Unlike the cowards of the Inferior Plane regarding the Forbidden Areas, in the Divine Plane, there is some information about the Archaic Ruins. They are a dimension separate from the world where an ancient civilization comes to life by acquiring a grace, a meaning in time. This could be a city or an ancient deposit of elemental minerals, whatever represents this civilization.
Out of a hundred hunters who enter, only one can escape. Among them, only once every few decades does one manage to overcome the initial test and glimpse the dimension. The problem arises when time passes and the Archaic Ruin gains even greater meaning, when this happens, the dimension changes and with it, all gathered information becomes useless.
There are seven publicly known Archaic Ruins, but unlike common sense suggests, only two kingdoms in the entire Divine Plane possess these. One is held by the Heavenly Path Kingdom, while the remaining six are in the hands of the Wind Divider Kingdom. Contrary to belief, owning one is bad news.
The Archaic Ruins expand as they gain a deeper concept, and if not overcome, they will consume all the territory of the kingdom. Of course, there is another side to the coin. They exist for a single purpose, to inherit the legacy of an ancient civilization so that it is not lost in time. Unlike the Forbidden Area Cloudsea, this legacy can only be inherited by one destined person, and when they acquire it, the Archaic Ruin collapses.
If one is prepared, it is possible to acquire its core while this happens, this core will be perfect, retaining all the accumulated meaning over time. In the history of the Divine Plane, there are no records of someone capable of refining it, but that does not mean they do not exist. There must be some, but like the Supreme Ranker Imperishable Night, beyond a certain level, rankers lose contact with the world. It would not be strange if whoever had integrated with one of them had gone into hiding.
If one is not prepared, the dimension is destroyed, and everything inside manifests outside, both rocks and books. Although it is still possible to manifest its core, both the resources and the outcome will not be on par.
The case of Decaying Flame is quite special as it dealt with an Archaic Ruin that did not mature, failed to acquire its own dimension and meaning, hence its core is immature. But at the same time, it is like a fetus, if allowed to grow, it will become human. If there were a way to foster this advancement, the core would not be different from a core at its peak.
“Lately, rumors have been heard…”
Lawrence finishes his explanation with the latest event that has caught his attention.
“An eighth Archaic Ruin has emerged in the Lacrima of Fire Kingdom, and that's not all, the kingdom is having trouble dealing with it.”
The Lacrima of Fire Kingdom is the kingdom closest to the Luminare River Kingdom, the feared kingdom of dragons. This kingdom is located on the easternmost part of the continent, with access to the sea along much of its territory.
Lawrence has been researching Archaic Ruins since that auction. Having such a fixation on a core was an extremely strange event, one that he could not get out of his head. Since then, he has sought information about them, in order to find an answer.
He holds his breath and reaches out his hand.
“The core of Archaic Ruin... I want to see it.”
Serene Will hesitates to hand it over.
“Lawrence, I read your mind, I know your true thoughts. You're not sure what will happen if you come into contact with the core of Archaic Ruin, you fear that this may have something to do with that evil sect, that there might be experiments you still don't know about.”
The evil sect Abyss Soul, the same one in which Lawrence spent much of his life, which conducted countless experiments on him as a youth in order to extend his lifespan, to evade his death at the age of 20.
They had plans to use Lawrence to conquer the Inferior Plane, but it all ended when the Gray Army annihilated it.
“Do you still want to do this?”
“I can't live with this question and…”
“And?”
Lawrence is lost in thought, then says: “Something tells me it's not related to them, it's a strange feeling.”
Since he has no answers, he cannot help but doubt this feeling. It’s much easier to think that the evil sect did something to him than that he has a connection with an Archaic Ruin core. Because, if it were the latter, it would mean that he had a destiny with that ruin. A futile destiny because... that Archaic Ruin had already been conquered.
A bastard heir who arrived too late to inherit his legacy.
“If nothing happens with this core, then you'll have your answer.”
“That's right.”
Serene Will has a complex look, after thinking for a moment, she decides to accept Lawrence’s request and hand over the core of Archaic Ruin.
This core is spherical and deep golden in color. It is very different from the core presented at that auction, while that one emitted a divine aura, this one only has an extravagant appearance.
As soon as he sees it, Lawrence starts breathing heavily.
Both women narrow their eyes at their husband's strange behavior, but it is too late to retract her words, he already possesses the core in his hands.
“Eh?”
He feels thirsty, a warmth in his body urging him to accept the core. This need overwhelms him, he cannot deny this feeling because for him it is everything, if he denied it, it would be no different from rejecting the air that enters his lungs, from denying the blood that flows through his veins, such is this feeling.
So, unconsciously, for just a moment, he gives in to it.
“Lawrence!”
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Belatedly, Serene Will realizes that Lawrence was not himself when he reached out to take the core, only now that he has done so, does she realize her mistake.
“What is happening?! Lawrence!”
When she strikes his hand to push the sphere away from him, the core of Archaic Ruin had already integrated into him. The sphere melts in his hands and enters through his skin, cutting off Lawrence’s arm is not a solution. Not when Serene Will’s innate ability can no longer recognize Lawrence as a human, assessing him gives no description. As if he did not exist.
“What the hell was that--? Aaagh!”
The moment he comes back to his senses, Lawrence feels a palpitation. The next instant, he falls to the ground with intense pain in his body, a pain without cause or origin, his entire body burning.
An alien entity tries to make its way through his veins, he stops it but severe injuries emerge in the process. When he coughs up a mouthful of blood, he feels a medicinal pill forcefully entering through his lips. As soon as it takes effect, he realizes the arrival of Sky Petal.
“Don’t stop it, Lawrence, let it flow!”
She has a hunch, she doesn’t know how to explain it, but somehow she felt the strangeness in Lawrence’s body from a distance and came running to this place.
If he keeps stopping it, hindering its progress, he will die.
“Aaaaagh!”
There was no other choice. He follows Sky Petal’s advice, but the pain does not stop. Seconds pass and his condition remains unchanged, Serene Will regrets, she should not have yielded to Lawrence’s demands, if not for that he...
It’s then she looks to Coldness Divine. Previously she had the same desperation on her face, but now she looks astonished, as if she could not believe what she was seeing.
“The laws of the world are gathering around Lawrence... But that’s impossible! No one can seize the laws of the world!”
“Seize the laws of the world?”
Serene Will cannot understand its meaning because her concern lies elsewhere. “Coldness Divine, does this affect your regression? Will everything return to normal if--?”
“No…” Coldness Divine firmly denies, “Not when the laws of the world are involved. I can regress, but Lawrence will not return to the way he was before!”
He is no longer aware of what is happening around him, all sound disappears and his vision blurs. All of Lawrence's senses go out of control, he can only perceive how a tide advances without anyone being able to stop it, he no longer has the strength to do so.
When his body stops trembling, when he loses notion of himself, an image appears in his mind. It is an absolute darkness, a profound void, nothing can exist in that place, but even so, a small light appears, dimly illuminating around him.
‘I know this place…’
The light expands and generates the land, time moves swiftly, and the first sprouts of nature emerge. Light particles rise from the ground and in the distant distance create the sky. The last particles of light emerge, completely weakened, whose last effort is to create the sun.
The advance stops, but the landscape seems unfinished.
‘It’s missing something…’
It’s then that he feels something calling him. Without being aware of himself, he follows this instinct and retrieves that something, to then send it towards that place.
“What is he doing?”
Serene Will, Coldness Divine, and Sky Petal can only watch as Lawrence lies on the ground, as if his soul was snatched from his body, leaving behind only an empty husk. They are surprised when, attempting to help him, he moves his hands and retrieves a wall from his storage ring, but that’s not all.
“That Dimensional Rift… The chaotic dimension?”
Lawrence sends the wall towards the chaotic dimension and then his hand falls to the ground like a broken doll, the Dimensional Rift disappears at that moment.
In his mind, a strange wall appears in the landscape. It remains intact for only a second, the next, thousands of threads adhere to it and destroy it. The fragments turn into hundreds of light particles, which create an extensive mist in the landscape.
This mist rises and turns into clouds, the rest falls to the ground and becomes a river.
The process stops and minutes pass without anything happening. At some point, the landscape resumes its evolution, but Lawrence’s mind is no longer able to follow its advance. He is not even capable of feeling pain.
In real life, his body ascends a meter above the ground and the laws of the world enter through his body once more, as if he were the intermediary. His flesh may remain intact, but his soul is being constantly damaged.
Sky Petal sees the state of Lawrence and then holds her breath.
‘What is this…?’
She rises from the ground and looks around. ‘I had a premonition, as if this had already happened… It felt so real…’
Time passes and Lawrence’s condition deteriorates rapidly. Coldness Divine considers regressing despite the possible repercussions, as long as he does not die, no matter what state he is in after his regression, she will do whatever it takes to save him.
But such thoughts only remain as intentions.
The process finishes and Lawrence falls to the ground.
They do not dare to interfere, not even to touch him, only to wait. Wait and pray that nothing bad has happened to him. They feel so helpless for not being able to help him, they never believed that a situation like this would occur, where none of their knowledge, none of their experiences would be of any use.
Only one thought arises in their minds at this moment.
Perhaps. If Lawrence survives this, perhaps this is the answer they have been looking for to solve one of their biggest problems.
But it is so risky that none dare say it aloud.
