MTLNOVEL Chapter 96: How long
The crystalline walls of the chamber pulsed with the raw, untamed mana of Alhara, mirroring the frantic beat of Zani's heart. She was a blur of motion, her blade a silver streak, her Blazer flaring with blinding white light as she met the onslaught of the ancient Dalins. They were relentless, their multi-faceted bodies shimmering, dissolving into the crystal walls only to reappear from another angle, their golden talons aiming for the vulnerable prince behind her.
"My lord! How much longer?" Zani cried, her voice strained. A Dalin's tail lashed out, scoring a deep, glowing gash across her thigh. She grunted, a flicker of pain crossing her face, but her resolve never wavered. Her "One That Watches" aspect screamed, urging her to push harder, to be faster, to protect the key.
Sylus, leaning against the colossal Mana Crystal wall, barely registered her words. His entire being was consumed by the intricate sequence before him. The wall was not just rock; it was a living, breathing interface, a primordial keyboard waiting for a forgotten melody. His fingers, still trembling from the mana drain and the lingering pain in his chest, hovered over the glowing symbols.
'Music note 1: a specific frequency, a harmonious pulse.' He closed his eyes, drawing a shallow, painful breath. He channeled what little mana he had left, shaping it, not into a blast, but into a precise, resonant hum. He pressed his palm against a large, central crystal formation. A low, deep thrum vibrated through the stone, mirroring the pulse of the central mana sphere. It was the first note. The wall shimmered, and a faint, ethereal chord resonated through the chamber.
The Dalins, sensing the shift, roared, their attacks intensifying. One slammed into Zani's mana shield, sending cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.
'Stars align: calibration, celestial energy.' Sylus shifted his hand, his fingers dancing across a cluster of smaller crystals, each representing a constellation. He imagined the vastness of the cosmos, the precise, elegant dance of celestial bodies. He wove his mana into intricate patterns, mimicking the alignment of distant stars, pouring his intent into the crystalline surface. The wall responded, the symbols flaring with a kaleidoscope of colors, swirling like a miniature galaxy. The ethereal chord deepened, becoming a complex, harmonious melody.
Zani stumbled, her shield cracking further. Two Dalins lunged, their talons tearing at her Blazer's thorny vines. Blood, now mixed with golden ichor, streamed from multiple wounds. Her breathing was ragged, her movements slowing. "Sylus... I can't... hold them..."
'Heart I can trust: loyalty, pure intent.' This was the hardest, and the most vital. It wasn't about mana. It was about connection. Sylus's gaze snapped to Zani, battling fiercely, her body screaming, yet still holding the line. She was his unyielding shield, his unwavering loyalty. She was the Heart.
He pushed off the wall, stumbling towards her. "Zani!" he rasped, his voice raw. He reached out, grabbing her hand, intertwining their fingers. Her skin was clammy, slick with sweat and blood, but her grip was fierce. He leaned against her, drawing on her strength, her unwavering trust.
He pressed their joined hands against the glowing wall, pouring his raw, desperate intent into the final command. He didn't just think of trust; he felt it, the absolute, unwavering loyalty that flowed from Zani, the protective instinct that burned within her. He felt the echo of Layla's lament, "I want a heart I can trust," and channeled it, not as a desperate plea, but as a resolute command.
The wall roared. Not a sound, but a surge of pure, unadulterated power that shook the entire chamber. The Mana Crystals on the surface pulsed with an blinding, pure white light, resonating with the central mana sphere. The ethereal melody swelled into a triumphant crescendo, a symphony of creation.
The Dalins, caught in the wave of pure mana, shrieked, their crystalline forms flickering, destabilizing. They recoiled, their golden eyes burning with a mixture of terror and fury.
With a final, deafening crack, a section of the colossal Mana Crystal wall, directly in front of Sylus and Zani, began to shift. The intricate carvings glowed, then dissolved, reforming into a massive, arching doorway. It was not a simple opening, but a shimmering portal, its depths swirling with iridescent light, beckoning them into the unknown.
"Go! Now!" Zani yelled, shoving Sylus towards the shimmering archway, her Blazer flaring one last, desperate time to hold back the enraged Dalins.
Sylus stumbled through the portal, dragging Zani with him just as the first Dalin lunged, its talons scraping harmlessly against the closing energy field. The archway shimmered, then solidified, the intricate carvings reforming, sealing them off from the furious guardians of Alhara.
They collapsed onto a smooth, cool floor, the air here surprisingly fresh and still. The portal behind them vanished, leaving no trace of its existence.
Sylus lay there, gasping, his chest aching, his body screaming in protest. The wound, though still present, felt less urgent, his Eternal Healing slowly gaining ground. He looked at Zani, who was sprawled beside him, her breathing ragged, her arm bleeding freely, but her eyes wide with a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration.
"We... we made it," Zani whispered, a faint, disbelieving smile touching her lips.
Sylus managed a weak nod, pushing himself up to a sitting position. He immediately activated his Blessing of Information, scanning their new surroundings.
[Location: Alhara - The Heart's Sanctum.] [Special Qualities: Primordial Mana Flow, Stable Temporal Signature, Dormant Creation Node, Echoes of Ancient Will.] [Resources: Abundant Mana Crystals (Pure), Unidentified Mineral Deposits (High Purity), Temporal Residue.] [Status: Undisturbed for millennia. No Dalin presence detected.]
'Sanctum? Pure Mana Crystals? Stable Temporal Signature?' Sylus's mind, despite his exhaustion, raced. This wasn't just another part of the cave. This was something entirely different. A place untouched by the corruption outside, a pocket of primordial creation. The "Temporal Residue" immediately made him think of Haves, the Principle of Time, and her connection to this place.
He looked at Zani, her wounds glowing faintly with the raw mana she'd absorbed during the fight. His own healing was slow, but hers, fueled by the direct connection to the Manifestation Engine's power, seemed to be accelerating.
"Zani," Sylus rasped, "your arm. It's healing faster."
She looked at her wound, then back at him, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "It feels... warm. Like the mana from the wall. But stronger."
He nodded. "The Manifestation Engine. The Heart of Alhara. It's not just for creating resources. It's a source of pure, primordial mana. And you... your connection to it, your loyalty... it amplified the manifestation. You are the 'heart I can trust,' Zani. You were the key."
Zani's eyes widened, her face pale. The weight of the revelation settled on her. Her ancient connection to the Bringinger, her role in saving creation – it was all here, in this untouched sanctum. She was not just Sylus's Mystero; she was a fundamental piece of this cosmic puzzle.
"My lord..." she began, her voice barely a whisper.
"Later," Sylus interrupted, pushing himself to his feet, swaying slightly. "We need to recover. And then... we need to understand this place. All of it."
The Sanctum was vast, its walls shimmering with pure, untouched Mana Crystals of every conceivable color, radiating a gentle, soothing light. The air was clean, crisp, devoid of the oppressive density of the outer cave. In the distance, he could hear the faint, rhythmic pulse of the Manifestation Engine, a lullaby of cosmic power.
He found a relatively flat, smooth section of the crystalline floor and lowered himself onto it, leaning against a large, emerald-green Mana Crystal that hummed with a calming energy. "Zani," he instructed, his voice weak, "rest. We need to regain our strength. Both of us."
Zani, exhausted, nodded. She settled beside him, her hand instinctively reaching for his. As their fingers intertwined, a faint, pure mana flowed between them, accelerating Sylus's healing, drawing on Zani's deeper, newly awakened connection to the primordial mana.
As his body slowly began to mend, Sylus closed his eyes, his mind a whirlwind of the newly acquired knowledge. The Bringinger and the Destroyer. The Head Principle and the All Father. Haves, the Principle of Time, and her relentless pursuit. Layla, the Catalyst Star, and his own fragmented soul. And the black-masked figure, the Mighty Star Killer, whose image now burned with terrifying clarity in his mind.
'My mission... to rid the stars.' The words from Haves, relayed by Sophia, echoed. He now understood. The stars were not just celestial bodies; they were conduits, feeding the All Father. His purpose, his destiny, was to dismantle the very system that sustained this cosmic horror.
He was not just Alex, the homeless man. He was not just Sylus, the prince. He was a shard of Layla, a Catalyst, a potential Star Killer. And he was tied to Zani, the ancient protector of creation. The weight of it all was immense, but with it came a clarity of purpose he had never known.
He needed to heal. He needed to understand the "Dormant Creation Node" mentioned in the system's status report. He needed to master the Manifestation Engine. And he needed to find a way out of Alhara, not just for escape, but to bring its power, its resources, and its truths, to Linye.
The path to building his empire had just become a cosmic crusade. He had fallen into the heart of the world's greatest secret, and he would emerge, not just as a prince, but as a force capable of reshaping destiny itself. He would fight. He would survive. And he would protect Zani, the key.