Harry advanced steadily, cutting through the obstacles in their path with precision and ease. His sword flashed through the dimly lit corridors of the Dungeon, clearing debris and dispatching the occasional threat. Behind him, Henry meandered, his pace unhurried as his focus shifted between the intricate carvings etched into the walls. His eyes gleamed with curiosity as he studied the ancient texts, pausing every so often to make rubbings and carefully note their details.
"This script," Henry murmured, running his fingers over the aged stonework, "is remarkably complex. If I can decipher it, it could revolutionize our understanding of ancient combat training techniques." His voice brimmed with excitement, the scholar in him fully captivated by the Dungeon' secrets. "This could hold the key to fighting methods lost to time. Just imagine the value of this knowledge!"
Harry only half-listened, keeping his focus on the path ahead. Danger still lurked in the Dungeon, and while Henry was lost in his research, Harry's sharp eyes scanned every shadow.
The group came across remnants of precious artifacts along the way; trinkets, ornate pottery, and even fragments of weapons. But time had not been kind to these treasures. Most were corroded or had lost their potency, now little more than historical curiosities. Even so, Henry carefully cataloged each find, muttering theories to himself about their origins.
Finally, they reached what appeared to be the heart of the Dungeon.
"Is this it?" Henry whispered, his voice reverent as he carefully unfolded a parchment map from his pocket. The map, scavenged from a corpse they'd discovered earlier, had guided them this far. It was old, fragile, and inked with details of the Dungeon, though much of it was faded with age.
The area before them was vast, dominated by a massive altar rising from the center. Torches lit the chamber in flickering light, revealing offerings scattered across the altar's surface, aged urns, stone carvings, and what appeared to be ancient tablets etched with runes. The walls surrounding the chamber were adorned with intricate patterns and symbols, each seeming to tell a story of warriors long past.
Henry stepped forward, his voice trembling with awe. "This… this is a place of inheritance." His fingers brushed over the carved symbols on the altar as he studied them intently, piecing together their meaning. "A place where ancient fighters would pass down their knowledge and skills to chosen successors. This is incredible."
George, standing to the side, crossed his arms and frowned. "So, how does it work? Can we activate it?"
Henry shook his head, frustrated. "Not yet." He pointed to the carvings on the altar. "The texts suggest that to access the inheritance, you need more than just the offerings placed here. There's another requirement; a key."
He motioned toward the far corner of the room, where several decayed bodies lay crumpled against the walls. "Look at them. These people came here before us, possibly centuries ago, but they couldn't get in either. They lacked the key. And without it, they couldn't open the inheritance."
George scowled, his expression clouded with disappointment. "So that's it? After all this, we leave empty-handed because we don't have a key?" His frustration was palpable, but it was clear he didn't want to give up. The riches of knowledge and power hidden in this chamber were too enticing.
Henry sighed, rubbing his temples. "It seems so," he admitted reluctantly. "Unless we somehow find the key, there's nothing more we can do here."
Harry had been silent throughout their discussion, standing a little apart from the group, his gaze fixed on the altar. Something about Henry's words stirred a memory, a detail he had almost forgotten.
"The key," Harry murmured to himself, reaching into his coat. His fingers closed around a small object, and he pulled it out, a golden key. It was ornate, its surface engraved with ancient symbols. Harry had acquired it from the Wendy sisters, a family artifact they'd guarded for generations. He had carried it with him ever since, though its purpose had always been a mystery.
As he held the key up to the dim light, something unexpected happened. The key began to glow faintly, a golden hue pulsing from its surface. A strange warmth radiated from it, and Harry felt a subtle vibration in his hand, as though the key was alive.
The air in the chamber shifted. A low hum reverberated through the walls, and the carvings on the altar seemed to respond to the key's presence. Harry's eyes widened as the realization struck him.
"It works!" he exclaimed, a note of wonder in his voice. He stepped toward the altar, holding the key up like a torch. "This key… it's resonating with something here. It's activating the inheritance!"
Harry raised his head, staring into the golden rain as it fell around him. He felt something stir deep within his core; a power, ancient and boundless, reaching out to him. He tightened his grip on the key, a sense of purpose flooding through him.
For the first time in his journey, he felt as though he was stepping into the role he was always meant to fulfill. Whatever lay ahead, he knew this moment would change everything.
A golden rain of light cascaded from above, filling the air with shimmering brilliance and resonating with a chorus of strange, otherworldly sounds. The light danced and flickered, casting an ethereal glow on the Dungeon, and the entire space seemed to hum with energy.
Henry and George stood frozen, their eyes wide as they watched the spectacle unfold. The air itself seemed alive, charged with a power that neither of them could fully comprehend.
"The inheritance… it's been activated," Henry murmured, his voice filled with awe and confusion. "But how? Why is this happening? The conditions weren't met, there are no sacrifices, no proper rites… yet it's begun."
His mind raced to piece together the mystery, but the sight before him defied logic. He had spent his life studying ancient texts, uncovering secrets buried by time, but this was beyond anything he had encountered.
"It's the key!" George's voice rang out, breaking Henry's train of thought. He pointed toward Harry, his eyes fixed on the object in Harry's hand. "That key; it's doing this!"
George's words drew Henry's attention to the glowing golden artifact clenched tightly in Harry's hand. The key radiated an almost blinding light, as if it were the very heart of the phenomenon. In George's eyes, the key wasn't just a tool, it was a beacon, blazing with a brilliance that demanded reverence.
Henry's breath caught as he finally understood. "Of course… it's the key. It's responding to this place, to the altar. It's a perfect match."
Yet even with this realization, they could do nothing but stand and watch as the ground beneath them began to tremble. A deep, rumbling vibration rolled through the Dungeon, growing stronger with every passing second. Dust rained down from the walls, and the air thickened with anticipation.
At the center of it all, Harry remained motionless, bathed in the golden rain of light. His eyes were unfocused, his body rigid, as though he were caught in a trance. But internally, an entirely different battle was unfolding.
A flood of information surged into Harry's mind, pouring in through the glowing key in his hand. It was like a river breaking through a dam, an overwhelming torrent of knowledge, memories, and ancient techniques, all rushing into him at once. His brain struggled to process it all, and for a moment, he felt as though his mind might split apart.
Harry froze, his body stiff and unyielding as the sheer weight of the knowledge threatened to crush him. His vision blurred, and his thoughts became a chaotic whirlpool. For an agonizing moment, it seemed as though his mind would shatter under the pressure, leaving him a hollow shell, a man turned into a fool by the vastness of the inheritance.
But deep within him, something stirred.
A faint purple light flickered in the depths of his consciousness, the 'Simulation Coin'. The mysterious object he had carried with him all this time now activated, releasing a protective energy that enveloped his mind. The purple light pushed back the torrent of knowledge, stabilizing his thoughts and allowing him to process the information with clarity.
The light within him pulsed gently, calming the storm in his mind. Harry's breath steadied, and the crushing weight began to lift. Slowly, he regained control.
"Thank the gods," he muttered under his breath, exhaling deeply as the golden light around him began to fade. His heart was still pounding, the fear of losing himself lingering in the back of his mind. "That could've gone horribly wrong."
He glanced down at the glowing key in his hand, his grip tightening around it. The 'Simulation Coin' had saved him, protecting him from the knowledge that might have consumed him. Without it, he realized, he might have lost everything. His strength, his mind, his purpose, it all could've ended in an instant.
"Well, that was... intense," Harry said to himself, shaking off the lingering unease. He closed his eyes for a moment and began to sift through the vast trove of knowledge that had been implanted in his mind.
The inheritance had given him much, far more than he had anticipated.
Among the treasures was a complete and sophisticated training method. It was far more advanced than the fragments Henry had been analyzing earlier, representing the full culmination of an ancient fighting school's techniques. The method was efficient, elegant, and powerful, a true masterpiece of martial discipline. And unlike Henry, who had to painstakingly decipher his findings, Harry had received the knowledge directly, saving him months, if not years, of effort.
But what truly caught his attention was the ritual.
As the details of the ritual unfolded in his mind, Harry's eyes widened with astonishment. "So, this is what they meant by rituals," he murmured, his tone laced with wonder. "This isn't just a practice; it's a connection to something far greater."
He recalled fragments of ancient history woven into the knowledge he had received. Long ago, in an age when gods and demons walked the earth, fighters were merely their followers, mortals who sought to emulate divine power. When the gods and demons retreated from the world, they left behind traces of their abilities, and from those traces, the fighters developed rituals.
These rituals weren't just symbolic, they were a means of channeling the remnants of divine and demonic power. Through them, fighters could achieve extraordinary feats, breaking through human limitations and accessing strength that bordered on the supernatural.
Harry's mind raced as he processed the implications. The ritual he had inherited wasn't just a tool, it was a legacy, a bridge to the forgotten power of gods and demons. It was something that could change the very fabric of combat as he understood it.
As the golden light around him faded entirely, Harry stepped forward, his movements calm but deliberate. Henry and George stared at him in stunned silence, their faces a mixture of awe and curiosity.
"Well?" George finally asked, breaking the silence. "What… what did you get?"
Harry turned to them, his expression unreadable, but there was a quiet intensity in his eyes. "More than I expected," he replied simply. He held up the golden key, now dim but still warm in his hand. "This place… it's more than just a Dungeon. It's a connection to something ancient, something powerful. And we've barely scratched the surface."
Henry's eyes lit up with excitement. "Tell me everything!" he demanded, practically bouncing on his heels. "What did you learn? What's in the inheritance?"
Harry gave a faint smile but shook his head. "Later," he said. "We're not done here yet. There's more to uncover and more danger ahead."
George, still skeptical but clearly impressed, nodded. "Fine, but whatever you found… it better be worth all this trouble."
"Oh, it is," Harry replied, his voice calm but firm. "Trust me, it is."
As the Dungeon trembled one last time and the chamber grew still, the trio prepared themselves to face whatever lay ahead. Harry, now armed with the ancient inheritance, knew that this journey was far from over and the secrets of the past had only just begun to reveal themselves.