Charter: Further And Further

As soon as Calcium checked her status, a new notification suddenly popped up in front of her eyes:

[Secret update received.]

[Parameter change: User's memories are protected from erasure.]

[Effect: "Untouchable Memories" is activated.]

Calcium blinked, realizing that the system had made changes. So now she won't lose herself, even if she continues to use "Echoes of Stories." It was unexpected... and suspicious.

"Why did the system suddenly decide to protect me?"

She sensed a hidden meaning in this update, but she couldn't figure it out yet. Was it because of the importance of her role? Or perhaps, in the future, her memory will be the key to something more significant?

But one thing was clear: she was safe now.

The shadow took a step back, and the temple shuddered, as if reacting to her response. A heavy grinding sound could be heard in the distance, as if a huge stone gate was opening.

Lian, who had been watching intently all this time, came closer.

–Are you sure? – I don't like this temple. Lian's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Calcium looked at him, assessing his words and her own determination.

–We don't have a choice. – She replied softly, feeling strangely calm.

The system flashed in front of my eyes again:

[Main task updated: Explore the depths of the Temple of the Forgotten Name.]

Calcium took a step forward, entering the open passage, looked at Lian again and remembered her recent thoughts. Elmar disappeared after completing her last assignment. Perhaps Lian will also disappear when her goal is achieved?

"Why is the system leading me to such people?"

But there were no answers. Only a cold temple, hiding ancient secrets.

The passage was narrow, lit only by the blue glow of her tattoo. The humid air permeated the walls, and the air smelled of age, mustiness, and something elusively ancient.

Lian walked beside her, his footsteps almost noiseless.

–Are you sure there's anything valuable here? – He muttered, peering into the darkness of the corridor.

Calcium did not respond immediately. She felt that with every step they were getting closer to something important.

A new notification flashed inside her:

[Side quest updated: Find the source of hidden knowledge in the temple.]

"The source of hidden knowledge?"

She thought about it. Perhaps, in the depths of the temple, there really was the very tablet that El Mora was talking about. If so, then she just needed to get to her.

– In such places, the value is rarely obvious. – She finally answered.

They continued on their way. The passage led downwards, spiraling into the depths of the temple. The further they walked, the more it felt like someone was watching them.

Suddenly, the walls began to be covered with thin glowing lines, similar to ancient writings. Calcium froze, looking at them.

[Fragments of a forgotten story have been discovered.]

[Do you want to activate "Echoes of Stories"?]

She bit her lip. After the last time she used the ability, she was protected from memory loss, but it was still scary.

–Is something wrong?

Calcium took a deep breath.

–I'll try something. – she said, and mentally activated the ability.

The tattoo on her palm flashed with blue light, and the reality around her began to change.…

The world swam around him, as if the air had become as viscous as tar. Space trembled, and suddenly Calcium was in another place.

She was standing in a huge hall lit by hundreds of candles.

The high walls were covered with writings that shimmered with golden light. In the center of the hall was a stone altar, and in front of it was a man in a long cloak with a hood covering his face.

–History... must be preserved.

The stranger's voice echoed through the hall.

Calcium froze. She felt that this was a vision of the past, not an illusion.

The man slowly raised his hands, and a glow flashed above the altar. A tablet began to form out of thin air, inscribed, ancient, and imbued with power.

But the next moment, the walls of the hall trembled, and dark figures appeared in the aisles. People in black robes, their faces hidden, but Calcium felt the threat coming from them.

– The Council of Shadows. – she gasped.

– Knowledge cannot be hidden. – Said the man at the altar, and his voice was full of determination.

But the dark figures moved forward. Everything happened in seconds—a flash of light, a scream tearing the air, then darkness…

Calcium abruptly opened her eyes.

She was back in the temple. The tattoo on his palm was still glowing, and the ancient writing on the walls was now shining brighter.

–What happened? – Lian looked at her worriedly.

Calcium exhaled slowly.

–I saw... how the tablet was created. And how the people from the Shadow Council came for her.

Lian frowned.

– So we are really on the right track.

Calcium nodded. Now she had no doubt–there was a tablet hidden in the depths of this temple, and she had to find it.

Calcium took a deep breath, putting her thoughts in order. The vision was still pulsing in his mind, but now it was a clear reference point. The tablet was created here, in this temple. And someone tried to destroy it or hide it.

–We need to keep going.– She said, raising her head.

Lian watched her in silence. Her voice was firm, confident, even though she felt anxious inside. The Council of Shadows… They were dangerous. And if they once came for this tablet, it is possible that it is still being guarded.

The passage was getting narrower, and the air was getting denser. The light of the Calcium tattoo reflected on the walls, flickering blue. The writing continued to glow, but now it seemed to her that it wasn't just random patterns. That was the way to go.

The system came alive again before my eyes.

[Task updated: Find the tablet in the depths of the temple.]

[Warning: Danger is high.]

Calcium felt her heart stop for a second. Danger. Sure. It couldn't be that simple.

Lian, noticing her expression, chuckled.

– Did you see something again?

She clenched her fists.

And it seems that the further we go, the more problems await us.

Lian just grinned.

– Did we expect anything else?

They continued moving. The corridor led them into a huge room resembling an ancient library. Shelves crumbling from time to time, covered with a layer of dust.

Scattered scrolls, books, stone tablets.

But in the center of the hall, on a massive pedestal, there was an object emitting a faint blue glow.

The Tablet.

Calcium held her breath.

–We found it...– she gasped.

But at that moment, the walls began to shake again, and the darkness in the far corners of the hall began to stir. They're here.

At first, Calcium saw the eyes —yellow, luminous, inhuman. Then the outlines of elongated figures wrapped in dark robes. They moved slowly but confidently, as if they knew that the victims were already trapped.

[Danger: Extremely high.]

The system seemed to mock her.

Calcium tightened her grip on her hand, and her tattoo flashed blue. She could activate the Echoes of History right now, try to see what kind of creatures were in front of her. But does she have enough mana to defend herself later?

Author: And this blue tablet is just the right one.

//To be continued, please like and save…