956 The Things Behind the Door (1/2)
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Behind the bronze door, the slamming sounds continued incessantly, echoing throughout the vast underground hall as though they came from an abnormally distant past.
Fors clamped up and couldn't help but tremble. Unable to help it, she suppressed her voice:
”What could be behind the door?”
”I've no idea.” Xio honestly shook her head, subconsciously gulping.
Her right hand, which had just picked up her triangular blade, had her joints protruding out as her blood vessels surfaced. Clearly, she was gripping the triangular blade tightly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The slamming sounds continued without any change in frequency. Each sound seemed to strike at Fors's and Xio's hearts, leaving their hair standing and scalps tingling.
”It likely won't be able to come out, right… If it could so easily come out, it wouldn't have waited until today.” Fors tried to console herself with parched lips.
Xio nodded heavily and said, ”We leave once the ingredients form.”
”In such an environment and atmosphere, her curiosity had been completely overwhelmed by her innate fear.
”Alright!” As Fors glanced at the spots where the two ancient wraiths had been cleansed, she blamed The Moon for providing undetailed information. He hadn't mentioned that there was such a strange door beneath the ancient castle.
At this moment, glowing dust was landing on the ground like shattered gems, forming into two piles as they gathered together.
Around them, nearly formless remnant spirituality condensed into a seemingly ethereal crystal.
Accompanied by the crystals and dust were two different items. One was ring-shaped and completely transparent as though it was a corroded ring. The other was an eye carved from crystal, with faint black gas swirling within.
Upon seeing this scene, Fors suddenly realized something.
An ancient wraith was a ghost-like creature with a Beyonder characteristic mixed in. The cursed item would be related to a particular item while they were still alive, fusing with the characteristic and turning into a foundation to which they relied on for their existence. It was precisely because of this that different ancient wraiths had different corresponding cursed items in shape and form. However, they were essentially the same. And the dust was another type of characteristic. It was the source of most of their strength, stemming from remnant spirituality, slightly equivalent to the blood and ingredients of monsters.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The entity striking behind the bronze door didn't let up at all. It kept testing Fors's and Xio's psyche.
Being afraid and cautious, the duo's bodies trembled so much that they even imagined that the door was shaking slightly. Their racing hearts were in their throats.
With them being able to head for the staircase at any moment, Fors finally waited until the ancient wraiths' powder and cursed items took form.
As she signaled to Xio to be wary, she crouched down and took out three square metal boxes she had prepared.
After some hesitation, Fors looked up at Xio and said, ”These two ancient wraiths have been waiting for each other for so long. I-I'm thinking of separating a little of what they left behind and burying them together… Uh, in that case, I'll get a cursed item, and you'll get a pile of dust. We'll split the remaining spirituality, alright?”
Xio didn't hesitate as she nodded.
”Alright!”
Fors silently heaved a sigh of relief as she pursed her lips. Flipping through Leymano's Travels, she slid her finger across a particular page.
The five nails on her right hand immediately grew long and sharp, covering black patterns and symbols.
This was the Claw of Corrosion from the Sanguine.
Upon seeing her palm transform, Fors grabbed at the ground, easily digging a hole and leaving behind a corrosive mark.
Right on the heels of that, she placed the crystal eyeball-like cursed item and a pile of dust into the hole before filling the hole with the gravel and soil she had dug up.
She lightly grazed the flattened ground with her fingernails, writing an epitaph.
”Returning for you; Defending for you; Together forever.”
After doing all of this, Fors sighed when she heard the slamming behind the bronze turn louder.
Bam!
She jumped in fright and hurriedly placed the pile of dust, ring-shaped curse item, and remnant spirituality into the different square metal boxes.
Then, she put the boxes away, stood up, and slowly walked to the spiraling and cramped staircase with Xio.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The slamming sounds behind the bronze door grew intense as Fors and Xio subconsciously gritted their teeth, following the staircase and rapidly heading up.
They increased their speed until they began running. They ignored the possibility of falling on the staircase and tumbling down like a wheel.
Finally, Fors and Xio saw sunlight.
Sunlight beamed in from outside, shining upon the staircase ahead of them. It was bright, pure, and warm.
At this moment, the slamming sounds from underground had come to a sudden stop without any follow-up.
Fors and Xio exchanged looks, slowed down their pace, and after a few large strides, returned to the top of the abandoned ancient castle.
The duo didn't say a word and directly left the area, returning to the periphery of the forest.
After walking for some time, Fors calmed down and pursed her lips.
”It was really terrifying. Although the thing behind the bronze door didn't deal any harm to us, nor did it even show itself, I think it was more terrifying than the ancient wraiths. Compared to all my past experiences—uh, it's far more terrifying. In those few minutes, I couldn't help but imagine all the different tragic deaths I might suffer. Each one was more terrifying than the last, but none of them were as terrifying as the slamming sounds.”
Xio turned her head and agreed with a nod.
”Yeah. I felt as though I was walking on the edge of a cliff.”
Fors was about to continue when she saw two streams of bright red blood flowing down Xio's nose.
”Xio, Xio! Your nose is bleeding!” Fors hurriedly warned her friend.
Xio was taken aback as her pupils dilated.
”You too!”