Chapter 5: Echoes of the Past
The day passed in a haze for Adam. He worked on minor repairs in the shop, but his mind was miles away, turning over everything he'd learned since the system's arrival. The weight of responsibility pressed on his shoulders as the memory of the night's battle replayed in his mind.
Ethan, meanwhile, sat at a corner table, fiddling nervously with the Medallion of Safe Passage. He kept glancing toward the door, as if expecting another monster to barge in at any moment.
The quiet was broken by the chime of the system.
[New Mission: Investigate the source of the recent disturbance.]
[Hint: Seek the artifact's origin.]
[Reward: Enhanced Appraisal Accuracy.]
Adam frowned, staring at the message. "Investigate the source? Great. Like I have a detective's toolkit lying around," he muttered.
"What's it saying now?" Ethan asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.
"It wants me to find out where your dagger came from," Adam said, nodding toward the Dagger of the Wraith resting on the workbench. "Apparently, that thing didn't just cause trouble by existing—it's connected to something bigger."
Ethan paled. "You think whoever—or whatever—was after me is tied to where I got it?"
"Most likely." Adam stood, grabbing his jacket. "We need to figure out exactly where it came from. Estate sale or not, artifacts like this don't just pop up in random places."
Ethan hesitated. "You're not planning to go back there, are you?"
"Got a better idea?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ethan opened his mouth to protest but closed it again, sighing in defeat. "Fine. I'll come with you. But if another one of those things shows up, I'm out."
"Deal."
The estate was an imposing structure on the outskirts of Westbridge, surrounded by overgrown hedges and a wrought-iron fence. The air around it felt heavier, charged with an energy Adam couldn't quite explain.
"You sure this is the place?" Adam asked as they approached the gate.
"Positive," Ethan replied. "The auction was held in the main hall. They had a bunch of old stuff—paintings, furniture, weapons. That's where I saw the dagger."
Adam frowned, his gaze scanning the building. Something about it felt... off. The shadows seemed deeper, the windows darker. He reached for the Dagger of the Wraith, holding it tightly.
"Let's keep this quick," he muttered.
They pushed open the creaking gate and made their way up the cracked stone path. The front door was unlocked, swinging open with an ominous groan as Adam pushed it. Inside, the air was thick with dust and silence.
"Looks like nobody's home," Ethan whispered, his voice echoing faintly.
"Good," Adam said, stepping inside. "Let's find some answers."
The interior of the estate was as eerie as its exterior. Faded tapestries hung on the walls, and furniture covered in white sheets dotted the expansive rooms. Adam's eyes roamed over the artifacts left behind—ceremonial masks, gilded mirrors, and ancient books stacked haphazardly on shelves.
"This place feels like a museum," Ethan said, his voice tinged with unease.
Adam stopped suddenly, his gaze fixed on a large display case in the center of the room. The glass was shattered, and the pedestal inside was empty.
"This is where the dagger came from, isn't it?" he asked, pointing to the case.
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. It was the centerpiece of the auction. The seller made a big deal about its craftsmanship, but he didn't say anything about it being... you know, magical."
Adam knelt beside the pedestal, inspecting the shards of glass. His fingers brushed against something—a faint pulse of energy that made him recoil. He activated the system's appraisal mode, focusing on the area.
[Residual Energy Detected.]
Source: Artifact Extraction. Warning: Presence of artifact corruption nearby.
Adam stiffened. "Corruption. Great."
"What does that mean?" Ethan asked, his voice rising in alarm.
"It means there's more going on here than just someone selling a fancy dagger." Adam stood, scanning the room. "Something else is in this house—something corrupted by the dagger's energy."
As if on cue, a low growl echoed from the shadows. Ethan froze, clutching the medallion around his neck. "Tell me that was the wind."
"It wasn't," Adam muttered, raising the dagger defensively.
From the corner of the room, a figure emerged. It was humanoid, but its body was twisted and malformed, its skin blackened and cracked like scorched earth. Its eyes glowed with the same eerie light as the creature they'd fought the night before.
"Corruption," Adam said under his breath.
The creature lunged without warning, moving with unnatural speed. Adam barely had time to react, raising the Dagger of the Wraith and shouting its activation phrase.
"Umbra transit!"
The dagger flared to life, and Adam phased through the creature's attack, appearing behind it. He slashed at its back, the blade cutting deep, but the creature barely flinched.
Ethan yelped, stumbling backward as the creature turned its attention to him. The medallion around his neck shimmered, and the creature recoiled, snarling.
"It's working!" Ethan shouted. "The medallion's keeping it away!"
"Good!" Adam shouted, circling the creature. "Keep it distracted!"
The creature lunged again, but Ethan scrambled out of reach, the medallion's aura pushing it back. Adam took the opportunity to strike, driving the dagger into the creature's side. This time, the blade pulsed with energy, and the creature let out a deafening shriek before collapsing into ash.
Adam stood over the remains, breathing heavily. The dagger's glow faded as he deactivated it, and the room fell silent once more.
"Well," Ethan said, his voice shaking, "that was horrifying."
Adam didn't respond immediately. Instead, he knelt by the pedestal again, brushing away the ash. Underneath, he found a small, ornate box etched with runes.
"What's that?" Ethan asked, peering over his shoulder.
Adam opened the box carefully. Inside was a fragment of parchment, its edges charred and its surface covered in strange symbols. The system's interface appeared instantly.
[Fragment of Knowledge Acquired.]
[Unlocking Hidden Lore: Artifact Origins.]
The symbols on the parchment glowed briefly before fading, and a new message appeared.
[Artifacts are echoes of powerful events and emotions, tied to the fabric of reality. Corruption occurs when their balance is disturbed, drawing malevolent entities.]
Adam's jaw tightened. "Artifacts aren't just tools," he said, his voice grim. "They're... tied to something bigger. And when they're misused, things like that creature happen."
Ethan's face went pale. "So what now?"
Adam slipped the parchment into his pocket and stood. "Now we figure out how deep this goes. If there's corruption spreading, we're going to need more than just a dagger and a medallion to stop it."
End of Chapter 5.