, the mood had shifted, becoming more alert and aware. The encounter with the Hallowed Cabal had likely reminded them all just how precarious their journey through Beld Thylelion truly was, and what might be at stake.

Still, Scarlett was relieved they hadn't lost their spirit because of it. They walked for some time, eventually passing back through the terrace where Fynn had first sensed the Cabal group. The jagged outcrop resembling a miniature mountain loomed before them. Thankfully, there was no visible reaction from Fynn's ancestors this time, and they crossed the area without incident. Terrace after terrace followed, with a few minor skirmishes with constructs along the way — but nothing close to the Cabal fight.

At last, they reached their destination. The heart of the chamber wasn't the grand, arcane sanctum one might have expected. Instead, a simple circular platform awaited, six bridgeways stretching from it like spokes. At its centre stood another lift: carved stone ringed with glowing lines and glyphs. Scarlett stepped onto it with the others and approached the pedestal embedded in its middle. She studied the engraved panel.

"Will this take us deeper into this place?" Kat asked, stepping up beside her.

"I believe so," Scarlett replied. She reached out and touched the panel. Lines of light flared to life across its surface, and she began working through the now somewhat familiar interface.

"If my predictions prove correct, we are currently in the middle levels of Beld Thylelion. This lift should at least bring us to the next tier… and with some effort, I may be able to override it to go deeper." That hadn't been a thing in the game, but she wouldn't be surprised if some lifts had hidden functions beyond their defaults. A wave of glyphs and blue sigils rippled across the panel. Scarlett paused to read them, then activated a new sequence.

She was grateful she'd taken the time to study the previous lift during their earlier descent. To her left, Kat leaned in, squinted, then quickly pulled back to scan their surroundings instead.

"Well, I don't really know what that means, but good luck figuring it out."

"The sentiment is appreciated," Scarlett said.

"Perfunctory as it was." Rosa leaned in from the other side, pointing at a cluster of flickering symbols.

"Those look important. Try pressing them." Scarlett shot her a sidelong glance, resisting the very real urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she clicked her tongue and tapped the indicated symbols. The interface pulsed with light, and a low hum filled the air. That had to be pure luck. There was no way Rosa could have known those were the exact symbols Scarlett had planned to press. She very deliberately ignored the smug curl on the bard's lips and refocused on the panel.

Midway through the process, a strange set of glyphs flashed across the surface — ones she didn't recognise. The legacy in her mind wasn't fast enough to decipher them before they vanished. Brow furrowed, Scarlett repeated the input sequence. The glyphs didn't return. But something had changed. The interface felt… lighter. More responsive. … That was strange. Strange and suspicious. She kept working, minutes slipping by in silence as the others waited.

Eventually, a pulse of light flickered across the panel, and the platform beneath them gave a subtle lurch. They were descending. The others glanced around as the platform moved.

"You're very welcome," Rosa said sweetly, stepping back with a little flourish.

"… Thank you," Scarlett replied in a flat voice. She looked away from the panel and up, towards the arc of glowing runes and the golden filaments arcing in and out of existence. She was deeply curious what those were actually for. It would have been nice if an answer had been present in this chamber, but she doubted it. Hopefully, the depths held more than just danger. The lift descended faster than the previous one. The light above faded as the stone walls closed in.

Scarlett wasn't entirely sure, but she was fairly confident she had managed to override the lift's default control — enough to potentially bring them deeper than what had been possible in the game. Even if she hadn't, the increased speed was definitely her handiwork. That counted for something. The descent stretched on. Several minutes passed, filled mostly by Rosa complaining about her ears popping and launching into a ridiculous word game with Kat and Allyssa to kill time. Then, the walls widened.

The lift passed into a new chamber. It was smaller than the one above. A simple circular space, with a few narrow paths leading outward. If Scarlett remembered correctly, this marked the beginning of the levels beyond the middle tier, so they were making good progress. But she'd hoped to go further. As the lift neared the chamber floor, the group readied themselves to disembark — only for the platform to continue downward, sliding seamlessly into the stone below. Several heads turned towards Scarlett.

She glanced up at the chamber vanishing overhead, then back to the panel in front of her. It seemed she really had succeeded in overriding the destination. Where exactly would this take them, she wondered? The platform maintained its speed. More minutes passed. The air grew heavier—denser—until, without warning, Rosa stumbled and collapsed. Scarlett spun towards her, but Fynn was already there, a gust of wind trailing behind him as he caught her.

Rosa pressed a hand to her temple, blinking as if shaking off a sudden weight.

"Thanks," she muttered, letting Fynn steady her.

"Are you okay, Rosa?" Scarlett asked, stepping closer, brows drawn tight.

"Think so," Rosa answered, managing a small, reassuring smile.

"I was just caught off guard." She hesitated, then looked down — towards where the Heartstone sat.

"… I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be wherever this is taking us." Scarlett's frown deepened. She glanced around at the walls of smooth, glyph-etched stone. After a moment of silence, she raised one hand. The [Eternal Flameweaver's Athame] materialised in her grasp, its blade glowing like molten obsidian frozen in time. It seemed to pulse just slightly. She hadn't noticed it at first, but now that she focused, she could feel it. The same strange sensation she'd barely detected earlier.

Not just the weight of Fate or the pressure of this place. It was that airy or diffused presence that had staggered Rosa. It was growing stronger, wasn't it? Her eyes lingered on the Athame's blade — then widened. She'd felt something. Like a pinprick. A spark. Almost unbidden, pale blue-white flames raced up the hilt, dancing along the edge of the blade. Then they flared outward, and suddenly, she was surrounded by a circle of fire. The others cried out in alarm. And then she heard it.

A whisper at the edge of awareness. A voice. Or the ghost of one. My chosen. The lift came to a stop.