Chapter 363: Chapter 363: The Brother’s Shadow
The ruined chamber carried a weight that pressed heavier than the stone ceilings above them. Dust floated lazily in the air, stirred only by their footsteps. Selene moved methodically, her cold eyes scanning the scattered vials and broken jewelry with the precision of someone dissecting a puzzle.
"This doesn’t feel like something ceremonial," she murmured, brushing her fingers across an overturned chest of fine clothes. "It’s personal. Someone lived here... someone powerful."
Noel didn’t answer immediately. His focus was on the cracked desk, its surface marred by deep, violent scratches. He crouched, running a hand along the grooves. A faint shiver crawled into his palm—mana residue, still lingering. But it wasn’t fire, frost, or lightning.
It was shadow.
His grip on Revenant Fang tightened. ’Shadow... this doesn’t belong to Elarin. He wielded light, always. No, this is different. This is his brother’s presence. The one who opposed him, the one who tried to stop him when he changed at Mana Code. He was here.’
Closing his eyes briefly, Noel pressed his hand against the desk. Mana pulsed, and shadows curled like smoke, seeping into the cracks. With a click, a hidden compartment slid open beneath the desk.
Selene’s head turned at the sound, her tone sharp. "What did you do?"
Noel pulled out a small chest, its surface sealed with dark runes that pulsed faintly in answer to his touch. The shadows didn’t resist him—they welcomed him, as if recognizing something familiar.
Selene stepped closer, cautious. "I can’t open that. The magic rejects me."
Noel stared down at the chest, his heartbeat heavy in his ears. ’Of course it does. It was never meant for him... it was his brother’s legacy. And now it’s mine to uncover.’
The chest was small enough to fit in Noel’s hands, its surface rough with age. The runes etched into it pulsed faintly, shadows curling around his fingers as if urging him to open it.
He exhaled slowly, pushing mana into the seal. The resistance gave way instantly, like the chest had been waiting centuries for him. The lock clicked, and the lid creaked open.
Inside lay a single item.
A necklace.
It wasn’t ornate, nor studded with jewels. Just a simple chain of blackened silver, holding a dull pendant carved with faint, almost invisible lines. It looked old, worn, unremarkable—something you’d expect to find at a market stall, not buried within a sanctuary of legends.
Selene tilted her head, her voice flat but edged with curiosity. "That? After all this, it’s just... a necklace?"
Noel didn’t answer. The moment his fingers brushed the pendant, the system’s interface erupted across his vision.
[Mission Complete: Investigate the Sanctuary of Elarin.]
[Reward: ??? Unlocked. Want to Claim?]
[You have acquired: Pendant of the Forgotten.]
His chest tightened as power hummed faintly through the chain, more spiritual than magical, like a weight of history pressed into metal.
Selene folded her arms, studying him. "What is it?"
Noel slipped the pendant into his palm, closing his fist around it. He forced a half-smile. "Doesn’t look like much. But... maybe it meant something. A key to something bigger."
She didn’t look convinced, but she let it go.
Noel’s thoughts sharpened, voice turning inward. ’This wasn’t Elarin’s. He lived by the light, and this reeks of shadow. His brother’s hand is all over it. Which means... he was here. And he left this behind for someone like me to find.’
The pendant felt cold against his palm, heavier than its size should allow. The system prompt hovered in front of his eyes, pulsing faintly like it was waiting.
[Reward available. Claim?]
Noel exhaled slowly, his voice low enough that Selene couldn’t catch it. "...Claim."
The pendant flared briefly, and the system responded.
[Reward Claimed.]
[I await you in Thorne territory. The library. When you prevent the fall of House Thorne, I will reveal everything.]
[Additional Reward: Mana Core Advancement +10%.]
The rush hit instantly. Heat surged through his veins, followed by a cold spike that rattled his bones. His mana core pulsed violently, expanding, strengthening, as if chains around it were breaking apart. Noel clenched his teeth, sweat breaking down his neck as the surge nearly drove him to his knees.
[Current Core Progress: 29.23% – Mana Core: Ascendant]
He sucked in a sharp breath, forcing himself upright, chest heaving. ’So it’s true. The one guiding me... the brother. He was here. And now he’s leading me straight to Thorne territory.’
Selene’s eyes narrowed at his stagger, her tone clipped. "What happened? Are you injured?"
Noel straightened, slipping the pendant into his pocket, masking his expression with a faint smirk. "No. Just... a rush. Nothing to worry about."
She studied him for a moment longer, suspicion flickering in her gaze, before finally turning away to check the shelves again.
Noel’s hand brushed the pendant through the fabric of his coat, his jaw tightening. ’You left this behind. Not for Elarin. For me. Fine. I’ll play along. But when we meet in Thorne territory—you’d better have the answers.’
The silence of the chamber pressed down on them, broken only by the faint hum of mana still clinging to the walls. Noel let out a slow breath, his hand brushing once more against the pendant hidden now in his dimensional pouch.
He straightened, his tone decisive. "We need to get out of here. We’ve stayed too long."
Selene turned her sharp gaze toward him, a hint of skepticism flashing across her cool expression. "And how exactly do you propose we do that? The way we came in is buried."
Noel smirked faintly, though his eyes were tired. "We control the automatons now, don’t we? Maybe we can... ask them for directions."
Selene blinked, clearly taken aback. Her lips parted, but no sound came for a moment.
Noel tilted his head at her reaction, raising a brow. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Her expression didn’t soften. If anything, it sharpened, as though she was making sure he wasn’t joking. "You really think that would work?"
Noel shrugged, his smirk tugging wider. "I don’t know. But it’s worth a shot, right?"
The incredulity lingered in her gaze, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she shook her head lightly, almost imperceptibly, as if trying to mask the faintest flicker of disbelief—and something else she wouldn’t name.
Noel stretched his shoulders, gripping Revenant Fang loosely in one hand as he turned toward the hall where the kneeling constructs waited like silent sentries. ’Let’s hope it works.’