Isaac counted the chamber's doors—four along the far wall, two on each side wall, eight total.
They started with the doors on the right-side wall.
The first room contained communication infrastructure—the specific equipment meant for a sustained intelligence operation. Documents were in organized stacks, in the specific organization which suggested that someone had been working here regularly rather than accessing it occasionally.
Isaac looked at the documents without touching them.
"This is…" Henrick muttered, "a jackpot. Exactly what we've been looking for."
"No." Isaac furrowed his brows, refuting Henrick's claim. "This is a decoy."
"…What?" Henrick paused.
"A spying operation in an enemy kingdom shouldn't be leaving any form of concrete evidence."
"Still—"
Isaac shook his head. "I am certain that the prince would state the same."
"…We will see." With Henrick's words, they fell back into silence. Moved onto the next room, with a bad feeling that began to stem within Isaac's mind.
The second room contained what appeared to be living quarters—minimal and functional, meant for overnight stays rather than permanent residence.
The third room was locked.
Henrick produced the tool again. The mechanism was different from the metal door—more sophisticated.
"In case you are wondering how I am apt in unlocking things," Henrick whispered as he worked on the door, "I used to live in slums. Did many bad things."
"And you're a royal guard now."
"Technically, yes. However, recognized as such by barely anyone, because of the nature of my work."
It took four minutes before Henrick managed to unlock the door.
The door opened.
The room was smaller than the others. There was a single table at its center that held two items with the specific placement of things that had been placed deliberately rather than stored.
"This is…" Henrick picked up the first item, which was a metal insignia at the size of a large coin. It seemed to have been made for identification rather than decoration. "What is this…?"
The design was unfamiliar to Henrick, it seemed. To Isaac, it wasn't.
"Isaac Valerius. As the member of Valerius, know our enemies." The past words of Valerius Patriarch echoed in his mind.
"Solari Empire, they are the pitiful and frivolous folks who dare to stand against the great Aetherion. Leading them are the three houses—"
Three symbols, each representing one of those three houses.
Tenebris.
Lapillus.
And…
"Serath." Isaac whispered, recognizing the engraving on top of the insignia.
"…Serath?" Henrick's hands shook. He lost the grip over the metal insignia, but quickly caught it again before it dropped and produced a noise. "Serath…" His face darkened.
"What's wrong?" Isaac asked.
"…It seems that you aren't aware yet." Henrick slowly opened his mouth, as if speaking has, all of a sudden, got harder for him. "The Hollow King. We have confirmed that he belongs to the House Serath of Solari Empire. And we found the insignia related to such a man in the underground work that is directly connected to the royal castle."
Henrick placed the insignia on the table, shakily.
"You have no idea what I saw." He whispered with fear imminent in his eyes, "I was on a mission outside our kingdom. I witnessed there… the fall of the entire civilization. By the hands of one man." He turned and faced Isaac, "only later did I realize that that man was none other than the infamous Hollow King himself."
Henrick placed his hand over his forehead. Stood still, sweating profusely.
Isaac was genuinely curious. If even someone as capable as Henrick was unable to conceal his fear just by the thought of the man, just how fearsome was this Hollow King? How dangerous was the SS-rank skill?
Either way, it appeared that Henrick won't be moving for the time being. Walking past him, Isaac reached the second item.
The second item was a book.
Isaac picked it up.
The cover was plain, written in an institutional format. From a glance, it appeared to be a research journal. The title was: Study of Artificial Skill Rank Promotion and Its Potential Linkage to the First King, Remian Aetherion.
He opened it. Flipped through the pages. [The Prism] began recording its content, not reading.
He closed the book. Set it back down on the table. Then, he began to process the information—he began reading.
Publication by the royal family of Aetherion Kingdom, Isaac thought, concluding that artificial rank promotion was impossible. He then frowned. There were underlines and circles drawn in this version. Someone, whoever was reading this specific book, studied and found a counter-argument.
The research presented a paper log that contained the list of Helios Empire's citizens who underwent the Rite of Manifestation. Remian Aetherion's name was within the log, and next to his name was his skill, "SS-rank: [The Light]," indicated. The other evidences were supplementary and were provided to support the credibility of this main evidence.
However, it was written in red underneath by someone: "Counter-argument: an excerpt from 'Remian Aetherion' by Edmund Aleister points out that it was easy to manipulate the paper records with bribery, given how the empire was subjected to a nation-wide corruption." Then, underneath: "Conclusion: this baseless argument under the persona of 'research' is naught but a waste of time. If anything, this heightens the likelihood that Remian Aetherion originally possessed S-rank: [Star Blade]."
Isaac closed his eyes, filled with questions.
They were investigating the possibility to upgrade a skill's rank. Specifically, from S to SS.
Based on the date indicated, these red sentences were written approximately a decade ago.
"A question, Henrick," Isaac spoke up to Henrick, who seemed to have grasped his senses together.
"…Be brief."
"The Hollow King," Isaac asked, to which Henrick's expression flattened, "was he the wielder of SS-rank skill from the start?"
"…What kind of question is that?" Henrick muttered dryly, "yes, of course. It is impossible to change a skill's rank. It is impossible to change the skill that you were granted."
"Then," Isaac asked another, "approximately, how old is he?"
Henrick sighed. He gave some thought to it, "mid-forties, I would say. I only know this because I managed to hear from here and there."
Mid-forties… Isaac narrowed his eyes, perhaps his skill rank was fabricated, just as how whoever read this document suspected the fabrication of Remian Aetherion's skill rank.
"Come on," Henrick said, having steadied himself. He pocketed the insignia. "We have more rooms to investigate." He glanced at the book. "What is that about?"
"Study of Artificial Skill Rank Promotion and Its Potential Linkage to the First King, Remian Aetherion."
"That's…" Henrick seemed to be caught off guard, "it's a publicly accessible research journal."
"Should I carry it?"
Henrick shook his head, "no need—" then paused. Looked at the book once more. "Or, take it with you, just in case."
Isaac nodded. Placed the book inside his coat.
"Now then," Henrick said. "We move."
They turned toward the door. Henrick opened it and stepped out into the chamber. Isaac was about to follow when Henrick abruptly stopped.
Frozen, Henrick looked down on his pocket as if he registered a particular sensation that he wasn't supposed to feel.
"A signal to retreat," Henrick whispered. His face tightened as he turned to face Isaac. "Forget investigation. We leave, now."
Isaac understood. The prince had been their third presence throughout, and a retreat signal from him meant an unexpected variable had arrived at the surface—
"…Henrick."
Isaac's eyes were on the corner of the room.
A mist was sipping out from the slight gap that was barely noticeable, and it didn't seem to be a normal gas—in a sense that [The Prism] indicated him that it was a by-product of mana.
In other words, that mist was someone's skill. It was sipping and dispersing onto their surroundings very rapidly.
Upon Isaac's call, Henrick found the mist as well. Alarmed, he took out the device and pressed the device.
Nothing happened.
Then, the device crumbled down, dispersing into mana that quickly disappeared from their view.
Isaac watched Henrick's expression move through confusion into the specific quality of someone whose operational framework had just encountered something it had no category for.
"It's…" Henrick appeared dumbfounded. His hand was empty.
Isaac reached into his own pocket. The teleportation device that was supposed to exist, was gone as nothing was felt from the inside.
"Tch…!" Henrick gritted his teeth as he took off the steps, "we need to get out of here!" With an alarm, he began running.
Isaac followed suit, solemn and ready to unsheath his knife anytime.
However, it appeared that they won't be able to outrun the mist, for it wasn't coming from one direction, but from multiple directions simultaneously. It poured in from numerous gaps around the main chamber, and the metal door—the exit—has long been covered by it.
What exactly is the consequence of contacting this mist? Isaac solemnly observed as he unsheathed his knife. The disintegration of the teleportation device—made through the combination of multiple skills together—is this mist's doing. Disintegration… a corruption?
"We are left without an option." Henrick snarled, "whatever it is that this mist does, we need to get through it as quickly as possible."
He was suggesting the brazen means of rushing through the layer of mist, toward the metal door.
"Come closer." Henrick spoke, and Isaac did as he said, knowing what he was trying to do.
Henrick lifted his hand. Centring his hand, the transparent substance materialized and spread around the two of them. Ultimately, there was a dome of [Barrier] that completely prevented the further approach of the mist.
Henrick then moved his foot. Isaac matched his speed. The two of them began to move through the mist-filled atmosphere, and it seemed that Henrick's [Barrier] was effectively blocking it.
Then, the two of them were forced to stop as something came in flying through the mist. With a metallic rang, the dome of [Barrier] deflected said object, which turned out to be an arrow as it fell to the floor.
"…Arrow?" Henrick's eyes widened, "at this time? When the kingdom suffers from the shortage of metals?" He gritted his teeth as his eyes flashed in anger. Looking ahead, he growled, "show yourself."
Beyond the mist, someone was walking toward the two of them. Though the sound was muffled and subtle, Isaac heard it clearly, for his senses were augmented by [The Prism].
Who… The mana-constructed mist couldn't serve as an obstruction to his vision. Through the layer of mist, Isaac found the frame of a tall man, who was wearing a physical, full-face gas mask and a black, formal suit.
"Ahead, from the direction where the arrow came," Isaac immediately notified Henrick, "there is a man."
"…You can see through the mist?" Henrick turned to Isaac, mumbling, "what an eyesight you have. How close?"
"Ten meters. He is holding onto a bow." Isaac noticed that Henrick was sweating. Clearly, blocking the continuous pressure of the mist was putting strain to him, which told Isaac that this mana-made mist wasn't a conventional mist.
"Not B…" Henrick whispered, "this mist-like skill has to be at least A-ranked. And I've never heard of or seen a skill like this before."
Isaac saw that the enemy began to draw the bow once more.
"Henrick." He called.
Henrick nodded, "we keep moving. We need to reach the exit before my mana runs out."
The mist was thick. Although Henrick stated so, he seemed to have lost the sense of direction. Then, having remembered that Isaac's eyesight allowed him to see through this phenomenon, he turned to face him.
As Henrick expected, Isaac pointed a direction, "that way."
The two of them resumed their run, just when another arrow hit the [Barrier].
Then, the arrow exploded.
[Barrier] did manage to block its direct impact. However, the subsequent pressure generated from the explosion managed to crush the [Barrier], for they were at a point-blank range from the impact.
"This is—"
Henrick's [Barrier] crumbled down. Within a second, he quickly re-enacted another dome of [Barrier]. However, that split second was enough to allow the mist to rush in.
Then, a contact.
"Everyone hates you—"
"Why don't you go kill yourself—"
"You worthless—"
Isaac, facing the full blunt of the mist, realized what its effect was.
It was once hypothesized that mana has conscience of its own. The teleportation devices, made from mana, disintegrated—which suggests the collapse of its conscience. Now, it is attacking my conscience.
It could be said that this mist was a physical materialization of a malicious intent.
However, Isaac's eyes gleamed coldly within the dim setting, as he cast away the voices in his head by the absolute perspective of [The Prism]. It could be said that he was practically immune to any mental attack.
He gazed at the enemy beyond the mist. The man was preparing a third arrow. He looked at Henrick. Henrick's face was pale. [Barrier] was up, but he was shivering and sweating. It was as if he was hallucinating, looking at a vivid imagery that only appeared in his nightmares.
"Henrick," Isaac called. However, Henrick didn't respond. Solemnly, Isaac turned to face the enemy.
The enemy will now fire the third arrow. It seems to have been modified… but considering how it managed to fly through the mist, the modification is purely physical.
Those arrows appear to be items specifically tailored to counter [Barrier].
Upon explosion, Henrick's [Barrier] will fall. Then… Isaac knew that Henrick may not be able to enact [Barrier] again. If that's the case…
He will wait. The moment when Henrick's [Barrier] falls, that sliver of time after the enemy's vision is obstructed by the flashbang that the explosion provides—that is when he will strike.
Isaac focused.
The man fired the third arrow.
The third arrow hit [Barrier]. Just as Isaac exploded, there was an explosion, and he, having managed to time perfectly, had his eyes closed.
Although his eyes were closed, he knew exactly where the enemy was. Without hesitation, he threw his knife toward the man.
Then, as he opened his eyes, the world around him slowed down.
[Condensation].
Isaac, within his accelerated cognition, operated the standard [Condensation].
…To his surprise, something unintended happened.
Instead of the condensation of atmospheric vapor, what instead occurred was the gathering of the mist that surrounded them.
[Condensation]… Isaac paused in this new revelation, doesn't necessarily need to be exclusive to water.
[Condensation] was, again, the collaborative work of temperature and pressure. Raising pressure meant gathering particles within a smaller area.
Currently, he was gathering the mist instead of water. Hence, something like this, the swirling mist of malicious intent atop his fingertip, was possible.
Then, as Isaac released the cognition acceleration, everything sped up. The dense, swirling mist on fingertip was blasted toward the enemy, alongside the knife that was thrown.
The enemy was forced to jump to the side to evade Isaac's attacks.
Henrick, gaping, collapsed on his knees. Then, he breathed as if he hadn't breathed for quite some time.
"What… just…" Henrick coughed the words out, before looking up at Isaac. "Isaac… you…" his eyes were filled in disbelief, as if he was surprised to find himself surprised once more, after having experienced Isaac's feats in the past.
Isaac wiped the blood that was trickling down from his nose with his sleeve, uncaring of the fact that it was getting dirty.
For now, thanks to Isaac's [Condensation], the imminent area was free of the mist.
As the man began to stand back up, so did Henrick, whose breathing began to calm down.
"Damn it… I was caught off guard." Henrick grimaced. "Those arrows are clearly meant to counter [Barrier]. They knew my identity from the start, and have been preparing to lure me into their trap."
Isaac then felt the spike in man's mana signature. The mist began to pour out of his body, and moved rapidly toward the two of them in a form of a wave, expanding and enlarging as it got closer and closer.
"Arrow through the mist," Isaac informed.
The arrow was flying in.
It appeared that they won't be able to escape without taking down the enemy of unknown identity.