The passage narrowed into an archway built of massive weathered stones, each one etched with symbols worn soft by time.
As Soren and the great elder crossed beneath it, the air hummed with mystery. With every step deeper into the sanctum, the atmosphere grew heavier, like unseen eyes were watching.
At the very end of the stone corridor lay a circular chamber, empty except for a single pillar rising from the center. Resting atop it was a small, ancient box carved from a pale, unknown material.
The surface was covered in intricate, winding patterns that looked less like decoration and more like runes, symbols meant to bind, seal, or remember.
The great elder lifted the box with reverence. Even after countless years, not a single seam broke its surface.
Whatever was inside had been sealed for a very, very long time.
Under Soren's curious stare, the elder smiled faintly. A glimmer of red appeared on her fingertip, one drop of blood. She let it fall onto the carved flower-shaped emblem on the lid.
The box stirred, inhaling the blood like thirsty soil.
Soft crimson light bloomed across the surface, washing over the runes. The ancient patterns came alive, flowing and weaving together until they formed a complete sigil.
"Holding the torch of green fire and blue fire," The elder whispered, her tone ceremonial, "Cross the endless Fallen Ground… and reach the far side of origin."
"What… does that even mean?"
She didn't answer, the box did.
With a sound like cracking ice, the light flared then faded instantly. The surface split apart along ancient lines, fragments falling away to reveal a single sheet of animal hide, curled with age but perfectly preserved.
"Soren," The elder said, her usual charm gone, "The answer is in this prophecy."
"Left by the great elder herself, countless generations ago. Only the one it speaks of can truly understand it. And that one… is you."
Soren stepped closer, there was no magic radiating from the parchment no energy, no spiritual force. Yet something in the air felt charged.
Driven by curiosity, he reached out and touched it…!
The chamber, the elder, the stones, even the air… all dissolved into darkness.
Soren felt weightless, suspended in a void that didn't belong to any plane he knew. Instinct surged. His spiritual power exploded outward, tearing cracks through the darkness.
Through the fractures he felt the real world waiting. This psychic construct wasn't nearly as strong as he anticipated…
"Please stop… prophet. I hold no malice toward you."
The voice was soft, warm. Something in it tugged at his will, urging him to listen, to yield. Even Soren felt it for a heartbeat, but he crushed the influence instantly.
Still, the truth clicked into place.
This was no living speaker.
This was the spiritual imprint left by the legendary succubus elder so many ages ago.
A cool, enchanting glow shimmered into existence… first as drifting sparks, then as ribbons of blue fire swirling together. Slowly, the light wove itself into the outline of a woman.
Her features were softened beyond recognition by the weight of time, but her posture… her aura… even as a phantom, she radiated elegance powerful enough to make the darkness feel like a dream.
Soren steadied himself. The psychic space around him was fragile, thin as worn silk. He could tear his way out effortlessly but instead, he held still. Whoever this ancient figure was, she had something to say, and he wanted to hear it.
"Are you… the great elder?" he asked.
The silhouette dipped her head. "What remains of her, yes."
"This sliver of thought was sealed inside the scroll. I cannot imagine how many ages have passed."
A faint sadness drifted through her voice, but it dissolved quickly, as if she no longer allowed herself such luxuries.
"You," The apparition continued, her glowing eyes turning toward him, "Are the one my prophecy speaks of. A traveler from beyond the abyss."
Soren let out a slow breath. "I did come from outside the abyss… but I don't know anything about your prophecy. Both you and the current elder keep saying it, but none of this makes sense to me."
The faintest echo of a chuckle rippled through the blue light.
"'Holding the torch of blue fire and green fire.' In my prophecy, those flames represented space and time two of the Infinite Rough Stones your universe covets."
Soren's heart thudded, so she knew.
Countless ages ago, with nothing but will and dying power, she had foreseen the Space Stone and the Time Stone landing in his hands.
It was almost unbelievable.
Since she was nothing more than a fading spiritual imprint, Soren didn't bother to hide the truth. He nodded. "Yes. I have them."
The ancient elder exhaled, a breath of relief carried on light.
"As I suspected. I devoted my life to freeing the abyss from its bloodthirsty, savage, greedy nature. But I failed. Worse, I dragged the succubus race into ruin with me. When my flame was about to gutter out, I cast my mind into the future… searching for a single spark of hope."
Her voice brightened. "And after endless years… you finally arrived."
Soren lifted a brow. "Still, elder… even if I'm the figure in your prophecy, how can you be so certain I'll save the abyss? I could just walk away."
Instead of answering, the apparition began a story.
"Then listen," she said gently. "And understand."
"In the beginning, the abyss was a normal plane like any other… raw, wild, but untainted. But soon after its creation, something attacked it. A foreign evil. A force with no face, no mind."
The blue figure dimmed slightly, as if remembering hurt.
"It slithered into the very origin of the plane and corrupted it. That contamination spread to every part of the abyss. From that moment on, the air we breathed, the soil we walked upon, the energy that birthed new life… all of it turned vile."
She paused.
"Creatures that should have grown naturally became warped. Those born afterward were shaped entirely by the tainted origin. Bloodlust, cruelty, greed, chaos… these were not the nature of the abyss."
Her voice trembled with ancient grief. "This was a sickness forced upon us."