Chapter 77: The Guardian Spirit

As the revelation of the spirit race possessing the pagoda settled in, Anna's mind buzzed with questions. She couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and turned her attention back to the speaking pagoda.

"Who are you?" Anna asked, her voice filled with a mix of awe and intrigue. "Are you a spirit that is possessing this pagoda?" she continued asking.

Hearing Anna's question, William nodded slowly, indicating that he understood her curiosity. Meeting a spirit race for the first time, it was natural to have questions and seek answers.

However, both Anna and William were not prepared for the spirit's response. It spoke with arrogance, dismissing their assumptions about its existence.

"Hmph! Ignorant little girl. Listen! I will only tell you once. I am known as Aetherius, a spirit of the ancient race that has watched over this realm for centuries. I am not some low-level spirit. I am one of the great spirits within all spirits. Possessing great power, how can I stoop so low with just a pagoda as my body? Listen! This whole realm is my body, and I am none other than the guardian spirit of Emperor Garden!" Aetherius proclaimed, his voice laced with pride.

Anna and William were taken aback by the spirit's grand declaration. Aetherius's name carried an air of wisdom and power, but the way he spoke to them was filled with an awkward unnaturalness. Nevertheless, they couldn't help but feel a profound sense of respect for this ancient being.

Anna wanted to ask a further question, but William stopped her, realizing the urgency of the situation. They were still trapped inside Alcatraz Tower, and they needed to formulate a plan of action.

"Enough distractions. We have important work to do," William said, regaining his composure. "We need to gather all the information we have before we spring into action."

Anna quickly regained her focus after being reminded by William. She understood the gravity of their situation and began relaying the current events taking place outside. She provided a concise summary, aware that time was not on their side.

"So, the tower is harnessing the dark energy, and Sarah is currently fighting Jack, who is controlling it," William summarized, absorbing the information.

"That's the gist of it. But now, tell me, what is your plan to turn the tide?" Anna asked, eager to hear William's strategy.

"It's not my plan, but the spirit's," William clarified, pointing towards the ceiling to indicate that the idea came from Aetherius.

"You?" Anna asked the spirit, doubt clearly seen on her face.

"I understand your doubt," Aetherius responded, his tone more composed now. "When Emperor Alexander created this place, it was intended as a present for Queen Elizabeth. Unfortunately, disaster struck, and this place became infused with dark energy. In her benevolence, Queen Elizabeth used her power to seal this place. Both the Emperor and the Queen sought my help in controlling the seal. At first, I was hesitant, but they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Thus, in the end, I became the guardian spirit of this realm."

"That is why I need your help here. I have a plan in mind, and with your assistance, we can seal this place once again," Aetherius explained.

The spirit took the opportunity to address Anna's lingering doubt. "Don't doubt the plan I have. Since this whole realm is my body, I have my own ways to stop the outbreak of dark energy. However, that boy who came before you disrupted my connection to the pagoda. Normally, my control should have returned after the successor integrated with her inheritance, but accidents happened. That boy broke the unbreakable protective barrier, allowing Jonathan access. I was powerless at that time. Fortunately, the successor awakened just in time for me to bring William inside and banish Jack."

Anna understood the spirit's explanation, but one question remained. "If you regained control, why didn't you stop the tower?"

The spirit sighed. "When that boy took temporary control of the pagoda, he set up a spell formation to interfere with my control. I managed to regain authority, but the spell formation restricts my full power. However, there is another authority that affects this place, and that is Emperor Alexander's authority."

William pondered quietly, realizing that Emperor Alexander, being a great ruler, must have foreseen such a situation and left a backdoor. If the spirit provided them with the information on how to trigger that backdoor, they could turn the situation around.

"Now everything is clear," William thought to himself. "As long as the spirit shares the information on Emperor Alexander's backdoor, we can confront Jack knowing that his machinations cannot match those of a great emperor."