Last Transmigration: Overland Of The Apocalypse

10

The crystal pulsed slowly, rhythmically even like the heartbeat of something alive.

"This is the crystal of Orgins?" Ray asked.

Mira nodded. "It predates the Adventurer Union. The oldest records claim it was recovered shortly after the fracture." She added. "No one truly understands who created it, but it has never once given a false reading."

"If you possess an authority, it will identify it," Aria added crossing her hands. "If you've awakened mana, it will measure your realm."

"And if your soul carries a legacy." She paused. "It will know ."

".... I don't like this," Lucian spoke quietly.

"....Neither do u," kael agreed.

Ray frowned. "I thought you'd both be curious."

"We are," Lucian answered. "But curiosity and caution often walk together."

An elderly man in deep blue robes suddenly stepped forward from beside the crystal.

His long silver beard reached nearly to his waist, and a monocle rested over his left eye. Despite his age, his back remained perfectly straight.

"Captain Valen."

Aria inclined her head respectfully. "Elder Rowan."

"So this is your unusual recruit?" The elder asked.

"I haven't recruited him." She added as she stared at Ray "...Yet."

Rowan's bushy eyebrows lifted with interest before turning toward Ray.

"My name is Rowan Ashcroft." He added. "Chief Examiner of the First Sector. "I've overseen Authority Evaluations for forty-three years."

His gaze lingered. "I've seen every kind of Awakening imaginable. "The old man smiled kindly. "So there's no need to be nervous."

Ray forced a smile"...Easy for you to say."

Several nearby examiners chuckled and Rowan gestured toward the glowing sphere.

"Approach." He said.

The room gradually fell silent. Hunters who had come merely out of curiosity were now stood shoulder to shoulder along the walls.

Ray slowly climbed the three marble steps leading to the crystal. His heartbeat grew louder with each step.

Closer.

Closer.

Finally, He stood before it.

The crystal's pale light washed over his face, It was absolutely beautiful.

Within its transparent core, countless tiny lights drifted like galaxies trapped in glass.

"Place your right hand upon the crystal." Rowan said, he's voice echoing through the chamber.v"Empty your thoughts, Do not resist."

Ray nodded. Taking a slow breath, he reached forward. His fingertips touched the cool surface. But nothing happened.

The chamber remained silent. Five seconds passed, the ten, and Fifteen.

One examiner frowned. "...Delayed response?"

"I've never seen that!" Another replied shaking his head.

Rowan adjusted his monocle. "...Interesting."

The crystal suddenly shimmered, and a warm golden glow spread from beneath his hand.

The room relaxed.

"There it is."

"Normal activation."

"Looks like it just took longer."

Then, the golden light intensified.

"...It's reading me."Lucain's voice became tensed.

Across the crystal, elegant letters formed from golden mana.

Authority Signature Detected

Legacy Resonance Found

Heroic Compatibility: 100%

Gasps spread throughout the chamber.

"Hundred percent?"

"That's impossible!"

"No one scores perfectly!"

Aria's eyes narrowed but before anyone could speak, The golden light violently fractured.

Crimson erupted through it like blood spreading across white cloth.

Kael laughed once. "...Now it's my turn."

The letters shattered and new ones immediately appeared.

Authority Signature Detected

Imperial Legacy Confirmed

Dominion Compatibility: 100%

"What?!"

"Another one?!"

"Two complete readings?"

Rowan took an involuntary step forward.

His calm expression disappeared for the first time. "...Impossible!"

The crystal vibrated as though it couldn't decide which answer was correct.

The gold and crimson lights began colliding inside the sphere.

The crystal's heartbeat accelerated.

*Thump...!*

*Thump.*

*THUMP.*

Sweat rolled down the Ray's forehead. "...Something's wrong." He said.

"Remove your hand now." Lucian commanded.

Ray tried, but his hand wouldn't move. "...I can't!"

The crystal had locked onto him. Silver mana suddenly started seeped from beneath his palm. It wasn't Lucian's, nor was it Kael's.

It was his.

The entire chamber froze.

"...Silver?" Rowan whispered. "I've never..."

The silver light wrapped itself around the gold and crimson currents instead of fighting them.

For one brief moment, The three colors existed together perfectly balanced. Ray even felt warmth spread through his body.

And then...

Black. A single thread of black mana appeared, as thin as smoke. It drifted upward through the center of the crystal.

The black thread split into dozens, then hundreds. They intertwined with the other colors until the crystal resembled a storm trapped beneath glass.

Runes covering its surface began spinning wildly. Faster, and Faster, too fast to read.

The crystal emitted a high-pitched hum.

"...What's happening?!" One of the examiner said covering his ears.

Another shouted, "The readings are overlapping!"

Rowan's hands trembled. "No! It's not overlapping. It's..." His voice broke. "...Contradicting itself."

The crystal flashed with words.

Hero..

The word disappeared.

Villain

Then Gone again.

Unknown

Erased.

Successor

Rejected.

Failure

Rejected.

Alive

Rejected.

Dead

Rejected.

The chamber descended into complete silence, the crystal had never rejected its own answers. Not even once in three centuries.

Inside Ray's mind, another screen appeared, One only he could see.

----------

Authority Verification Initiated

Hero.exe...

Verified.

Villain.exe...

Verified.

Vector...

Verified.

Conflict Detected.

Attempting Classification...

...

...

...

ERROR

No Existing Category Found.

Searching New Possibility...

-------------

"...Not again..." Ray whispered.

"It's scanning deeper." Lucian said.

"It shouldn't have access to us." Kael added, sounding almost angry.

Cracks, tiny at first barely visible. Spiderweb fractures spread across the surface of the crystal.

One examiner stumbled backward. "The relic... It cracked!"

"No!" Rowan shouted. "Everyone away from the crystal!"

The chamber erupted into chaos. Hunters rushed civilians toward the exits, protective barriers sprang to life.

Aria looked up sharply. "...Move!" She dashed toward the platform.

Ray still couldn't free his hand.

"I'M TRYING!" He said

The cracks spread faster, olden light poured through them, then crimson,then silver and black.

Every Awakened in the chamber instinctively dropped to one knee as overwhelming magical pressure exploded outward.

The walls shook and the Pillars trembled,Then... Everything stopped.

The crystal then glowed with a blinding white light a single sentence slowly appeared across its surface.

Not in modern script, In an ancient language no one present should have been able to read.

Yet somehow... Everyone understood.

"The Third Successor Has Been Found."

Rowan's face drained of color and Aria stared in disbelief.

"...Third..." Lucian whispered

"...That's impossible." Kael added, his voice barely audible.

Ray opened his mouth to ask what it meant, but immediately.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The Crystal of Origins exploded, thousands upon thousands of glittering fragments burst outward like a galaxy breaking apart, filling the chamber with shimmering shards suspended in midair.

Each fragment reflected a different image.

A battlefield beneath a shattered sky.

A black throne.

A golden crown.

An enormous gate chained shut.

A faceless figure smiling from the darkness beyond.