A Message Within a Memory Crystal

Andrew followed Aeon's spiritual projection up a dimly illuminated winding staircase and passed by many more paintings of legendary beasts hanging on the walls. They continued moving upward until the spiral steps opened into a broad hall with a ceiling dotted with glowing gemstones.

The hall was mostly empty, except for a daunting statue of a nine-headed hydra in the middle and a few meditation mats arranged at the far end.

The hydra statue itself was abnormally life-like. It exuded a terrifying and suffocating aura that caused Andrew to shudder despite his vast experiences.

"You do like artwork depicting legendary beasts," he remarked as he followed Aeon's spiritual projection into the hall.

"Of course I do," Aeon replied without turning back. "Unlike humans, legendary beasts are the most reliable partners. They will never betray you until they die if you manage to form a contract with them."

"Oh!" Andrew said while wondering whether anyone had ever betrayed the ancient sorcerer. He looked at the statue occupying the middle of the hall and asked, "What's with the nine-headed hydra? Why does it look so life-like?"

Aeon turned around and smiled on hearing the question. "I'll tell you about the statue later. But for now, let's discuss the important things first."

Aeon didn't wait for Andrew to reply. His spiritual projection floated forward and downwards before eventually settling on one of the meditation mats at the far end. "Take a seat!" He signaled to Andrew.

Andrew nodded before settling cross-legged on a mediation mat opposite the one occupied by Aeon's projection. His heart began racing again as he glanced at the ancient sorcerer who was just in spirit form. Many thoughts crossed his mind as he wondered what the man had in store for him.

"You look nervous, Andrew Robinson!" Aeon finally said to break the silence. He stroked his long white beard and stared into Andrew's eyes with an amused grin. "Are you scared of me?"

Andrew let out a deep sigh and felt like rolling his eyes. "Who wouldn't be freaked out in my situation? I randomly chose an inheritance ground to explore. But then, out of nowhere, I stumble upon a powerful ancient sorcerer who knows my name and claims to have been waiting for me for a long time. To top it all off, I possess a magical circle that the sorcerer created - it's one of the innate spells embedded in my totem. I mean, it's no wonder I'm freaking out."

Aeon chuckled after hearing the response. He stared deeply into Andrew's eyes and stated, "I understand your plight, young man! But worry not. I mean you no harm."

Andrew could feel the pressure from the ancient sorcerer's gaze. But he withstood it with his resolve and stared back at the aged man.

He figured that it was already too late for him to escape if the pagoda was a trap set by the ancient sorcerer. He decided to take the bull by its horns and find out what he had gotten himself into.

"Why did you say that you have been waiting for me for a long time?"

"Because I have," Aeon stated matter-of-factly. "Let's say there's a mighty person that cares for you. That person tasked me with meeting you at an appropriate time."

Andrew's heart skipped a beat as his eyes widened. He stared at Aeon's spiritual projection before blurting out, "A mighty person who cares about me? Who has such standing to task a mighty ancient sorcerer to do their bidding and meet a nameless nobody like me?"

"I see you really don't know anything." Aeon smiled. He waved his hand, causing a small magic circle to manifest in front of Andrew. Then, on cue, a small portal opened in empty air before spitting out a shiny crystal.

Andrew reflexively held out his hand and allowed the crystal to descend on it. He immediately identified it as a high-level memory crystal used by sorcerers to store information.

"What is this for?" he asked, a million questions whirling in his mind. His eyes were fixed on the mystical apparition of the ancient sorcerer, still playing with his shapeless, snow-white beard. It was as if the aged man cherished his beard above everything else in the world.

"Just connect your mind to it, and you'll understand why I said I have been waiting for you for a long time," Aeon replied.

At that moment, Aeon didn't look like an ancient sorcerer who had shaken the whole of Edhen and the realms beyond during his prime. He instead looked like one of those old grandpas you would occasionally find selling artifacts in the sorcery resource markets around the Dartolonian Empire.

Andrew glanced at Aeon for a moment longer and eventually nodded. He took a deep breath and connected his mind to the memory crystal, only to come face-to-face with an image of a familiar person buried deep within his memories.

The person in question was a stunning lady, beautiful to the point of charming the hearts of the mightiest gods and demons. Her pitch-black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a silky waterfall, while her eyes were like a pair of shiny blue stars in the starry sky. The most surprising thing, however, was that the woman was someone with an extremely close relationship to Andrew.

"Mother!" Andrew mumbled as his eyes moistened.

His mother had disappeared when he was only seven. She had left the Robinson family dimension alone to explore an ancient inheritance ground, only never to be seen again.

Everyone thought she had perished in the inheritance ground. But here she was in a memory crystal presented to him by Aeon, an ancient sorcerer who lived in an age separated from her by tens of thousands of years.

What the hell was all this about?

"My dear Andrew!" The image of his mother suddenly started speaking, her ethereal voice sounding directly in his mind. "If you're hearing this, it means that my plans have finally come to fruition, and you are finally meeting that old ghost, Aeon! You don't have to worry. I made a deal with the old ghost and tasked him with a few things. He will hand you two items I left in his care."

"As for compensation for his help, you'll become his sole inheritor and carry the burden of continuing his legacy. I have to say that his legacy isn't a bad one for your stage. He belonged to two ancient schools of sorcery, the first being soul shamans and the second being summoners. These are two schools of sorcery that greatly complement each other."

"Soul shaman meditation strengthens the soul, making it more robust than that of typical sorcerers of the same rank. As for summoners, they require a strong soul to connect with some of the beast planes and form contracts with legendary creatures. As you can see, the two methods really do complement each other. They will aid you in your endeavors, my child. Of course, the old ghost Aeon will explain more as he knows more about this."

"I know you have many questions. You must want to know what happened to me and where I am. But worry not. All is well with me. And remember, I didn't bring you away from the Robinsons due to circumstances beyond my control."

"Truthfully, I'm not a person born in this world. I'm not from Edhen but from a much higher world, a realm with powerhouses mightier than even the ancient sorcerers like Aeon. I was injured while on a mission close to Edhen. I lost my memories, and your father rescued me. We fell in love, and we had you. Those were the good times, and I really cherish them."

"But the inevitable eventually happened. I regained my memories and came to understand that if I stayed near you, I would put you in great danger. I forced myself to leave the family and left you with the Robinsons. I'm sorry I had to do this. But I hope you have lived a good life, my child!"

"Lastly, I must tell you that you inherited a strong bloodline from me. It's from my ancestry, specifically from my bloodline of the Primordial Valkyries."

"We Primordial Valkyries are a strong ethnic group even in higher worlds. But we must awaken our bloodline to enjoy all the perks of our ethnicity. On this note, I inscribed a bloodline awakening circle within the pagoda and informed the old ghost Aeon of the ritual before I left. He will help you awaken, and you can follow the guidelines of the bloodline library that will merge with your totem to strengthen yourself."

"I think I have said all I had to say for now. I love you, my child, and I hope you live a good life until we meet again. Stay safe, and remember not to tell anyone, including your father, about things I talked about. Goodbye for now! Goodbye until we meet again."

As the message ended, the image of the lady blurred and exploded into glittering pieces. Andrew, who had been in a trance, listening, felt a mighty force push his mind out of the memory crystal.

He blanked out before opening his eyes and focusing them on the crystal in his hand. It had already lost its luster and developed a few visible cracks on its surface.

Heart racing, he tried to reconnect his mind to it as he wished to continue seeing the image of the woman who birthed him. But alas, all his efforts were fruitless, and the crystal immediately cracked into tiny fragments that dropped and scattered on the marble floor.

"Your mother had set a safeguard on the memory crystal," Aeon's voice broke the silence. "Only you could link your mind to the crystal, and you could only explore its contents once. That's why it has now cracked and become worthless."

"Is that so?" Andrew mumbled absentmindedly. He looked at the fragments of the memory crystal and sighed with helplessness. He had finally gotten some information about his mother. But it wasn't much and left him with many doubts.

For instance, where was she at the moment? What kind of family was she originally from? Was she connected to his rebirth? How had she met Aeon? 

Many questions were coursing within Andrew's mind. But he had no answers. His thoughts were in chaos, and he couldn't calm down.