I. Return to the South
The journey south took six days across cracked plains and abandoned towns.
Omega remained silent the entire time—he understood that this time, Jainal wasn't chasing an enemy,
but seeking answers from a past he once revered.
Else's ruined lab lay in a hidden valley near Mount Dormir—a place once reserved only for sages.
Now, it was sealed by ancient barriers placed by the Adventurer's Guild.
As if the world itself wanted to bury that chapter.
But Jainal held a key no one else had: Else's personal rune.
---
II. A Door That Waits for Grief
The gate to the ruins could not be opened by ordinary magic.
But when Jainal touched the central sigil, a familiar voice echoed from the arcane mechanism:
"Jainal… if you're hearing this, then the time has come."
"Whatever you find here, do not drown yourself in anger.
Some truths… are heavier than betrayal."
— Else
Omega looked at Jainal, saying nothing.
Jainal gripped his cloak tighter.
"I will see it through. To the end."
The gate opened.
The valley's air changed instantly—still, heavy.
Not magical… but like a heartbeat held back by the land itself.
---
III. Archives Locked in Time
Inside the main chamber of the lab, time seemed frozen.
Dust had gathered, but the magitek instruments remained intact.
Some of the mechanisms still pulsed faintly.
At the room's center stood a large crystal orb—a personal memory storage.
It could only be activated by two things: the fingerprint or magical essence of its creator.
Jainal reached out and touched it.
---
IV. The Sage's Confession.
The crystal lit up.
Else's voice filled Jainal's mind—not through sound,
but through a direct transmission of thought:
"Project Lambda began as a response to the mass loss of the Eastern War.
Gujarat and I developed a method to preserve memory in structured form—so people could 'return.'
But the theory… was stolen."
"I know who took it.
I know who twisted it.
But I… was afraid."
"Jainal, I never hated this world.
But I couldn't stop them.
So I created two things: a disruptor code… and you."
"You are not just our student or our child.
You are the counterbalance."
"If you're here, then everything has spiraled out of control.
And now you must choose: to destroy… or to replace it."
"Beneath this chamber lies one more place.
A secret lab—where Gujarat once hid a device capable of unraveling souls
from their arcane structure."
---
V. The Final Corridor
Jainal and Omega descended into the hidden space—not listed on any Guild map.
There, they found a dual-core rune mechanism—an ancient construct designed to absorb, map, and dismantle
memories sealed by artificial means.
Omega approached it. His hands trembled.
"This… it could erase the rune system from my body."
"But if I use it… I might forget who I am."
Jainal placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Not yet.
But now we know—there is hope."
---
Epilogue.
Before they left, Jainal lit a single arcane candle at the altar where Else once wrote her theories.
He bowed—not in anger,
but in a deep, silent sorrow.
Else was not guilty.
But she was not blameless either.
She was a human who tried to resist… and lost.
Yet she left behind one thing:
Jainal.