Chapter 10: Secrets of the Origin
The air in the robot graveyard smelled of burnt copper and ozone. David stood over the twitching, massive arm of the fallen construct, his chest heaving. Beneath the tons of rusted metal, he could hear a muffled, metallic roar. The Iron Monk was still alive, his bronze skin likely the only thing keeping him from being flattened into a pancake.
"Emily!" David shouted into the gloom.
A shimmer of green light appeared fifty yards away. Emily stepped out, her tactical gear torn, but her face eerily calm.
"The Stalker is gone," she said, her voice a bit too steady. "I led him into the feedback zone. He... glitched out. I don't think he's coming back."
David nodded, though his heart gave a strange, dissonant thrum. It wasn't the Thump of Dread, but it wasn't the Rhythm of Fortune either. It was a cold, hollow vibration he hadn't felt before.
"We need to move," David said, clutching his bruised ribs. "The Monk won't stay under that scrap forever."
They retreated deeper into the "Void-Scar" of the Under-City, moving past mountains of discarded code and frozen holographic advertisements from a Lagos that never existed. Eventually, the Pitter-patter of David's heart became a deafening roar.
They reached a massive, rusted vault door labeled [Project: ORIGIN - WILL TEST].
"This is it," Emily whispered. "The Third Blessing."
As David touched the door, the obsidian in his chest flared. The door didn't open; it dissolved. Inside was a pedestal holding a flickering, violet flame that didn't give off heat. It gave off weight.
[Third Ancestral Blessing detected: The Flame of Will]
[Integration Difficulty: High]
[Potential Reward: Mental Fortitude & Soul-Flame Projection]
"David, take it," Emily said, stepping back into the shadows. "I'll watch the entrance. If the Monk shows up, I'll stall him."
David looked at her. "We do this together, Emily. You've earned half of this."
"No," she said, a faint, sad smile touching her lips. "My soul capacity is nearly full from the shards I took from the Stalker. I need to stabilize. You take the Flame. We need you at full power if we're going to hit the Top 4."
David nodded, touched by her "sacrifice." He stepped toward the violet flame and reached out.
The moment his fingers touched the fire, his mind exploded.
[Ritual: Trial of the Origin – Initiated]
David wasn't in the Under-City anymore. He was standing in a white void. Before him stood a colossal figure made of stars—the First Ancestor.
"Candidate," the figure boomed. "You seek the heart of a God, but you carry the eyes of a mortal. To see the truth, you must burn the lie."
The violet flame roared, and David's Pulse of Providence went into an absolute frenzy. His heart didn't just beat; it played a symphony of warnings.
[Vision Triggered: The Bleeding Jade]
In the white void, a scene played out: David saw himself reaching for the 5th Blessing. He saw the "Eternity Realm" gates opening. But as he stepped through, he felt a cold blade of green light pierce his back. He turned to see Emily, her amber eyes cold, holding a shard of the broken jade coin.
"The sacrifice is made," a voice—The Saint's voice—whispered in the vision. "Rank 12 advances. Rank 11 is expunged."
David gasped, his soul burning in the violet fire. "No... it's a test. The Ancestor is testing my trust."
"The Heart does not lie, Candidate," the Ancestor's voice echoed. "The Pulse is the only truth in a world of code."
David roared, forcing his will to crush the vision. He wouldn't believe it. Emily had saved him. She had chosen him over the Alliance. He pushed the obsidian energy of his heart into the violet flame, absorbing it by sheer force of personality.
[Integration Progress: 100%]
[Third Ancestral Blessing: The Flame of Will – Bound]
[New Skill: Soul-Burn (Passive) – Your attacks now ignore 20% of an enemy's defense.]
[Rank Update: 10 -> 8]
David snapped back to reality. He was on his knees, sweat pouring down his face. Emily was standing over him, her hand resting on his shoulder.
"David? You were screaming. What did you see?" she asked, her voice dripping with concern.
David looked up at her. For a split second, he saw the amber eyes from his vision—cold and calculating. But then, she blinked, and she was just Emily again.
"Nothing," David lied, his heart aching with a heavy, leaden beat. "Just the ritual. It was... intense."
"You did it," she smiled, helping him up. "Rank 8. We're almost there, David. The 4th Blessing is in the Labyrinth above us. Once we get that, no one can stop us from reaching the Top 4."
David didn't tell her about the vision. He didn't tell her about the Backdoor he had seen earlier—the escape to the real, ruined Earth.
But as they walked out of the vault, David's heart gave a faint, solitary thump.
[Opportunity 'The Lone Ancestor' – 68 Hours Remaining]
The seed of doubt had been planted.