The echo of the Spiralbound Knight's fall hadn't yet faded when the spiral-marked stone beneath our feet began to shift.
Not tremble. Not quake.
It rearranged.
The engravings twisted inward. The carved grooves realigned like spinning gears, swallowing the ash-stained surface into an intricate design I didn't understand—but that the system did.
[System Notice: Spiral Core Access Node Activating]Host Signature Recognized – Access GrantedCaution: The Spiral Below reacts to devourers of its chosen.
Lira took a step back as the spiral glowed crimson.
"What now?" she whispered.
"A choice," I said. "Ours—or theirs."
The core clicked.
Then opened.
A circular platform of stone lowered into the dark, lowering us both into a space not built by mortals.
It was a hollow beneath the hollow. Deeper, colder, older.
Walls of black crystal hummed with unseen energy. Carvings in ancient tongue pulsed faintly. A dozen cracked statues lined the walls—each faceless, arms crossed, spirals etched in their palms.
They watched us.
[System Notice: You have entered the Substructure – "Sanctum of the Bound Spiral"]Optional Objective Unlocked: Uncover the Purpose of the Spiral RiteWarning: Unknown Entities Dormant Within
At the center of the sanctum stood a basin filled with swirling white mist.
Lira stared at it, transfixed.
"That's… memory. Not just mine. Not just yours. Collective. From the others before me. Before us."
I stepped toward it. The mist rippled with my presence.
[System Prompt: Fragmented Memory Available – Consume?]"Fragment of the Sealed Maiden" – Memory Level: BContents: Forgotten history, sealed language, trauma-encoded eventsSkill Insight Potential: Moderate
"I'm taking it," I said.
Lira placed her hand on my arm. "Isaac… be careful."
I closed my eyes—and reached in.
Pain. Cold. Fire.
A girl's scream—young, broken, gagged.
Not Lira.
Someone else.
Bound in chains not of steel but of ritual words. Spirals burned across her skin. The cult chanted around her—dozens of them, their voices one. Calling something ancient. Something sleeping beneath the bones of a thousand others.
And then—
A backlash.
The ritual failed. Or succeeded in the wrong way.
The spiral ate them.
All but her.
I gasped, falling back from the basin.
Blood trickled from my nose.
[Memory Fragment Absorbed – "Sealed Maiden"]Gain Skill: Whispers of the Spiral (Rank C)Effect: Detect residual spiral magic, gain limited insight into spiral-scripted rituals and glyphs.+1 Intelligence+1 Willpower
Updated Status:
HP: 45 / 120
MP: 75 / 75
Strength: 11
Agility: 6
Endurance: 8
Intelligence: 9
Willpower: 7
Charisma: 1
Luck: ???
Recent Gains: +1 INT, +1 WIL (Memory Fragment – Sealed Maiden)
Skill Gained: Whispers of the Spiral (Rank C)
I staggered to my feet.
"She's still down here," I muttered.
Lira blinked. "Who?"
"The first one. The one they tested all this on."
She nodded slowly. "Then we find her."
But before we could move, the statues flared to life.
One by one, crimson light burned through the spirals in their palms. Not fast—but awakening.
[System Alert: Guardian Protocol Initiated – Spiral Sentinels Activating]Enemies Incoming: 4 Spiral Sentinels – Tier: Intermediate ConstructsAbilities: Unbound Strength, Rot Aura, Shatterstep
"Looks like we woke the crypt," I muttered, drawing the glyph-blade I'd claimed from one of the cultists.
Lira summoned her sigil.
I took a step forward, a grin creeping to my face.
"Let's see how many more echoes I can claim."