Chapter 18 – The Cursed Ring of Ferica

The ruins pulsed with ancient, unyielding power. The monstrous growl that had shaken the ground moments ago faded into silence, replaced by the stillness of something far more unsettling—anticipation.

Reyon's eyes remained locked onto Marcus, the dark mage who had revealed himself as one of the last surviving descendants of the Dark Magicians. His ominous words echoed in Reyon's mind.

"The Ring of Ferica is akin to a curse."

Marcus stepped forward, his cloak swaying as the mana around him thickened. "I know where the first part of the ring is," he said, his voice steady but grave. "But understand this—while the ring may grant you power, it will also bring corruption. It twists the mind, forcing its wielder into decisions they would never make on their own."

Sylph frowned. "A cursed artifact?"

Marcus nodded. "The deeper your connection to it, the harder it becomes to resist its influence." He sighed. "The first part lies in the deepest chamber of these ruins, inside a sealed box. But I was never able to open it—because it is protected by Vector Magic."

Reyon's heartbeat quickened. "Vector Magic?"

Marcus gave a grim nod. "The same power your grandfather, Leywin, wielded."

A chill ran down Reyon's spine. His grandfather… was connected to this place?

The ruins suddenly felt much more familiar, as if whispering to him through the flow of mana.

Marcus studied him for a moment before speaking again. "I should go with you, but I cannot. I have another duty."

Reyon narrowed his eyes. "And what's that?"

Marcus exhaled, his expression darkening. "I know a way to extend the seal on Cerberus. It won't last forever, but I can buy time. We Black Magicians created this calamity—the least I can do is devote my life to stopping it."

His words carried a heavy weight of guilt.

Reyon understood. In a way, he too was trying to correct the mistakes of the past.

He clenched his fists. "Fine. Do what you have to. I'll retrieve the ring."

Marcus nodded and took a step back, watching as Reyon and his squad turned toward the murky depths of the ruins.

The Descent into Darkness

The air grew thicker and heavier as Reyon's squad ventured deeper. The walls were lined with strange, glowing inscriptions, their meanings long forgotten. A faint blue mist clung to the ground, and every step felt as if the ruins themselves were trying to consume them whole.

Sylph shivered. "These ruins… I don't like this place."

Reyon barely heard her. His mind was racing.

If my grandfather was involved in sealing this place… why?

The pathway grew narrower, leading them to a massive stone door. Its surface was covered in countless layers of Vector Magic inscriptions, interwoven like a delicate but impenetrable web.

Reyon reached out to touch it—

CRACK!

A spark exploded from the door, sending the entire squad staggering back.

A faint humming sound vibrated through the chamber as arcs of golden electricity danced across the door's surface.

Sylph coughed and stood up. "That's not just an ordinary barrier," she muttered. "That's a Peak 8th-Rank Thunder Magic seal."

Her golden eyes were wide. "I've never seen a protection spell this strong before… this might even be stronger than the barrier placed around the Imperial Vault."

The squad turned to Reyon.

He wiped a trace of blood from his lip. "We can't touch it with brute force," he said. "But I have a way."

His squad watched as he closed his eyes, placing a hand against the trembling door.

Vector Magic resonated through his fingertips.

Breaking the Seal – The Power of £

Reyon focused his mana, activating £ (Epsilon), the symbol of Mana Transformation.

Instantly, the mana around him began shifting, bending to his will.

He observed the inscriptions carefully—each rune was a thread of compressed energy, interlocked and woven like an intricate puzzle. If he tried to disrupt them all at once, the backlash would crush him instantly.

Instead, he traced the flow of power.

There. The core structure.

The inscriptions pulsed, feeding energy into the barrier like a network of veins.

Reyon manipulated the mana streams, slowly altering their output. By disrupting their balance, he forced the entire structure to shift in real-time—rewriting the fundamental flow of magic itself.

A deep rumbling echoed through the ruins.

The golden electricity flickered.

Then—

BOOM!

The inscriptions shattered, the once-impenetrable seal collapsing like broken glass.

The massive stone door groaned open, revealing the chamber beyond.

The Ring and the Letter

Inside, the air was thick with power.

The chamber was dimly lit, but at its center stood a pedestal, and atop it…

A simple, unassuming box.

But Reyon knew better than to underestimate it.

He approached cautiously. The box was not ornate, but its surface was engraved with the same symbols his grandfather once used in his spells.

His heart pounded.

Reaching out, he activated £ once more, channeling mana through the box's locks.

For a brief moment, the symbols reacted, resisting his influence.

Then—

CLICK.

The lid slowly lifted.

Inside lay a single ring, its design deceptively simple.

A dark silver band, smooth and flawless, with three tiny indentations, as if something was meant to be inserted into them.

Beside the ring…

A letter.

Reyon hesitated. Then, slowly, he picked it up.

The paper was old, its edges frayed with time.

And on the first line—

His grandfather's name.

"Leywin Phoenix."

His breath caught in his throat.

He unfolded the letter.

His squad watched in silence as he read, their expressions filled with anticipation.

The words inside were a message left behind for whoever would find the ring.

A warning.

A revelation.

It contined the message from his grandfather leywin mentioning the side effects of using ring of ferica even though this ring is needed to use full power of vectors but it does have severe side effects and more than that the parts of ring the small gaps on the ring

Are to be embedded with something

Reyon noticed something in a shape of sphere fits them....

To be contd....