Kaden and Lira spent the next few hours exploring the artifact room, examining each object with careful attention. Each artifact seemed to tell a story, but none triggered such intense vision as Osiris's bracelet. Yet Kaden felt that each discovery brought them a little closer to the truth.
At one point, Lira found a silver necklace decorated with a sparkling black stone. The runes engraved on the metal seemed to dance under the light, and a cold aura emanated from the object.
"This one's related to Hel," she whispered, holding him carefully. "Do you want to try?"
Kaden hesitated. After the experiment with the bracelet, he wasn't sure he wanted to relive such intense vision. But he knew he had no choice. He took the necklace, passing it around his neck.
Immediately, an icy sensation invaded him, as if the shadow of Hel itself enveloped him. The walls of the artifact room seemed to fade away, replaced by a dark and desolate landscape.
He was in a cemetery, his tombstones shattered and overgrown with vegetation. In the center of the cemetery, a woman in a black dress raised her arms, invoking shadows dancing around her. Shadows were taking shape, becoming ghosts that moved with sinister grace.
The woman turned her head, and Kaden saw his eyes - purple eyes, identical to those he saw in the mirror when he used Hel's power. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Then she pointed to something behind him.
Kaden turned around, and his heart missed a beat.
The Towers.
They were there, bigger and more threatening than ever. But that wasn't all. Between the Towers, an immense figure stood, a creature made of shadow and light, with eyes shining like stars.
The vision faded, and Kaden found himself again in the artifact room, panting.
"What did you see?" asked Lira, her eyes filled with anxiety.
Kaden shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts." A woman... she was using Hel's power to summon ghosts. And then... the Towers. There was something between them. A creature."
"Lira quickly wrote down her words, her face imbued with concentration." A creature? You mean a monster?"
Kaden nodded, but something in his expression made Lira understand that there was more.
"It wasn't just a monster," he said at last. "It was... different. More powerful. As if it was related to the Tours in a way I don't understand."
Lira frowned, reflecting on his words." Maybe that's what the Founding Heroes discovered. Maybe the Towers aren't just structures... they're harboring something. Something alive."
Kaden felt a thrill running through his back." And if so... what does that mean for us?"
Lira didn't answer right away. She looked at the necklace in her hands, then rested it on the shelf." That means we need to know more. If the Towers are home to a creature, or an entity, or anything else... we need to understand what it is. And how to defeat it."
Kaden nodded, feeling a new determination in him. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew he couldn't back down.
They spent the rest of the day examining other artifacts, but none triggered vision as intense as Osiris's bracelet or Hel's necklace. Yet each discovery brought them a little closer to the truth.
At the end of the day, as the sun began to descend on the horizon, Kaela joined them in the artifact room.
"Then," she said, crossing her arms, "have you found what you were looking for?"
Kaden and Lira exchanged glances, then Lira spoke." We found clues. Visions related to Founding Heroes and Towers. But there are still many things we don't understand."
Kaela nodded, her face impassive." It's a good start. But be careful. The secrets of the Towers are not meant to be discovered easily. And some would prefer that they remain hidden."
Kaden felt a weight on his shoulders. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew he couldn't back down.
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