The pure energy from the colossal crystal formation still reverberated within Lucas. He felt it was unlike any monster's energy he had ever absorbed. This was something ancient, something primordial, and it was trying to communicate. The voice in his mind – Danger… The Great Collapse… coming again… – was not a threat, but a warning from the crystal itself.
He hesitated. Absorbing energy from this crystal could change him forever, or it could be too much for his body to bear. But curiosity and the desperate yearning to understand the truth of the Great Collapse overshadowed all fear. If the Obsidian Shards were part of this grand thing, then this was the key.
Lucas placed his palm on the cold, smooth surface of the crystal. The star-shaped scar on his hand flared with a brilliant purplish-blue light, merging with the crystal's own luminescence.
WHOOOOOOOM!
A torrent of information and energy, more intense than even absorbing the Husk-Brute, surged directly into Lucas's mind. This time it wasn't memories or instincts. It was images, fast-forwarded snippets of a world before the Great Collapse. He saw cities glowing brightly underground, people living in harmony with advanced Crystal technology. He saw colossal crystal formations like this one as the energy source for an entire civilization.
Then the images shifted abruptly: a gigantic rift tearing open the sky, grotesque entities from the Abyss pouring down, and the screams, the collapse of a civilization. The Great Collapse! He saw the crystal formations shattering, their energy dispersing, and the fragments falling everywhere, tainted by Abyssal energy and becoming the Obsidian Shards.
As the deluge of memories subsided, Lucas knelt, gasping for breath. His head spun. He had seen the truth. The Obsidian Shards were not products of the Abyss, but broken relics of an ancient civilization, corrupted by the Abyssal intrusion. And they still carried the "imprint" of the old world.
More importantly, a strange new sensation surged within Lucas. He felt the energy network of this colossal crystal, not just what had passed, but what was currently present. It was like he could "read" the electrical currents in a machine, understanding how it operated. He had a new ability: Crystal Sense. He could now perceive the location of other crystal fragments deep underground, pieces from this very mother crystal, as well as other Obsidian Shards.
The whisper echoed in his mind again, clearer now: Fragments… need to be rejoined… to heal… or the Abyss will swallow all again…
Lucas stood up, his body feeling strange but more powerful than ever. The ancient crystal had transmitted not only knowledge but also a portion of its own abilities. He might not be able to create crystal blades like Elara, but he could sense and interact with crystals on a deeper level.
He looked deeper into the cave. The purplish-blue glow still led the way, but now, he didn't just see light; he also felt the "breath" of other crystals, smaller fragments scattered in the darkness. He knew he had to follow them.
The deeper the passage went, the narrower it became, and the colder and damper the air grew. Water dripped steadily, and occasionally, a strange noise echoed from somewhere in the gloom. Lucas, with his new Crystal Sense, suddenly stopped. He felt a strange energy, not from an Abyssal Creature, nor from ancient crystals. It was a corrosive type of energy, like decay, but with a deliberate shape and movement.
He flicked on his flashlight. Ahead of him, the tunnel opened into a larger cavern, and on the opposite wall, something horrifying was crawling along the purplish-blue crystal veins. It was a Corruption Weaver—a rare and extremely dangerous Abyssal Creature, composed of black, silken threads and emitting a corrosive gas. It looked like a giant spider, but its body glittered with corrupted crystal fragments, and every movement it made left dark, spreading stains on the rock.
The Corruption Weaver made no sound, but Lucas felt its inherent revulsion, a primal instinct to destroy and corrupt everything it touched. And it was drawn to the crystal veins on the wall, attempting to corrode them. This was not just a threat to his survival, but an enemy of the very secrets Lucas was seeking.
The Weaver turned its multifaceted eyes towards Lucas, and an invisible wave of corrosive energy spread through the air. Lucas felt his skin begin to burn, and the air around him became difficult to breathe. This wasn't a spore toxin like the Spore-Crawlers, but something that directly broke down matter.
However, Lucas also sensed something else. As the Weaver's energy wave touched the mother crystal he had just interfaced with, the colossal crystal formation emitted a faint reaction, a pulse of purplish-blue energy that pushed back, partially weakening the Weaver's corrosive energy.
This was a battle not just of brute force. Lucas might not be as strong as the Corruption Weaver, but he had intellect and the ability to interact with the ancient crystals. He looked at the crystal veins on the wall, a crazy idea sparking in his mind. He would have to use this environment itself, the very energy of the ancient crystals, against this new threat.
He was The Memory Scavenger, and now, he was also the protector of the ancient whispers of the crystals.