Chương 23: CHAPTER 23: The Shadow of the Seal
Damian, Nerrisa, and Linda arrive at the mansion. Damian is barely conscious, the corruption from the Philosopher's Stone spreading dangerously. Nerrisa and Linda quickly set up an alchemical circle to stabilize him, using the grimoire's knowledge. However, they discover that Mortivax's lingering influence has strengthened, feeding off Damian's weakening will, eating his fears, worries and draining his strength.
Nerrisa and Linda work tirelessly, combining their knowledge, with the goal of saving Damian's life. They draw upon a ritual which they found in the grimoire,this ritual will help to slow the stones corruption, but an ingredient needed for this ritual creates a tense situation for both Nerrisa and Linda. The name of this ritual is: the Purge of Ancestral Tethers, this ritual will help to temporarily suppress the Stone's corruption. This ritual requires rare ingredients stored in the mansion's forbidden alchemical chamber. Nerrisa guides Linda into the forbidden alchemical chambers,"go and look after him, I'll take it from here!, Linda said to Nerrisa.
As Linda searches for the materials, Nerrisa stays with Damian, offering words of encouragement. Damian, unconsciously, mutters an alchemical phrase about a "fractured seal" and visions of Mortivax's rise, hinting at the Stone's deeper secrets.
Linda's search leads her to an unused wing of the mansion, where she encounters ghostly echoes of Damian's ancestors,"who dares step foot in this sacred ground!!!, Hearing this voice Linda stops, turning around, trying to see who said those words." you can't see me little one, for you are not of this house!!. I see you came here trying to save the boys life, saving his life will lead him to more pain and suffering!!!, Damian's ancestors said, educating Linda, trying to persuade her to leave him to his gate.
These spectral figures warn her that tampering with the Stone will awaken more ancient entities tied to its power. Linda, unshaken, insists on helping Damian and retrieves the necessary ingredients despite their warnings.
Meanwhile, Damian regains brief clarity and tells Nerrisa about a recurring vision: a shattered realm where Mortivax reigns supreme, with humanity enslaved. He fears the Stone is slowly tethering his soul to this dark future. Linda rushes in, "how's he doing!!, she said, trying to understand his condition. After several minutes of preparation, Nerrisa and Linda are now set, ready to take the ritual.
Now in the main chamber, Nerrisa and Linda began to perform the ritual, channeling the Philosopher's Stone's energy through ruins and patterns etched into the mansion's floor. Damian, despite his pain, must participate by reciting part of the incantation:
Incantation:
"Sigillum sacrum, invocamus te, corruptionem ligate, animam salvate!"
(Sacred seal, we invoke you, bind the corruption, save the soul!)
As the ritual progresses, the mansion begins to tremble. An unseen force, an ancient guardian tied to the Philosopher's Stone, manifests, moving towards the chamber where the ritual was being performed. This guardian, Umbrix, is a shadowy amalgamation of Mortivax's influence and the Stone's protective magic, although it wasn't physically present, it possesses a snake Statue within the chamber.
Umbrix accuses the group of meddling with forces beyond their understanding. It attacks, conjuring illusions that exploit their fears:
Nerrisa's vision: She sees Damian consumed by the Stone, his humanity lost forever. She sees Damian becoming one of mortivax minions and devoid of all life force.
Linda's vision: She sees herself failing, her attempts to help Damian resulting in the mansion collapsing, she falls into a deep bottomless pit, trying to cast spells that will make her float, but she couldn't speak, having a feeling like she never had a tongue.
Damian's vision: He relives the deaths of those he couldn't save, including potential future harm to Nerrisa and Linda. He sees Nerrisa, lying in her pool of blood, he runs towards her, his eyes filled with tears and his heart filled with regret. He holds her and cries deeply, Nerrisa points at a distance and as Damian raises his head to look at what she was pointing at, he saw Linda. Mortivax holds Linda by the throat, using his bare arm and raw strength, mortivax strikes Linda, removing her heart. He tosses Linda at Damian, mortivax laughs in satisfaction. At the sight of this traumatic event Damian screams in anger and despair.
Now they must overcome their fears to fight back. Linda uses the Pendant of Aetherial Binding to weaken Umbrix's illusions, the pendent shines with a bright blinding light, disrupting the umbrix's, at the slight chance, Nerrisa regains a hold of reality, she senses the direction of this malicious energy. The umbrix's now realizing that his at risk, pretending to be a snake, tries to escape. Nerrisa fires alchemical arrows infused with light-based compounds to harm it from it new form. Damian, gathering strength, channels the Philosopher's Stone to break the guardian's connection to Mortivax, reducing it's presence to nothing but mere breeze.
After a fierce struggle, they defeat Umbrix, and its dissipating energy reveals a hidden passage beneath the mansion. The group discovers an ancient chamber with a massive, intricately designed alchemical seal. This seal is connected directly to the Philosopher's Stone and Mortivax's power.
In the chamber, they find inscriptions detailing the Stone's history. It was created as a tool to guard against Mortivax's resurgence, but over centuries, its purpose became corrupted. Damian realizes the Stone's corruption isn't just affecting him, it's weakening the seal itself. If the seal fails, Mortivax will be fully unleashed upon the world.
Now Damian must strengthen the seal, but doing so will require him to channel the Philosopher's Stone's power beyond safe limits. Linda warns that this could result in his complete loss of humanity, while Nerrisa insists they must find another way.
Damian looks at his friends, their faces filled with determination and fear. He declares:
"If this is the price to protect the world, I'll pay it. But we'll face it together, no
matter the cost."
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