Chương 195: Chapter 54: Covenant with the Paradox

Inside, the atmosphere shifted drastically. The chamber was illuminated by glass lamps housing live beetles whose abdomens glowed with an intense, cold blue light, bathing the space in a spectral clarity. The air smelled of sterile dust, ozone, and the faint, bitter scent of herbs meant to keep mold at bay. At the center of the room, standing as motionless as another statue, was a single man. He wore armor similar in design to that of the guards outside yet forged of polished steel grey.

He possessed the same military posture, the same absolute discipline in every line of his body. The moment they crossed the threshold, the massive door shut behind them with a definitive thud, sealing them within that subterranean sanctuary. The King walked toward the man. —Lufas, the Fragmentary —he said, introducing him. Selena looked from the King to the man, who, recognizing Thaerón, knelt in a fluid, seamless motion, bowing his head in a silent yet profound gesture of respect.

—I have come to consult the legacy of the first king, Eliud —Thaerón continued, his voice adopting a formal tone within this sacred enclosure— She is Selena of Solendra. An Arcane Resonant, Initiate, as well as Guardian of Ancient Artifacts. The man, Lufas, rose to his feet. His face was severe, marked by old scars and an expression of perpetual concentration. When he spoke, his voice surprised Selena: it was melodious, almost musical, forming a strange and unsettling contrast with his martial appearance.

—My lord, I understand. Yet bringing a Resonant here... He left the sentence hanging in the air like a suspended blade, while his clear, piercing gaze settled upon Selena with a blend of curiosity and profound caution. —I understand, Lufas. Do not worry —Thaerón replied, his voice carrying a calm intended to soothe both the guardian and the underlying tension of the space— She is a Lady of the Circle of Wisdom. Only an individual holding both titles could possess legitimate access. It is the law.

He then turned to Selena, his tone growing grave and instructional. —Yet it is paramount, above all else, that you comprehend something here, Selena. Do only as I instruct you. Lufas is not merely a soldier. He is the Fragmentary, the ultimate guardian. The rules of this chamber are absolute. Any broken protocol, even by the King... will cost the violator their head. Without trial, without appeal. His gaze left no room for doubt; it was no figure of speech. He then guided her beyond where Lufas stood.

There were five side chambers carved into the rock, their entrances sealed by featureless metal doors. Only three bore runes carved into the lintel, faint gleams of blue light pulsing from the beetles' luminescence. Following the King, they arrived before one whose primary rune Selena recognized: a composite symbol signifying "myth," "truth," or "price." Thaerón opened the door not with a key this time, but with a touch of his royal ring against a subtle panel and only then did they enter.

The chamber was small and austere. At its center, resting upon a pedestal of obsidian as black as night, lay a book. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. Selena held her breath. There it was. The object of her search, the King's promise, the key to so much mystery. The binding was made of a dark, cured hide that did not resemble that of any beast she knew.

On the cover, inscribed in characters that seemed crafted from the finest threads of silver still glowing with their own inner light was the title in ancient Volg-Thûr: The Imaginary and the Understanding of Echo. Yet the King gave her no command to touch it. He stepped between her and the pedestal; his silhouette framed against the bluish light. —First and foremost —he began, his voice low yet impossibly clear in the absolute silence of the room— this is the first king's book. You divine it and you know it.

But what you do not know... is that this is the artifact itself. It does not merely contain knowledge; it is an imagined artifact. It is known as the Book of the Joined Flesh. He paused, letting the name ominous and literal resonate. —It is the artifact Eliud brought forth upon his death, the very object capable of healing any wound, any physical ailment, and even the afflictions of the mind.

It is an imagined artifact, Selena, born from the founder's demise, which his descendants spent decades retrieving from the dungeon of corruption spawned by his passing. —He inhaled deeply, as though the mere act of speaking of it presented a burden— You must be fully conscious of what I am about to tell you: any active use of this book... will kill you. It is a certain sentence. It is no metaphor. The price for invoking its power is not merely life; it is a deferred curse.

You will be torn apart, dismembered by an invisible entity at any random moment in your future life. It matters not how powerful you become, nor how many precautions you take. Do not grow complacent. The sentence is inscribed into the very nature of the artifact. He looked down at the book, and then back at Selena, his grey eyes laden with an ancient warning.

—The translation I granted you that third gift within the university's library was a translated, edited, and expurgated version stripped of its most dangerous knowledge and practical instructions. You required the theory, but not the keys. This... —He pointed to the volume atop the pedestal—... details everything.

From how Eliud conceived and forged his first Resonant object while wandering through ruins seeking knowledge in Veritasilba, to the precise method by which he learned to combine the paths without going mad instantly and most dangerous of all: the exact manner in which to strike a covenant with the Void entity to which he bound himself. Selena nodded slowly; she had read all of that in the censored version, yet as a personal and historical account, not as an instructional manual. —Be careful.

Knowledge, without the most extreme care, is the greatest killer of all time. It killed Eliud. It has killed every soul who attempted to use this book after him. He turned and signaled to Lufas, who remained at the chamber's entrance, as still as part of the architecture itself. —Leave her to ponder her decision or read, at her own pleasure and peril, whatever she deems fit. Reading only.

—He sighed, a sound that seemed to pull along the weight of generations of kings who had guarded this secret— After all, every one of us... kings, soldiers, guards, Resonants... are, at some point, fools before the promise of definitive knowledge. He looked up toward the chamber's ceiling, as if looking past the solid stone. —Aelthra, have mercy on humanity, and on this one who now peers into the abyss. With bated breath, Selena extended her hand toward the book.

Her fingers, marked by training scars, came to rest upon the dark hiding cover. At her touch, a dual and powerful sensation rushed through her like a subterranean current. It was warm and comforting, like a mother's lullaby in the darkest night of childhood terror; yet, at the very same time, cold and piercing, like the visceral dread of losing forever everything that gave existence meaning.

These were not alternating emotions, but coexisting ones, intertwining in a pure and harrowing human contradiction: the shelter that threatens to become a prison, the safety that tastes of farewell. To merely touch it was already an intimate covenant with paradox.