Chapter 55

The interior of the ruined ice castle was a labyrinth of crumbling corridors and frozen chambers, steeped in an eerie silence broken only by the occasional creaking of icy walls. Crumbled stone and shards of ice littered the floors, their surfaces glazed with a thin layer of frost that shimmered faintly in the dim light filtering through narrow windows.

Vaulted ceilings, once grand and majestic, now hung precariously overhead, their icy surfaces reflecting the ghostly glow of Kiyotaka's crimson flames. Tattered tapestries, depicting scenes of ancient battles and long-forgotten victories, hung from the walls in disarray, their vibrant colors muted by time and frost.

Columns of ice, intricately carved with symbols of forgotten power, lined the corridors like sentinels of a bygone era, their surfaces etched with runes that glowed faintly in the presence of magic.

In the heart of the castle's central chamber, a massive throne of ice loomed imposingly, its jagged edges resembling the fangs of a predatory beast. The throne room itself was a cavernous space, its once-grand windows now frosted over, casting eerie shadows that danced across the floor as Kiyotaka moved cautiously through the chamber.

Throughout the castle, remnants of ancient artifacts lay scattered—a broken sword embedded in the ice, a shattered suit of armor half-buried beneath a layer of snow that had blown in through shattered windows. Each chamber told a tale of grandeur lost to time, a haunting reminder of the castle's former glory now swallowed by the relentless grip of winter.

"It seems there was a battle inside the castle, maybe a rebellion of sorts?"

Inspecting artifacts, he quickly assessed that they were makeshift weapons of the past, not memories. It was quite clear as memories had perished together with their wielders long ago.

Not finding anything else worth exploring, he exited the throne room and went to the underground dungeons.

The first thing he felt when he entered the dungeon was extreme cold. It was so cold that he had to use his new ability and create a small, almost unnoticeable layer of fire over himself. The fire also acted as a source of light, pushing away the darkness and showing the dungeon's interior.

The dungeon itself reminded Kiyotaka of a prison. There were many prison cells, most of them destroyed and some corroded as time passed. Walking through it, he remembered everything he could, the 3D map of the dungeon as well as the castle forming in his mind.

As he ventured deeper and deeper into the dungeon, he found a room. In it, a deep well leading even further down was situated, with a winding staircase spiraling down into the darkness.

Looking at the darkness felt like staring at an abyss. Promptly summoning his crimson flames, he sent a weak fireball toward the ground. The fireball went in a perfect straight angle as it illuminated the well's interior until it was extinguished. Descending to where the fireball was extinguished, he repeated the process a few times until he reached the ground.

What he saw there was a large chamber that seemed to be carved into the bedrock, as opposed to being constructed by human hands. On the other side of it, a large door forged from black steel stood, illuminated by two burning red torches.

The torches didn't seem to produce heat as they only illuminated the surroundings with red light. They were similar to his own [Torch] memory. Kiyotaka marveled at how they were still able to burn after so many years.

Feeling slight unease, he prepared himself for any sudden changes. Cautiously approaching the large door, he launched a crimson fireball at it. To the surprise of no one, nothing happened. There wasn't even a slight scratch or mark left on the door as it was unaffected by his attack.

Observing the door for a while, he finally saw the appearance of two runes close to its top. There were only two symbols.

One meaning blood.

The other meaning fire.

The meaning was clear; to open the door, one had to have the ability to conjure fires of blood. When Kiyotaka saw these two symbols, the first thing he felt was not excitement but utter terror.

Stepping away from the door, he closed his eyes and calmed himself down. Opening his eyes, he summoned Abyssal Reaver and struck at the door again, this time utilizing the dark energy of curses.

Just like the first time, the door was unaffected. Kiyotaka didn't mind it as he solemnly gazed at the top of the door where two new runes appeared.

Sword and curse.

The mechanism of the runes was clear: it would display two runes to describe the nature and type of attack made by someone at it. Attacking with a few more other types of offense, he further confirmed the theory. Still, it didn't answer how it could ascertain it and how to open that door.

Looking away from the door, he decided to try and find something within the chamber. The chamber itself didn't look lavish; it was rather poor and resembled more of a prison cell. As he tried to find any clues as to how to open the door, he noticed a dark corner of the chamber. The lights from the torch didn't seem to light that part up. Instantly, Kiyotaka recognized the nature of the strange phenomenon.

True darkness.

Kiyotaka had experience fighting true darkness back when he and his cohort killed it. But compared to that time, this darkness seemed more eerie...but also weak. It seemed as if a strong darkness...yet it seemed not to have a master to wield it.

Summoning a small ball of fire on his palm, he sent it toward the darkness, illuminating the edge of the bed a little before the darkness suddenly expanded again and swallowed the fire, extinguishing it.

A little surprised by this turn of events, he sent another small ball of fire, and the result was still the same. He tried sending a more powerful blast and noticed how the darkness seemed to take more time to "swallow" the fire. Making a few more tests, he came to a certain conclusion.

'I should be okay if I cover myself with fire fully.'

Taking a deep breath, he manifested crimson flames in an armor around himself and slowly stepped closer to the true darkness. Soon, he reached it, and a fight between darkness and fire began, neither backing down. Slightly increasing the output, he let the fire drive away the darkness enough for him to study the bed itself.

What he saw was chains and a skeleton that was chained. The skeleton seemed to be of a tall human, judging by the body frame, probably that of a male. There was a certain aura of mystery. Suddenly, the skeleton's head moved as ghostly blue flames ignited where its eyes should have been. The skeleton then cocked its head and looked at Kiyotaka, its gaze seemingly piercing through his soul.

Just one look sent shivers down his spine as he felt terrified. His instincts screamed at him to turn and run away as fast as possible. The darkness that was being pushed away by his flames suddenly turned more eerie and stronger as it threatened to overpower his blood flames at any moment.

Using his essence to the fullest, he struggled to fight back the darkness as he managed to slip away, returning back to the place from where he originally observed the darkness. This time, however, the darkness seemed to envelop more of the room, and there were two noticeable ghostly blue eye flames that pierced through the darkness as it looked at Kiyotaka.

As he was about to dash away, he heard the quiet voice of a man directly in his head.

'A living blood...you are one of the Weavers...didn't think someone would come to find me after so many years...millennia?'

He was momentarily surprised before he thought.

'Telepathy?'

To his utmost surprise and horror, the man replied.

'Yes.'

Calming himself down, Kiyotaka gazed at the skeleton's ghastly eyes.

'Who are you...'

There was a silence for a moment before he heard a reply in his mind.

'I am just a warrior that has been cursed to suffer till the end of times. Even now, speaking to you is taking quite a toll on my already last remaining half-destroyed soul core...'

Kiyotaka remained vigilant despite the sorrow and pain he heard from the man's tone. He breathed deeply and then concentrated on the voice as he thought.

'Since it's like that, why are you talking to me?'

He heard the man's pained chuckle and then his following words that seemed deeper and more threatening.

'I want you to free me of my struggles, and I shall let you ask me three questions you will get detailed answers on.'

Kiyotaka's eyes widened slightly in confusion and surprise, a glimmer of curiosity mixed with cautiousness appearing in his eyes. After what felt like an eternity, he finally thought to himself.

'Free you, you say?'