The small, dark, intricately carved wooden charm pulsed faintly in Kenji's palm, cold and ancient, a stark contrast to the warmth of his blood. The System's ominous warning, "Forbidden Arcane Ritual Detected," hammered in his mind, echoing the chilling clarity of the single, terrifying word: Sacrifice. And the horrifying correlation: "Elder's Spiritual Signature (Master Thorne)."
Kenji stood utterly still in the quiet night, the implications of the System's findings crashing over him like a cold wave. Lord Valerius's petty sabotage was merely a distraction, a cover for a far grander, more sinister plot brewing within the very heart of the Emberlight Sanctum. And Master Thorne, his kind, stern mentor, was caught in its insidious web.
There was no time to lose. This wasn't a choice; it was an imperative. He had to investigate. He had to act.
The forbidden archives were located in the deepest, most ancient section of the Sanctum, a place of hushed whispers and profound spiritual energy, yet rarely visited. Legends spoke of forgotten rituals, volatile artifacts, and knowledge best left undisturbed. It was protected by layers of ancient wards and patrols of senior disciples, far beyond what he could openly bypass.
Kenji's resolve hardened. Subtlety was key. He activated his Stealth Skill, feeling his presence dim, his spiritual aura blend seamlessly with the nocturnal hum of the Sanctum. He moved like a phantom through the moonlit courtyards, his movements silent, guided by the System's internal compass pointing towards the archives. He bypassed several senior disciple patrols, their Qi senses powerful but unable to pierce his System-enhanced concealment.
He reached the entrance to the forbidden archives: a massive, obsidian gate, etched with countless shimmering runes that pulsed with suppressed power. It was sealed. No physical key would work. It required a specific sequence of Qi activation, a complex spiritual password that changed frequently.
The System immediately analyzed the gate. "Anomaly: Arcane Seal Detected. Type: High-Grade, Sentinel-Class. Recommendation: Activate Rune Analysis Skill for Bypass Protocol." Kenji mentally confirmed, and his Rune Analysis Skill (from Chapter 14) activated, overlaying intricate patterns onto his vision. He saw the complex web of Qi flowing through the runes, detected the subtle shifts in their sequences, the minute vulnerabilities in their construction. It was like seeing the complex circuitry of an advanced computer system.
Guided by the System's precise instructions, Kenji carefully touched specific points on the obsidian gate, infusing them with minute, perfectly timed bursts of his True Aetherial Roots Qi. He wasn't forcing the gate open; he was subtly manipulating its inner workings, mimicking the precise spiritual signature required, but in reverse, causing it to unlock from within. The runes pulsed, not with alarm, but with a strange, almost musical resonance. A low, grinding sound echoed through the silent corridor as the colossal gate slowly, almost imperceptibly, slid inward, revealing a path into the oppressive darkness beyond.
He slipped inside, his heart pounding, the air immediately turning cold and heavy, thick with the scent of dust, ancient parchment, and something else – something metallic, something vaguely wrong. He moved deeper into the archives, his senses on high alert. The corridors were endless, lined with towering shelves filled with countless scrolls, ancient tomes, and dusty artifacts, all radiating faint, ancient Qi. The silence here was profound, broken only by his own soft breathing and the subtle hum of ancient, unseen wards.
As he ventured further, the spiritual presence he had detected with the charm grew stronger, more pronounced. It was the same chilling, insidious energy he had felt from the charm, from the corrupted rune outside his dwelling. He knew he was close.
He rounded a bend in a narrow, almost claustrophobic corridor. Ahead, a faint, flickering light emanated from an alcove. A low, guttural chanting, barely audible, filled the air. It was a rhythmic, unnerving sound that vibrated with an ominous power.
Kenji's blood ran cold. This was it.
He used his Stealth Skill to its maximum, pressing himself against the shadows, moving with agonizing slowness towards the light. He peered around the corner, and his breath hitched in his throat.
The alcove was not large, but it was dominated by a grotesque sight. In the center, a circular platform of dark, rough-hewn stone was etched with glowing, complex runes – runes identical in pattern to those on the charm, but vast, terrifying, and active. They pulsed with a sickly green-black light that seemed to draw all warmth from the air. Around the platform, two cloaked figures, their faces obscured by deep hoods, chanted in low, guttural tones, their hands weaving intricate spiritual gestures. They were Obsidian Hand operatives.
And in the very center of the platform, illuminated by the macabre glow of the runes, knelt Master Thorne.
His mentor.
Master Thorne was terribly weakened. His usual vibrant aura was dim, flickering like a dying candle. His robes were stained with a fine, black dust that seemed to cling to his very essence. His head was bowed, his body trembling, and he looked far older than his centuries. His Qi was being siphoned, draining away into the glowing runes on the platform, feeding the ritual. He was trapped, a sacrifice in progress.
A wave of cold fury, sharp and cutting, surged through Kenji. They had ensnared his mentor. This was personal. This was abhorrent.
The System screen exploded with a pulsating red light, overriding all other displays.
CRUCIAL MISSION: Rescue the Elder.Difficulty: EXTREME.Failure: Elder's Death, Major Reputation Loss (Emberlight Sanctum), Catastrophic Event (Ritual Completion).
Kenji's eyes darted from Master Thorne's weakened form to the cloaked figures, then to the terrifying runes. He could feel the sinister energy gathering, coalescing, preparing for the final phase of the ritual. The air vibrated with a profound malevolence. This wasn't just draining Qi; it was extracting life, essence, spiritual foundation itself. He understood now. This was the "Sacrifice." They were sacrificing Master Thorne to empower some dark entity, some horrifying goal.
His gaze fell upon a crucial point of the ritual, a small, obsidian shard embedded in the center of the platform. It pulsed with the concentrated void energy, acting as the primary conduit for the draining. This was the heart of the ritual. Destroying it would disrupt the ritual, but it was protected by dense, dangerous formations around the figures.
The System, anticipating his thought, displayed a new prompt, its text chillingly stark:
Anomaly: Ritual requires a powerful counter-measure or a significant spiritual sacrifice to disrupt.
Counter-Measure Option 1: Direct Attack on Conduit (High Risk of Backlash/Corruption without specialized skill).Counter-Measure Option 2: Sacrifice a rare, highly potent spiritual artifact to destabilize ritual.Counter-Measure Option 3: Infuse a powerful spiritual being as an alternative sacrifice (Extreme Risk, Highly Unethical).
Kenji's breath hitched. A spiritual sacrifice. They were sacrificing Master Thorne. And to disrupt it, he would need to… sacrifice something just as potent. He thought of his Spatial Pouch, with his valuable Qi Condensation Pellet, his few carefully hoarded Lumina-Herbs, and his powerful, System-gifted items: the Basic Spatial Pouch itself, perhaps. Or the still-present Void-touched Charm he'd found (from Chapter 14).
He looked at the options. Direct attack risked corruption, something his purified Aetherial Roots might resist, but still a dangerous gamble. Option 3, sacrificing another being, was utterly abhorrent, unthinkable. That left Option 2. A rare, highly potent spiritual artifact. He had a few such System-given "items" but he did not know if the System could actually sacrifice its own items.
He needed to choose. Now. The cloaked figures intensified their chanting, their voices rising to a guttural crescendo. The runes on the platform flared, pulsing brighter, and Master Thorne's body spasmed, a soft groan escaping his lips. More of his vital energy was being siphoned away. He was fading.
Kenji felt a surge of desperate resolve. There was no true "choice" here. He couldn't let his mentor die. He had to save him. But the cost…
Master Thorne weakly raised a trembling hand, his head still bowed, his voice a barely audible whisper, raw and pained. "Run… boy… it's a trap… an ancient evil…" He knew. He knew he was a sacrifice. He was telling Kenji to save himself.
As the ritual flared with terrifying intensity, Kenji saw a horrifying image flicker across the System screen, an overlay on his vision: a colossal, shadowy figure, vaguely familiar, its features obscured by void-like tendrils, its eyes glowing with malevolent amusement, its laughter echoing soundlessly in his mind. The Architect.
And then, the System's words appeared, stark and final, laying out the impossible decision before him, the life of his mentor hanging in the balance, his own fate irrevocably tied to this moment.
Choice: Sacrifice [Rare Item] OR Risk [Permanent Debuff] to Elder.
Kenji stared at the options, his mind racing. He had to choose. Right now.