Chapter 42 - Looking Deeper

The medallion rests in De-Reece's palm, its surface cold, the etched markings ancient, unfamiliar. The moment he touches it, a faint pulse of energy hums through the air, almost imperceptible—not aggressive, not resisting him.

Just waiting.

Kalia watches him carefully. "So, do we run now or keep tempting fate?"

De-Reece doesn't answer immediately. Something about this place feels too deliberate.

The Demonic Sect cultivator went through too much trouble to hide this artifact. Not to use it. Not to deliver it. But to leave it behind.

That means this chamber is more than just a hiding place.

It's a part of something larger.

His eyes scan the room. The stone walls, the carvings, the faint residue of energy embedded into the chamber itself.

The Demonic Sect cultivator left.

But there may be more here to uncover.

De-Reece tucks the medallion into his special storage pouch and slowly rises to his feet.

"We search the chamber."

Kalia exhales sharply. "Of course we do."

The walls of the chamber are old, far older than Ironhold's modern foundations. This isn't a simple underground room—it's a forgotten space, a remnant of something lost beneath the city.

The carvings tell a fragmented story, worn down by time.

De-Reece traces his fingers along the engravings. The symbols are not sect markings.

They depict figures in battle, some wielding weapons engulfed in unnatural flames, others kneeling in meditation before a massive structure—perhaps a temple, or something greater.

Kalia steps beside him, her gaze following the same images. "This isn't just a hiding place, is it?"

De-Reece shakes his head. "No. It's a site of something older."

Then he notices it—a section of the wall where the carvings are deeper, more intact than the rest.

A circle of engraved symbols surrounding what looks like a faded dragon motif.

Not just any dragon.

A five-clawed dragon, coiled around a central figure holding a medallion.

Kalia frowns. "That looks... familiar."

De-Reece slowly pulls the medallion from his storage pouch.

It's the same shape, the same etchings as the one in the carving.

Not a treasure.

A key.

The carving isn't just decoration.

De-Reece moves forward, pressing the medallion lightly against the center of the engraved dragon's coils.

A faint click.

A low, deep vibration hums through the chamber.

Kalia immediately reaches for her weapon. "What did you just do?"

De-Reece steps back as the carving shifts.

Dust falls from the stone as a small, recessed compartment opens beneath the engraving.

Something rests inside.

Not another medallion.

But a weathered scroll case, wrapped in darkened cloth.

Solar growls softly, her golden-violet eyes flickering with a restrained tension.

De-Reece reaches out carefully, lifting the scroll case and unwrapping the cloth layer by layer.

What lies within... changes everything.

The parchment inside is brittle, worn by time, yet the ink remains dark, strong.

De-Reece unfurls it carefully, eyes scanning the ancient script.

The language isn't one he immediately recognizes, but as his eyes move across the words, certain phrases stand out, written in a more modern style beneath the original script.

One passage sends a slow pulse of realization through him.

"When the stars align, the Breath of the Dragon will awaken. A lost legacy sealed beneath stone, waiting for one who bears the path forward."

De-Reece's grip tightens.

Kalia leans in, reading over his shoulder. "The Breath of the Dragon... wasn't that in the note the Demonic Sect guy left?"

De-Reece nods once.

It was.

This isn't just a hidden relic.

The Demonic Sect knows something.

Something that goes beyond this single artifact.

They're looking for a forgotten power sealed beneath Ironhold.

And now, De-Reece has a part of it.

The stone walls of the forgotten chamber stand silent, holding secrets far older than the sects above. De-Reece exhales slowly, securing the medallion in his storage pouch, its weight heavier than its size suggests.

He doesn't know what it is.

Only that the Demonic Sect wanted it.

And instead of taking it, they left it behind.

That fact alone troubles him.

This isn't like a treasured artifact or stolen technique manual. It wasn't something they intended to wield immediately.

It was being hidden.

Why?

Kalia steps back from the wall, glancing at him. "Alright, we have a rock with fancy markings, and a creepy scroll. Can we leave now?"

De-Reece keeps his expression neutral. "Yes."

For now.

Solar lets out a quiet breath, her sharp gaze flicking toward the exit. She is already prepared to leave.

De-Reece and Kalia retrace their steps carefully, moving without hesitation, without unnecessary noise.

The chamber remains behind them, sealed once more.

But the medallion's presence lingers in his mind.

He doesn't know why.

Yet.

The moment they emerge back into the underground market's main corridors, the energy of the world above returns.

Merchants still trade, rogue cultivators barter for illegal techniques, and the city moves forward as if nothing happened.

But something did happen.

And De-Reece now holds a piece of it.

Kalia stretches her arms, blending into the crowd with ease. "So, are we finally going to focus on what we came here for? Or do you want to keep playing archaeologist?"

De-Reece doesn't respond immediately.

The Sect Selection is still his priority.

The medallion means nothing if he is too weak to understand its purpose.

For now, training, gathering resources, and strengthening his foundation come first.

But what happens when the Demonic Sect realizes the artifact is missing?

And more importantly—what happens if the medallion begins to change before he fully understands what it is?