The stone chamber continued descending in complete silence.
There were no windows.
No doors.
No visible mechanism.
Yet everyone could feel it.
A faint vibration pulsed through the floor beneath their feet.
The entire chamber itself was acting as an enormous elevator.
Kaelira looked around curiously.
Her wolf ears twitched.
"...The whole room is moving."
She lightly tapped one of the smooth stone walls.
"...So we're still being watched."
Pythia nodded.
"...We are."
"...The ruins monitor every section independently."
"...Every movement within them is observed."
Aldric folded his arms.
"...Paranoid bastards."
He clicked his tongue.
"...Your little rat nest really doesn't trust anyone."
Pythia didn't bother responding.
Only the deep grinding of ancient stone disturbed the silence.
Moments later—
**RUMBLE...**
The vibration gradually faded.
The chamber came to a complete stop.
A loud crack echoed through the room.
Ancient mechanisms stirred to life.
The wall before them slowly split apart.
Massive slabs of stone slid silently to either side.
A hidden corridor revealed itself beyond.
The masked elder stepped forward first.
"...Follow."
Without hesitation—
he entered the passage.
Draven followed calmly.
Pythia walked a single step behind him.
Aldric came next, lazily resting his poleaxe across one shoulder.
Kaelira, Ryke, and the remaining cloaked figures followed behind.
This corridor was unlike any of the others.
Its walls were flawlessly smooth.
Ancient runes glowed faintly beneath the polished stone, casting a pale crimson light throughout the passage.
The deeper they walked—
the denser the mana became.
Even Ryke could feel it.
A chill ran down his spine.
He swallowed nervously.
"...Something's down here..."
"...Something really dangerous."
No one answered.
Several minutes later—
the passage came to an abrupt end.
A solid stone wall blocked their path.
There was nowhere else to go.
The masked elder stepped forward.
He placed both hands upon the ancient wall.
Immediately—
countless runes ignited beneath his palms.
Lines of pale crimson light spread throughout the stone like living veins.
The entire wall trembled.
**RUMBLE...**
Layer after layer of ancient sealing formations began retracting.
Massive locking mechanisms disengaged one after another.
Each release echoed like distant thunder through the underground halls.
Then—
the final seal withdrew.
The wall slowly parted.
A wave of ancient mana poured from the chamber beyond.
Everyone felt it.
Cold.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
It was unlike ordinary mana.
It carried a suffocating corruption that instinctively made one's skin crawl.
Ryke's face immediately paled.
"...What..."
Kaelira's wolf ears flattened against her head.
"...That's..."
Even Aldric's grin disappeared.
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"...So this is it."
Beyond the doorway—
lay a perfectly circular chamber.
Dozens—
no—
hundreds of enormous magic circles covered every surface.
The floor.
The walls.
The ceiling.
Layer upon layer of ancient formations overlapped one another, forming an incomprehensibly intricate network of seals.
Each one pulsed with an ancient, steady light.
At the very center of the chamber—
suspended in midair—
floated a crystal roughly the size of a human head.
Its outer surface resembled flawless polished crystal.
Yet within—
dark purplish-crimson and deep violet energy churned endlessly.
Like liquid darkness imprisoned within glass.
Countless chains forged entirely from condensed mana wrapped around it from every direction.
Additional magic circles revolved slowly around the crystal.
Each rotation reinforced the seal.
Each formation suppressed its power.
Even so—
tiny wisps of corrupted mana continued to seep from its surface.
The instant they escaped—
the surrounding formations immediately absorbed them once more.
The corruption never spread beyond the chamber.
The masked elder stood before the entrance.
His aged voice echoed quietly.
"...An Abyssal Core."
Silence settled over the room.
Every gaze fixed upon the crystal.
Its mere presence seemed to distort the surrounding space.
Like a heart...
Still beating...
Even after centuries.
Aldric folded his arms.
His crimson eyes remained fixed upon the suspended crystal.
"...It's bigger than the one from the Rift-Breaker."
He scratched the side of his cheek.
"...That was its name..."
He frowned briefly.
"...I think."
Ryke looked at him as though he had asked the most obvious question imaginable.
"...Of course it is."
"...Everybody knows that."
His gaze never left the crystal.
"...The Rift-Breaker is always the first Named Entity to emerge whenever an Abyssal Breach is opened."
He spoke almost instinctively, repeating knowledge that was common throughout the continent.
"...At least..."
"...that's what everyone says."
He hesitated.
"...As for the second..."
He slowly shook his head.
"...Nobody really knows."
"...Or rather..."
"...most people don't care enough to find out."
He glanced toward the gathered cultists.
"...At least..."
"...those outside the cults."
Silence settled over the chamber once more.
Pythia's gaze remained fixed upon the suspended crystal.
Her voice remained calm.
"...The second Named Entity of the Abyss..."
She paused.
"...is Voragath..."
"...the Leech Lord."
The chamber fell silent.
Several of the surrounding cultists instinctively lowered their heads.
Even speaking its name carried a trace of reverence.
Pythia continued.
"...Unlike the Rift-Breaker..."
"...the Leech Lord does not exist to destroy."
"...It exists to consume."
Her eyes never left the crystal.
"...Mana."
"...Souls."
"...Life."
"...Even other creatures of the Abyss."
Aldric raised an eyebrow.
"...A cannibal."
Pythia nodded.
"...Yes."
"...The Abyss recognizes no distinction."
"...Anything can become nourishment."
She looked toward the dark crimson core.
"...Its appetite is endless."
"...The longer it remains within the Abyss..."
"...the stronger it becomes."
Ryke unconsciously swallowed.
"...That..."
"...doesn't sound like something that should exist."
Pythia answered quietly.
"...It shouldn't."
"...Yet it does."
The masked elder spoke for the first time since entering the chamber.
His aged voice echoed softly through the ancient hall.
"...Every Abyssal Breach follows the same sequence."
"...The Rift-Breaker tears open the boundary."
"...The Leech Lord follows."
He slowly raised a hand toward the suspended core.
"...One creates the path."
"...The other devours everything the path brings with it."
His gaze lingered upon the crystal.
"...This..."
"...is what remains..."