Part III – The Crystal That Defied History Silence settled over the office.
It was not the comfortable silence of two strangers considering a business transaction.
It was the suffocating silence that followed the discovery of something that should never have existed.
Drake remained seated, carefully studying the elderly appraiser’s expression.
Aldren Kael no longer looked like the composed scholar whose reputation echoed throughout Ashhaven.
His calm emerald eyes had become restless.
His fingers, though experienced enough to dismantle enchanted relics worth kingdoms, continued trembling ever so slightly as they hovered above the crystal.
He wasn’t afraid.
He was overwhelmed.
Drake had seen that same expression only once before.
On his own face…
When he had first awakened beneath the ancient tomb.
The relic quietly spoke within his mind.
**Elevated heart rate detected.** **Subject experiencing extreme cognitive instability.** Drake ignored it.
His attention never left the old man.
Finally…
Aldren slowly placed the crystal back upon the velvet cloth.
He exhaled deeply before removing his spectacles.
“You said…” His voice was quieter now.
“…that you found this.” Drake nodded.
“I did.” “Where?” The question came naturally.
Too naturally.
Drake lowered his gaze.
“I can’t answer that.” The old man remained completely still.
“I see.” To Drake’s surprise…
He asked nothing further.
Instead, Aldren slowly walked toward one of the enormous bookshelves lining the office.
His fingers traced hundreds of leather-bound volumes before finally stopping upon one hidden behind several others.
It was ancient.
Its dark leather cover had almost completely faded with age.
No title remained.
Only a single symbol engraved into the center.
A circle.
Within it…
A tree.
Its branches reached toward the heavens.
Its roots disappeared beneath the earth.
Drake frowned.
“What is that?” Aldren carefully carried the book back to the table.
“This…” He gently brushed centuries of dust from its cover.
“…is older than the Hunter Association.” “Older than the Guilds.” “Older than every Noble Family currently ruling this continent.” Drake’s eyes narrowed.
“How old?” The old man smiled faintly.
“No one knows.” He slowly opened the first page.
The paper had turned yellow with time, yet the ink remained surprisingly vivid.
Most of the text had been written in a language Drake couldn’t understand.
Elegant.
Ancient.
Beautiful.
Only occasional notes written in modern language appeared along the margins.
“My teacher gave this to me.” Aldren spoke quietly while turning several pages.
“He said…” “‘History is written by those who survive.'” “He also told me something else.” The pages stopped turning.
A detailed illustration covered both sides of the book.
Drake immediately leaned forward.
It depicted…
A crystal.
Almost identical to the one resting upon the table.
His heartbeat quickened.
“No…” The drawing was astonishingly accurate.
Every internal vein.
Every subtle curve.
Every layer of mana flowing beneath its surface.
It was the same crystal.
Impossible.
Aldren gently placed one finger beside the illustration.
“This manuscript was copied approximately eight hundred years ago.” Drake remained speechless.
Eight hundred…
Years.
His thoughts immediately returned to the forgotten city beneath the Dead Ruins.
The towering tomb.
The intricate carvings.
The impossible architecture.
Could all of it truly be that ancient?
The old appraiser continued.
“My teacher spent fifty years searching for evidence that these illustrations represented real objects.” “He died believing they were merely myths.” A bittersweet smile appeared on his weathered face.
“And now…” His eyes slowly moved toward the crystal.
“…one sits upon my desk.” The room became silent once again.
Drake slowly asked, “What exactly is it?” Aldren hesitated.
Then closed the ancient book.
“I don’t know.” The answer caught Drake completely off guard.
“You don’t?” The old man laughed softly.
“If I claimed to know…” “I’d be lying.” He leaned back into his chair.
“But…” “There is one thing I can tell you.” His expression slowly became serious once again.
“This crystal was not created naturally.” Drake listened carefully.
“It wasn’t compressed beneath the earth.” “It wasn’t formed inside a modern dungeon.” “It wasn’t extracted from a monster.” Aldren gently picked up the crystal once more.
“It was cultivated.” The single word echoed through the office.
Cultivated.
Drake frowned.
“…That’s impossible.” “Exactly.” The old man smiled.
“Mana crystals are born from naturally condensed mana after a monster dies.” “They are chaotic.” “Unstable.” “Each one contains countless microscopic imperfections.” He slowly rotated the crystal beneath the sunlight.
“This one…” “…contains none.” The blue light flowing beneath its surface moved like calm water.
Not once did it flicker.
Not once did it become unstable.
It was…
Perfect.
“The mana inside isn’t compressed.” Aldren whispered.
“It was…” “…grown.” The relic suddenly spoke.
**Statement partially accurate.** Drake nearly reacted.
“What do you mean?” **Correction unavailable.** The silence that followed was enough.
For the first time…
The relic had almost corrected someone.
Meaning…
The old man wasn’t entirely wrong.
A chill ran down Drake’s spine.
Who exactly had built the civilization beneath the Dead Ruins?
And how advanced had they been?
Aldren slowly placed the crystal back onto the cloth.
His expression gradually returned to its usual calm.
When he spoke again…
His voice had become that of a professional appraiser.
“I cannot evaluate this.” Drake blinked.
“…What?” “I don’t know its market value.” “Because…” He smiled bitterly.
“…there has never been anything like it.” Drake felt his stomach sink.
“So…” “I can’t sell it?” “Oh…” The old man chuckled quietly.
“You misunderstand.” He looked directly into Drake’s eyes.
“You could sell it.” “I simply advise against it.” “Why?” Aldren remained silent for several seconds.
Then…
He asked a question of his own.
“Imagine…” “You discover a single page from a book believed lost for a thousand years.” Drake nodded slowly.
“Would you sell it for gold?” He frowned.
“I…” “Or…” The old man’s eyes sharpened.
“Would you first ask yourself…” “…who else is searching for that book?” The meaning struck Drake instantly.
This crystal wasn’t merely valuable.
It was evidence.
Evidence that something ancient still existed beneath the Dead Ruins.
If the wrong people obtained it…
They wouldn’t care about the crystal.
They would care about where it came from.
Aldren slowly folded his hands.
“My advice…” “Leave the city.” Drake stared at him.
“…What?” “If you truly found this yourself…” “You are already standing at the center of something far larger than you realize.” Outside the office…
Unnoticed by either man…
A silver communication crystal quietly flickered.
A calm voice echoed through it.
“Target confirmed.” “Report to Intelligence Division.” “The unidentified individual has made contact with Master Appraiser Aldren Kael.” Several streets away…
Inside the highest tower of the Hunter Association…
A woman wearing a dark silver uniform slowly looked up from the report placed before her.
One sentence caught her attention.
**Ancient Mana Signature Confirmed.** Her golden eyes narrowed.
“Interesting…” She slowly stood.
“Prepare my carriage.” “I’ll meet this young man myself.” Far across the city…
Inside the luxurious Valerius Estate…
Another report was already on its way.
And before the sun set…
Leon Valerius would learn…
That the prey he believed dead…
Had returned.
**To Be Continued…**