Guided by Dustin, the surviving guards, along with Grace and Judith, dove into the icy pool one after another. They swam through the dark underwater passage, heading toward the unknown. The tunnel was short, only about 200 feet in length.A dim light soon appeared ahead. Everyone swam toward it with all their strength, breaching what felt like a thin, silken veil of water before their heads emerged above the surface. What greeted them was an enormous naturally formed cavern.Countless stalactites hung from the ceiling, glowing with soft white light that illuminated the entire cavern. At the center lay another pool, connected to the one they'd come from.Growing along the cave walls were strange luminescent mosses and low-growing plants. The air carried a faint, sandalwood-like fragrance that calmed the mind. But what shocked them most was what sat in one corner of the cave.Several well-sealed leather pouches treated with special oils lay there, along with a few worn but still shar

Kyle and his group clung to the slim hope of taking their share of supplies and finding another way out through the caverns. Even if the chances were slim, it was better than knowingly walking down a dead end with no way back.Rhydian turned pale with fury. He clenched his fists, wanting to berate them. But when he looked at the comrades he'd fought alongside and saw the fear in their eyes, the harsh words died in his throat. He was just as terrified, but duty and loyalty held him back."You… How could you do this?" Judith snapped, her voice tight with frustration as she stamped her foot. "Her Highness has treated you well, and now you would turn tail at the first sign of danger?"Grace looked at the men before her, tears and snot running down their faces as they pleaded desperately. Her heart was a whirlpool of conflicting emotions. There was disappointment, the chill of betrayal, but even more than that, there was a deep sorrow and helplessness.She understood their fear. If even

Dustin pointed at the inscription on the tablet, specifically the lines that read, "Though it resembles the elixir of immortality, it is in truth a supremely evil thing", and "Those who consume it will have their spirit and soul destroyed, or transformed into dragon puppets.""It seems the rumors we heard about the elixir of immortality likely refer to this Dragonblood Fruit," he said grimly. "It's not a real elixir at all, but a corrupted creation born from the Maleficar Dragon's lingering essence mixing with the life force of this place."The revelation hit Grace like a physical blow, draining the color from her face. After all the hardship and the lives lost along the way, what she had been pursuing was actually a "supremely evil elixir" that could destroy one's soul or turn them into a monster."How… How can this be?" she stammered, stepping back in shock. Was this the end of her only hope to cure her ailing father.Just then, one guard who stayed behind swallowed hard when h

The color drained from Grace's face as she heard Cyran's words. The sliver of hope she had been clinging to was now on the verge of shattering completely because of his revelation.She could almost picture her father consuming that elixir of immortality, only to transform into something monstrous. The vision crushed her beneath a wave of despair and helplessness.Judith quickly kneeled to support her, and her eyes reddened as well.Dustin watched in silence, offering no words of comfort. He knew some realities had to be faced head-on.Cyran looked at the distraught Grace and sighed."Young lady," he said gently, "it's not that I would deny your devotion to your father, but fate is cruel. To harness the essence of the Void-Tyrant Dragon is like drinking poison to quench your thirst. In the end, it would only hasten its escape from the binding seal. "When that happens, countless lives will be lost and everything you hope to protect will vanish. This is the weight of great karma, a

Dustin walked toward the altar, ignoring the intense dark energy emanating from it. He bent down to pick up the bronze waist token. His fingers traced the strange pattern etched into its surface, his eyes glinting with cold detachment."This wasn't done by a single group," he said. "Judging from the age of the bloodstains and the style of the items left behind, at least three different factions have performed blood rituals here over the past few decades."He then moved to a relatively intact corpse. After examining the bones, he noticed the man's sternum had turned an unnatural dark gold, covered in fine cracks."This individual's cultivation was not weak. He was at least in the Grandmaster realm when he was alive. But the cause of death… It seems like some force violently drained all his essence and soul. Even the spiritual essence in his bones was stripped away.""Were the blood rituals meant to communicate with the Void-Tyrant Dragon? Or to weaken it?" Grace asked with a frown.