The ash room was sealed the next morning.
No one was allowed near it. Guards blocked every tunnel that led close. Mira gave no public explanation, only that it was "a security hazard."
But the whispers didn't stop.
Slaves spoke in quiet voices. Some said the ash had moved on its own. Others claimed they heard voices coming from the room during the night. One even swore the statue had turned its head before crumbling.
Auron didn't care about rumors.
He only cared about facts.
And the fact was this: someone else had abyssal power.
Someone dangerous.
Someone reckless.
He needed to find them first.
---
That night, Auron returned to the eastern wall. There was an old path there, one even the guards avoided. It led through a collapsed ritual chamber, where the old priests of the mine once performed strange blessings for new workers.
He had seen it before, but never gone far.
Until now.
He lit no torch. He didn't need it.
His eyes adjusted quickly. The deeper he went, the clearer he saw. Thanks to the core inside him, darkness no longer hid anything.
The walls here were covered in old drawings—some of kings and stars, others of beasts with twisted limbs and empty faces. They were drawn in charcoal and blood.
At the end of the path, he found a cracked door.
Behind it was a small chamber, barely wide enough to stand in.
But in the middle sat something strange.
A mask.
Pure white.
No mouth.
Only two narrow slits for eyes.
It hovered in the air just slightly above the floor, turning slowly, like caught in an invisible breeze.
The system responded immediately.
\[Artifact Detected: Whispering Mask]
\[Origin: Unknown]
\[Energy Signature: Abyssal-Linked]
\[Warning: Possession Possible – Do Not Equip Without Stabilization]
Auron stepped closer.
The mask pulsed.
A sound entered his ears—not from the room, but from inside his mind.
A whisper.
Faint, cold, but clear.
"You're not the first. You won't be the last."
Auron's eyes narrowed.
"Show yourself."
The mask stopped spinning.
Then it dropped.
But before it hit the ground, it shot forward—straight toward him.
He caught it by reflex.
His fingers burned where they touched it.
The system flared again.
\[Forced Connection Detected – Shielding...]
\[Stabilizing Corruption...]
\[Success – Artifact Connection Established at 5%]
The whispers faded.
The mask turned quiet.
But Auron now felt something strange—like another presence watching from inside the mask. It didn't speak. It didn't fight.
But it was awake.
He stared at it for a long time.
Then placed it in a cloth and wrapped it tightly.
He didn't put it on.
Not yet.
He had learned one thing from the Abyss:
Nothing comes free.
And every gift has teeth.
---
When he returned to the main pit, Jace was waiting.
"You're late."
"I was following something."
"Let me guess… something dangerous?"
Auron looked down at the wrapped mask in his hands.
"Yes."
Jace looked nervous. "You're changing, you know."
"I have to."
"No," Jace said. "I mean... you're really changing. Your voice. Your eyes. Even your shadow. It's darker than the others."
Auron didn't answer.
He didn't deny it either.
Jace looked away.
"I don't know if I should be scared of you."
Auron placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"You should be scared of what's coming," he said. "Not me."
Jace nodded slowly.
"But you're not gonna turn on us... right?"
Auron gave a small smile.
"I haven't decided yet."
Then he walked away.
And behind him, deep inside the cloth, the mask pulsed once—soft, but steady.
Still watching.