Chương 274: Remnant of the Past

Deep within a lifeless valley where even the wind seemed reluctant to pass, a colossal wyvern moved across the barren terrain with slow steps. Its scales were pale like aged ivory, layered across its massive body in overlapping plates that reflected faint traces of the dying sunlight. Every movement of the creature carried overwhelming weight. Mountains seemed to shrink beneath the span of its wings, and the earth itself trembled softly each time its claws pressed into the stone.

Yet despite its monstrous size, the wyvern restrained its pace. It walked slowly. As though mindful of the smaller figures following behind it. Trailing the great beast were two enormous raven-like creatures and five humans, each dressed for war in their own distinct way. Two wore pristine white combat armor that gleamed faintly against the dead landscape, their blonde hair standing out sharply amidst the grey surroundings.

Another looked less human than machine, his skin partially metallic, artificial plating visible along his jawline, neck, and arms. One woman wore heavy black tactical attire reinforced with thick armored layers, while the final member of the group looked entirely out of place in comparison, her winter-like clothing clearly unsuited for the harsh mountainous region they currently traversed. Caesar glanced down at the device projected from his mechanical palm.

Holographic lines flickered repeatedly across its surface, desperately attempting to construct a map of the valley around them. Each attempt failed almost instantly. Static swallowed the projection. The system reset itself again. And again. Caesar let out a long, tired sigh before dismissing the hologram entirely.

"Well," he muttered dryly, "that's useless." Callum raised a brow as he walked beside him.

"What?" he asked.

"Your tech doesn't work here or something?" Caesar glanced sideways toward him before a faint grin formed on his face.

"Nope," he answered casually.

"Not at all." He paused briefly.

"At least none of the major systems. Hachi is probably still online somewhere, but honestly…" He looked up toward the enormous wyvern ahead of them.

"…I really don't feel like testing that right now." Callum followed his gaze immediately. A bright smile spread across his face as he looked at the gigantic creature leading them.

"Incredible, isn't it?" he said.

"To think Ember managed to grow this large this quickly. And in a place like this too…" He shook his head in disbelief.

"That honestly makes it even more impressive." His eyes drifted toward the two ravens following nearby. They had learned their names earlier during the journey. The crimson-feathered one was August, while the horned black raven beside him was Hurricane. Their powers likely influenced their mutations somehow. That was the only explanation Callum could think of for creatures reaching such absurd proportions. Behind them, Yuki finally groaned loudly.

"How much longer?" she complained.

"We've been walking for hours already." August turned his massive head slightly while continuing forward, his jagged wings dragging against the rocky ground behind him.

"Little…" the raven rasped in a distorted imitation of human speech.

"…longer." Yuki let out an exaggerated sigh before shamelessly slumping herself against Caesar.

"Caesar," she declared, "carry me." The demand sounded less like a request and more like an order. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Caesar blinked once before chuckling softly.

"Very well." Without resistance, he turned and lifted her effortlessly, one arm beneath her legs and the other supporting her back. Yuki immediately wrapped her arms around his shoulders with absolutely no shame whatsoever. Evelyn stared at the scene with an amused expression.

"Can't even walk by yourself?" she teased lightly.

"You really must have lived a privileged life." Yuki's eyes widened instantly.

"I'll show you privileged, you shadowy hag!" She immediately tried to leap from Caesar's arms toward Evelyn, only for Caesar to tighten his hold with another exhausted sigh. His disappointed gaze shifted toward Evelyn.

"Eve," he said calmly, "we're inside a death zone. Please try acting a little more mature." Evelyn waved a dismissive hand without even looking back. Yuki continued glaring murderously until Caesar spoke again.

"Love," he said gently, "please calm yourself." Yuki stared at him for a few moments longer before finally relaxing with an annoyed huff. Artoria, who had silently observed the exchange from behind the group, couldn't help but chuckle quietly to herself. After that, the journey grew quieter. The deeper they traveled into the valley, the more unnatural the atmosphere became. There was no wildlife. No sound beyond the scraping of claws against stone and the distant howl of cold wind through ruined peaks.

Even the air itself felt heavy, as though the entire valley carried some unseen pressure pressing down upon them. Eventually, Ember slowed. Callum looked ahead. Then his eyes grew wide with shock.

"Damn…" he muttered under his breath.

"That's one massive lair." Before them stood an enormous mountain unlike any other in the valley. It towered over the surrounding peaks so completely that it looked almost unreal, its center hollowed out by a gigantic opening large enough for Ember herself to enter without difficulty. The entire mountain seemed empty within. A hollow giant. Callum looked up toward Ember with a grin.

"So this is where you've been staying all this time?" The wyvern slowly turned his enormous head toward him. His pale eyes lingered on him for a moment before he exhaled deeply, smoke pouring from her nostrils. Then he faced forward again without answering. August spoke instead.

"Home…" he rasped.

"…Ember… friend… hurt." The group immediately stiffened. Callum's smile faded.

"Wait," he said carefully.

"Ember has a friend inside?" August nodded.

"Vale… friend… hurt." This time, genuine surprise spread through the group.

"The person inside is Vale's friend too?" Callum asked. Another nod. Caesar's expression slowly darkened.

"Could it be…" he muttered quietly to himself. Callum turned toward him immediately. Caesar remained silent for several moments before finally speaking.

"You all might not like who we find in there." The mood shifted instantly. Callum blinked.

"Oh come on," he said with forced optimism while slapping Caesar lightly on the shoulder.

"If it's Vale's friend, how bad could it possibly be?" Caesar looked at him for a long moment. Then he lowered his gaze.

"…I sincerely hope you're right." Eventually he looked back toward Yuki.

"Dear," he asked gently, "will you be able to walk from here?" Yuki sighed dramatically before sliding out of his arms and standing on her own feet once more. The group slowly approached the entrance of the lair. Darkness consumed everything beyond it. Not ordinary darkness either. It looked thick, as if it was meant to press them down. Caesar activated a flashlight integrated into his mechanical body. A beam of white light cut through the shadows as he turned back toward the others one final time.

"Remember what I said," he warned quietly.

"You may not like what you see. But regardless of that…" His eyes narrowed slightly.

"…it is still our duty to help him." Callum swallowed awkwardly.

"Right… sure." Caesar sighed softly.

"Let's move." Slowly, they descended into the mountain. Behind them, Ember lowered her gigantic body outside the entrance rather than following further inward. August and Hurricane did the same, remaining near the entrance as though instinctively understanding that what lay deeper within was not something they themselves should witness again. The deeper the group descended, the colder the air became.

Each step carried them further away from the outside world until even the faint light from the entrance vanished completely behind them. Then Caesar stopped. His mechanical eyes glowed faintly as night-vision sensors activated.

"We're here." The flashlight beam shifted forward. And illuminated the figure slumped against the far wall. Callum froze instantly. His eyes widened so violently it almost looked painful. There, motionless amidst the darkness, sat a machine. A humanoid construct. Its metallic frame reflected the flashlight's glow in cold silver streaks, revealing countless signs of catastrophic damage across its body. Entire sections of armor had been torn open. Wires hung exposed from beneath shattered plating.

Every visible system appeared completely offline. Embedded within its chest were eight glowing cores. A ninth rested silently in its hand. Callum instinctively staggered backward. Then his legs gave out beneath him entirely. He collapsed onto his knees, staring at the machine with pure horror. Not confusion. Not disbelief. Fear. Old fear. The kind buried so deeply within someone that they convince themselves it no longer exists.

The others looked toward him in alarm, but Caesar merely lowered his gaze with quiet pity.

"Do you understand now," Caesar asked softly, "why I warned you?" Callum couldn't answer immediately. His throat tightened. His entire body trembled as memories he had spent years trying to bury clawed their way violently back into his mind.

"This thing…" he whispered weakly. His voice nearly failed him.

"Why is it…" He swallowed hard, unable to steady himself.

"…why is it here?"