The air beyond the Door of Knowledge was colder, heavier, as if it hadn't been touched by life in centuries. Cendikia's breath caught in his throat as he stepped into the dark chamber, the weight of his decision pressing down on him. The stone door groaned shut behind him, sealing him inside with whatever ancient magic awaited.
The faint glow from the Forgotten Scholar's relic barely illuminated the chamber, casting long, eerie shadows that seemed to stretch and twist along the stone walls. Cendikia's footsteps echoed unnaturally, the sound swallowed by the oppressive silence.
At the center of the chamber stood a large pedestal, and upon it rested a book... no, not just a book, but a tome, ancient and bound in dark leather, its surface etched with glowing runes that pulsed faintly in the dim light.
This was it. The Forgotten Scholar's Grimoire of True Knowledge. The relic in his hand thrummed in response, resonating with the magic that filled the room.
Cendikia's heart raced as he approached the pedestal, his eyes locked on the grimoire. He could feel the power radiating from it, far greater than anything he had encountered so far. But with that power came danger, he knew it instinctively. The system had warned him time and again that unlocking this knowledge would come at a cost.
[Warning!!
You are on the verge of unlocking forbidden knowledge that cannot be undone. Proceed with caution.]
The system's voice echoed coldly in his mind, sharper now, as if it was growing impatient. It didn't trust him. Or maybe it understood the gravity of what he was about to do more than he did.
Cendikia reached out, his fingers trembling as they brushed the cover of the grimoire. The moment he touched it, the runes flared, and a surge of magic shot through him like a bolt of lightning. His vision blurred, and for a moment, he felt as if the chamber around him was falling away.
And then, the visions came.
He saw the Forgotten Scholar, standing in a grand hall surrounded by ancient texts and artifacts. The scholar was not alone, there were others, powerful mages and rulers, all seeking the knowledge the scholar had unlocked. But the scholar was different, isolated and haunted by the power they had gained.
The scene shifted, and Cendikia saw the scholar experimenting with dangerous magic, pushing the boundaries of what was possible. The magic warped reality, bending time and space to the scholar's will, but it also consumed them, unraveling their mind and body. Cendikia felt the weight of the scholar's choices, the isolation, the obsession with knowledge and slowly descent into madness.
And then, the scholar's final act.. an attempt to seal away their greatest discovery, to hide it from the world before it could destroy everything. The grimoire, the relics, the magic - all locked away in the Depths of Esthara, waiting for someone foolish enough to seek it.
Cendikia gasped, his body trembling as the vision faded. He was back in the chamber, his hand still resting on the grimoire, but the weight of what he had seen lingered. The Forgotten Scholar had been destroyed by their own power, consumed by the very knowledge they sought to master.
Was this his fate?
[New Mission:
Unlock the Forgotten Scholar's True Knowledge.]
The system's voice cut through his thoughts, but this time, there was no warning. Only the cold, mechanical command to move forward.
Cendikia's fingers tightened around the grimoire. He knew what was at stake now. The knowledge in this book could give him unimaginable power, but it could also destroy him, just as it had destroyed the Forgotten Scholar. He had seen the price of pursuing forbidden magic, and the system had made it clear that once he opened this grimoire, there would be no turning back.
But he couldn't stop. He had come too far, and the thirst for knowledge burned inside him. With trembling hands, he opened the grimoire.
The pages glowed faintly, and as Cendikia read the first few lines, the words seemed to leap off the page, embedding themselves into his mind. The magic described within was unlike anything he had seen before, it was dimensional magic, time manipulation, and soul binding. The grimoire held spells that could reshape reality itself, spells that had been buried for centuries for good reason.
As Cendikia delved deeper, he began to understand the full scope of the Forgotten Scholar's power. The scholar had discovered a way to transcend mortality, to break free from the constraints of time and space, but at a terrible cost. The magic required not just immense knowledge but a piece of the caster's soul.
"The price is too high," Cendikia thought, but even as the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't stop reading. The allure of such power was too great. If he could master it, he wouldn't just be a mere side character in this world anymore, he would be the one pulling the strings.
But then, a sharp pain lanced through his chest, and he stumbled back, gasping. The system's voice returned, cold and unforgiving:
[Punishment Imminent:
You have violated the boundaries of your current level of knowledge.]
Cendikia fell to his knees, clutching his chest as the pain intensified. His vision blurred, and his mind felt like it was being torn apart. He had pushed too far, too fast, and the system was exacting its punishment.
[Health: 20/100]
[Mana: 10/70]
[Stamina: 25/100]
The system wasn't done. His health dropped dangerously low, and his mana reserves were almost completely depleted. His body trembled, the magic coursing through him uncontrollable.
But then, the punishment stopped. The pain receded, leaving Cendikia gasping for air. The system had spared him for now, but it was clear that it wouldn't tolerate further overreach. He was teetering on the edge, and one more misstep could destroy him.
The grimoire sat open before him, its pages still glowing faintly. He had unlocked part of its secrets, but he wasn't ready to delve any deeper. Not yet.
Cendikia stood shakily, closing the grimoire and tucking it into his pack. The Door of Knowledge had given him what he sought, but it had also shown him the dangers of pursuing power too recklessly.
As he turned to leave the chamber, his thoughts raced. He needed time to recover, time to process what he had learned, and time to decide how far he was willing to go.
The stone door groaned open, and Cendikia stepped back into the winding passageway, his body still weak from the system's punishment. The air felt lighter out here, less oppressive, but the weight of what he had seen and learned remained heavy on his shoulders.
He made his way back toward the academy's main halls, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The Forgotten Scholar's legacy was far greater and far more dangerous than he had imagined. And now, with the grimoire in his possession, the path ahead was even more treacherous.
As he reached the top of the staircase that led out of the Depths, he paused. The academy was quiet at this hour, but there was always someone watching, always someone listening. He couldn't afford to be careless.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the shadows near the entrance.
Aiden Drystan.
Cendikia's heart sank. He hadn't expected to run into Aiden here, of all places. Aiden's sharp eyes glinted in the dim light, his expression unreadable.
"Cendikia," Aiden said, his voice calm but edged with suspicion. "Out for a late-night stroll in the Depths, are we?"
Cendikia's mind raced. Aiden was dangerous, and if he suspected anything about the grimoire or the Forgotten Scholar's relic, Cendikia's entire plan could fall apart. He needed to tread carefully.
"Research," Cendikia replied smoothly, though his heart pounded in his chest. "The Depths hold a lot of forgotten knowledge."
Aiden's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, the silence between them stretched, thick with tension. Then Aiden smiled, though there was no warmth in it.
"Indeed," Aiden said, his gaze lingering on Cendikia's pack. "I've always been curious about what lies in the Depths. Perhaps one day, you'll show me what you've found."
Cendikia forced a smile, though he knew Aiden wasn't fooled. "Perhaps."
With a final glance, Aiden turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the academy's halls.
Cendikia let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Aiden was getting too close. Too curious. And now, with the grimoire in his possession, Cendikia knew that the real danger had only just begun.