Chapter 107: Flickering

I’ve Met Many Geniuses, But They All Call Me a Genius

The candlelight in the library flickered uncertainly in the night breeze as Jonas’s fingertips brushed over the mottled runes on the parchment scroll. The ancient blood-inked characters seemed to burn with heat, and through the cracks of time, the catastrophic scenes from a thousand years ago surged forward—the maddened laughter of the alchemy master Mobius, the thunderous clash when the Fountain of Life collided with the Abyssal Force, and the tragic image of the Linglian tribe girls sacrificing themselves to seal the Abyssal Rift deep within Shadow Gorge. The edges of the parchment had long been gnawed into fine holes by the years, but as his gaze swept over the words "Eternal Seed," the faded text suddenly oozed a dark red, as if the blood curse sealed within the characters was awakening.

Creak—

The sound of the carved wooden door opening startled Jonas into lifting his head sharply, and the flame on the gilded candlestick suddenly flared half a foot higher. Charis’s silver hair was dotted with fine night dew, and the creases of her silver-gray maid uniform still carried the urgency of travel. The silver tray she held gently swayed with her steps, yet not a drop of the red tea in the celadon cup spilled.

"My lord, an urgent letter from the border patrol." She placed the tray on the oak table piled high with ancient books. The wax seal on the parchment envelope still radiated warmth. "Animals within a hundred-mile radius of Shadow Gorge are migrating. The wolf pack has broken through the Silver Moon River’s barrier, and even the rock bears overturned the watchtower of the Third Outpost."

Jonas’s thumb unconsciously stroked the spirit runes engraved on the Frostmark sword’s hilt—the sealing totem unique to the Linglian tribe. Three days ago, when news of Retifus’s prison break arrived, he was studying Mobius’s fragmented notes. Now, the disturbance Charis brought perfectly matched the "Signs of Abyssal Revival" recorded on the scroll—when the seals of Shadow Gorge loosened, beasts saturated with Abyssal energy would be driven away like by invisible giant hands, fleeing the land of death recklessly.

"Why do you think Retifus chose this moment to escape?" He suddenly turned around, the candlelight casting his shadow on the bookshelf behind like a beast with claws outstretched. "The twelve protective seals of the Star Dome prison cannot be broken even by high-level mages."

Charis added a sugar cube to her celadon cup, the amber tea rippling. "The old archives show that twenty years ago, during the Fountain of Life revival project, Retifus was responsible for analyzing Mobius’s experimental logs. Perhaps he discovered something in prison…" Her words cut off abruptly as a sharp eagle cry sounded outside.

A night owl engulfed in ghostly blue flames slammed against the protective barrier on the windowpane, claws clutching a half-charred letter. The barrier flared a blinding white light, instantly reducing the night owl to ashes, but the letter passed through the barrier and gently drifted to Jonas’s feet. Charis’s slender sword was already drawn, the runes on the blade flickering with vigilant light.

"Shadow Raven." Jonas picked up the letter, the gilded crest glowing with an eerie purple under the moonlight. This was a magical pet only Abyssal priests would keep. "It seems we don’t have much time." The blood-red characters on the letter faded at a visible speed but still showed several scarlet symbols: "Seal will break, eternity is coming." His temples throbbed violently as the scroll’s record of the "Eternal Seed" slithered up his neck like a venomous snake—a forbidden secret technique requiring the life force of an entire continent to complete.

The shadows in the library suddenly twisted. A purple streak of light grazed past Jonas’s ear and embedded itself in the bookshelf behind. It was an arrow inscribed with Abyssal runes, the fletching still trembling faintly. Charis threw three poisoned silver needles backward, but they turned to black powder upon touching the shadow.

"Summon the knights, prepare the Starfall Crossbows." Jonas tossed the letter into the fire basin; the flickering flames instantly shifted to an eerie blue-green. "Retifus intends to reforged the Eternal Seed in Shadow Gorge. We must arrive before dawn." He drew Frostmark, the ice-blue glow from the blade illuminating the black vines creeping along the wall—the tangible sign of Abyssal corruption, as the library’s protective barrier was being eroded.

At the first break of dawn piercing the clouds, the Silver-armored knights led by Jonas had reached the outskirts of Shadow Gorge. Once lush mountains were now shrouded in grayish-purple miasma, and the valley bottom echoed with the sound of chains breaking. The patrol team’s torn flags fluttered in the wind, their poles entwined with writhing tentacle-like creatures. Where the viscous slime dripped, the rocks hissed with corrosion.

"Form up!" Jonas’s voice cut through the howling mountain wind. The sword energy from Frostmark condensed into a massive ice shield in midair. Twenty knights simultaneously raised their sunstone-embedded shields, and the golden light wall clashed with the Abyssal miasma, erupting in deafening thunder. Charis’s longbow released specially crafted anti-Abyss arrows. The arrows pierced the thick fog but turned pitch black the moment they reached the valley floor.

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. Countless black vines burst from the earth, their surfaces covered with twisted human faces emitting piercing shrieks that frightened the warhorses into rearing. Jonas infused magical power into Frostmark; the ice-blue sword energy shattered the vines into crystalline shards wherever it passed, but new tentacles surged wildly from underground.

"My lord! Abnormal energy fluctuation southeast!" A knight pointed deep into the gorge. Purple lightning tore through the clouds, outlining a massive rune array in the miasma. Retifus’s figure floated at the center of the formation, his black robe crawling with Abyssal markings. In his hand was a crystal vial containing a pale green liquid boiling wildly—that was the legendary Fountain of Life, embodying endless vitality.

"Stop!" Jonas’s roar was drowned out by thunder. "If the Fountain of Life merges with the Abyss…"

"Foolish agent of justice!" Retifus’s voice echoed as if from the nine hells. He violently hurled the crystal vial to the ground. "A thousand years ago, Mobius failed. Twenty years ago, the royal research institute failed. But today—" He spread his arms, allowing the purple lightning to strike him. "The entire continent will be reborn in the radiance of the Eternal Seed!"

At the moment the Fountain of Life contacted the Abyssal Rift, the world violently warped. A massive black vortex formed above the gorge, from which countless sky-blocking tentacles stretched out. Jonas felt Frostmark burn in his hand, the spirit runes scorching his palm as if resisting the impending disaster. Charis’s shield shattered from a tentacle strike, shards cutting a deep, bone-exposing wound on her cheek. Yet she fiercely swung her sword, defending the knights setting up the Starfall Crossbows behind her.

"Activate the barrier!" Jonas channeled all his magic into Frostmark, and the blade burst with unprecedented brilliance. "In the name of the Linglian tribe, borrowing the power of the ancient seal…"

Yet the light dimmed the instant it touched the vortex. Retifus’s figure merged into the darkness, his maniacal laughter ringing painfully in everyone’s ears. "Too late, Jonas! The Eternal Seed is awakening—"

Deep within the gorge, a pulsing black heart slowly emerged, each beat accompanied by distant screams. Jonas stared at his increasingly translucent palm, knowing the Abyssal corruption had already begun. But he clenched Frostmark tightly and stepped forward amid the clash of ice and darkness—the tragedy from a thousand years ago must never repeat in his generation.

The carved wooden door was gently pushed open. Charis entered holding a silver tray, the aroma of tea mixed with the sweetness of pastries dispelling the heavy atmosphere. The silver-haired maid placed the refreshments on the oak table and bowed her head to report, "My lord, the border patrol just delivered an urgent letter. Animals within a hundred miles of Shadow Gorge are migrating northwest. The wolf pack even crossed the Silver Moon River, and solitary rock bears are gathering in groups…"

Jonas’s fingers tightened suddenly, crumpling the parchment scroll. News of Retifus’s prison break had arrived three days ago—the defector who once worked at the royal alchemy research institute had vanished from the heavily guarded Star Dome prison. The disturbance Charis brought perfectly matched the "Signs of Abyssal Revival" recorded on the scroll—whenever the seal weakens, the creatures of Shadow Gorge instinctively flee.

"Why do you think Retifus chose this moment to escape?" Jonas suddenly turned, candlelight illuminating his sharp profile. The young royal chief investigator’s dark green eyes swirled with storms. "The protective magical formations of the Star Dome prison are impenetrable. His escape was no coincidence."

Charis pushed the porcelain cup toward Jonas, steam blurring the worry in her eyes. "According to the archives, Retifus participated in the Fountain of Life revival research twenty years ago. Perhaps he found some clues in prison related to Mobius’s 'Eternal Seed'?"

Before her words ended, a piercing eagle cry sounded outside. Jonas hurried to the window and saw a night owl burning with ghostly blue flames slam against the protective barrier, claws clutching a half-charred letter. The barrier’s light incinerated the owl into ashes, but the letter drifted onto the windowsill.

Charis’s face changed sharply. "A Shadow Raven! Only…"

"An Abyssal priest would keep such a magical pet." Jonas picked up the letter. The characters were vanishing rapidly but several crimson symbols could still be made out: "Seal will break, eternity is coming." His pupils contracted slightly as he recalled the scroll’s record—the final form of the "Eternal Seed" in Mobius’s experimental notes demanded the life of the entire continent in exchange for power beyond life and death.

"Summon the knights immediately." Jonas burned the letter. "We ride through the night to Shadow Gorge. Retifus must be there. He wants to complete Mobius’s unfinished madness!"

The capital plunged into turmoil under the night sky. Silver-armored knights mounted their warhorses, magical lanterns forming a winding river of light along the long streets. As Jonas swung himself onto his horse, he glimpsed a strange purple glow flickering in the library’s shadow. He turned sharply, but only saw the flickering candle shadows on the wall.

"My lord, should I send people to search?" Charis gripped her slender sword.

Jonas pondered briefly and shook his head. "No need. Abyssal power infiltrating the capital is not something ordinary soldiers can confront. We must reach the gorge before Retifus."

Hooves shattered the night as the knights galloped along the ancient trade road. At dawn’s first light, the Shadow Gorge lay ahead. Once verdant mountains were now shrouded in gray mist. The valley echoed with the grating sound of metal, as if some massive force struggled to break free.

"Spread out and stay alert!" Jonas drew his sword, its blade shimmering with icy blue light. Frostmark, forged by the Linglian tribe, was one of the ancient artifacts that sealed Mobius a thousand years ago.

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. Countless black vines burst from the earth, entangling the knights’ horses. The vines were covered with face-like bulges, their distorted expressions emitting heart-wrenching screams. Charis swung her sword to cut the vines but the blade developed tiny holes from corrosion.

"Abyssal tentacles!" Jonas infused magic into Frostmark. Where the ice-blue sword energy swept, the vines turned to dust. "Form up! Use light magic…"

Before he finished, a mad laugh echoed from the gorge’s depths. Retifus floated in the air, his black robe covered in Abyssal runes. His right hand held a crystal vial emitting an ominous glow—the vial contained the pale green liquid of the legendary Fountain of Life!

"Jonas, you finally arrived." Retifus’s voice seemed to emanate from the Abyss itself. "A thousand years ago, Lord Mobius failed; twenty years ago, the royal institute failed. But today, I will complete the 'Eternal Seed' and grant immortality to the entire continent!"

Jonas raised Frostmark, pointing the sword tip at the sky. "The Fountain of Life is a gift of nature, not a tool for your ambition! Abyssal power corrupts everything. Was Mobius’s lesson not profound enough?"

Retifus laughed madly. "Naive! Corruption is merely the collapse of the old order. Behold, the Eternal Seed is about to be born!" He smashed the vial to the ground. At the instant the Fountain of Life touched the Abyssal Rift at the valley bottom, the sky and earth changed color. Purple lightning tore across the heavens, and a gigantic black vortex formed above the rift, from which countless sky-blocking tentacles stretched out.

The knights’ light magic seemed pale and powerless against the Abyssal force. Gritting his teeth, Jonas poured all his magic into Frostmark. "The Linglian tribe’s covenant bearer is here, borrowing the power of the ancient seal—"

Frostmark erupted with dazzling light but dimmed the moment it touched the vortex. Retifus’s figure merged into the swirl, his voice echoing through the gorge. "Too late, Jonas. The Eternal Seed is awakening…"

Charis suddenly grabbed Jonas’s arm. "My lord! Look at the center of the vortex!"

Within the purple light, a pulsing black heart slowly emerged. Each beat shook the earth and consumed life. Jonas recalled the scroll’s last record: once the Eternal Seed fully forms, the continent’s entire life force would be devoured, becoming its sustenance.

"It must be destroyed." Jonas gripped Frostmark tightly. "Charis, notify the capital to activate the full defensive barrier. I will defend this place…"

Before he finished, the Abyssal tentacles surged in an overwhelming tide. Jonas swung Frostmark, his gaze growing ever firmer amid the clash of ice and darkness. The catastrophe from a thousand years ago must not repeat—even if it costs him his life, he would protect the peace of this land.