ocean-life Chapter 46: 'Force' Is The Key
Chapter 46: 'Force' Is The Key
Chapter 46: 'Force' Is The Key
"What do you know about what's down there?" Agor looked at Sam with a stern expression.
Sam expected anger, assuming Agor would reprimand him for exploring academy secrets or whatever was hidden beneath the arena.
But Agor's expression suggested he needed something from Sam instead.
"I only know it's a room-like structure under the arena. Something inside that room attracts a great deal of nature energy," Sam said, crossing his arms.
"Hmm," Agor murmured, glancing at Ragnar and Austin with a knowing look.
Sam suspected they were communicating telepathically.
After several minutes of silence, even the girls wondered why they were being made to stand.
"Grandfather, how long are you going to make us stand here like statues?" Lucy's expression turned dissatisfied.
She didn't like bugs, and they had been standing in a nest of them for more than five minutes.
"Mm..." Agor looked at Sam with a calm expression.
"That place is under countless protection and security spells. Even the mages of today would find it nearly impossible to break those seals. We have no way to enter."
"You don't know what's inside the chamber, do you?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes.
Their expressions revealed that even the academy had no idea what was inside the hidden room.
"That secret chamber has existed since the days of the founder, back when the Tachibana clan was at its peak," Ragnar sighed.
"We only recently discovered its existence."
"From the academy's journals, we found out that the secret chamber was a meeting place for the higher officials of the Tachibana clan under the leadership of Ryuga Tachibana, your great-great-grandfather," Ragnar continued.
"What do you think is under there? Any wild theories?" Sam asked, smirking.
"Judging by your expression, I'd say you desperately want something from inside."
"Sam... I guess it's time to tell you," Agor sighed.
"All you need to know is that there's something invisible and terrifying down there in the deepest part of the Forbidden forest, something that feeds on souls."
"It consumes the souls of everything it encounters, and the worst part is we have no way of defending against it. We can only clear the dead bodies after it has had its fill."
"Huh?" Sam's expression turned solemn.
"What?"
"Now that you mention it... after the entrance exam, I went back to the forbidden forest for something. That's when I was hunted down by... something."
"Back then, I didn't know what it was. The only thing I remember is its terrifying presence, which made me feel death itself. It was the worst feeling I've ever experienced," Sam said, his expression darkening.
"The thing that pursued me back then could be the same creature you're trying to kill now," Sam suggested.
"That's impossible," Ragnar replied.
"That entity cannot leave the deepest parts of the Forbidden Forest. Even if it had somehow reached you, it wouldn't have left you alive without draining your life. It can't be the same thing."
"I'm not so sure about that," Sam muttered.
"Wait a minute... My ancestors weren't idiots. There should be more barriers of protection, maybe even traps," Sam said cautiously, before taking a step down the stairs himself.
Nothing happened, as expected, since he was a member of the Tachibana clan and the magic didn't recognize him as an intruder.
Sam then cast a spell, and a magic circle appeared in his pupils for a few seconds before disappearing.
"I think it's safe for you to step on the stairs now," Sam assured the others.
The others cautiously followed Sam down the stairs, relieved that nothing happened.
The stairs led them to a large double door that looked ancient yet strangely recent.
Sam could see various inscriptions on the door that appeared as jumbled scribbles to even genius mages like himself.
He sensed potent and turbulent magic emanating from the door, wondering what could possibly lie beyond.
"This is some extremely advanced level of magic... Even my eldest sister, Grace, would struggle to understand a quarter of these spells," Sam muttered as he touched the door.
He felt a strange and familiar sense of belonging emanating from whatever lay beyond the door.
"Whatever is on the other side, it's resonating with my Tachibana bloodline," Sam said, his expression becoming increasingly peculiar.
"And it's ancient... I sense an unquenchable anger."
"Hmm... Can you open the door?" Agor asked.
"I don't think so... This is lost magic, and I lack the knowledge," Sam replied, examining the inscriptions that remained incomprehensible to him.
"There must be something that can be used to open it... perhaps a key of some sort."
"A key? I don't see a keyhole," Ragnar observed, keeping a safe distance from the door, like everyone else, due to an overwhelming sense of fear.
"There's something here," Sam noticed writing on the wall beside the door.
ᚠᛟᚱᚲ ᛁᛋ ᚦᛖ ᚲᛖᛃ
"It's an ancient language..." Agor recognized, reading it aloud.
"'Force' Is The Key."
They immediately understood the reference—it was the 'Force', the unique bloodline ability of the Tachibana clan.
They knew there was only one person in the world who possessed that extraordinary power right now.
Sam realized what he needed to do. Without hesitation, he activated his 'Force'.
A barely visible crimson energy emanated from his body, forming a Domain centered around him.
His normally blue eyes now glowed with a deep crimson light.
As the Domain extended towards the door, Sam could feel the magic within it reacting to his 'Force'.
With a rotating motion of his hand, a subtle clicking sound came from within the door.
The crimson glow from his 'Force' spread across the entire surface of the door before vanishing completely.
Then, after a moment of tense silence, the door opened on its own, as though it possessed a life of its own.
.