Chapter 8: Shards of Truth
Adam sat at the cluttered workbench in Timeless Repairs, his gaze fixed on the glowing interface. The system's latest mission had unnerved him:
[Mission: Create an artifact to unveil hidden truths.]
[Reward: Artifact Fusion Ability Unlocked.]
The words lingered on the screen like a cryptic challenge. For the past week, every artifact he'd crafted had somehow tied him deeper to the unraveling chaos around him. Portals were opening more frequently, and Ethan's medallion—meant to repel hostile entities—was already showing signs of wear from overuse.
"What does it even mean by 'hidden truths'?" Adam muttered, rubbing his temples. The hum of the workshop's machinery buzzed faintly in the background.
Ethan leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed. "Maybe it's talking about whatever's in those portal echoes we keep seeing. You know, the weird flickers of... I don't know, memories? Shadows?"
Adam shot him a skeptical look. "Portal echoes?"
"Yeah, those flashes—like the one we saw outside the estate. It looked like a battlefield or something. Pretty sure it's not just my imagination."
Adam frowned, his thoughts racing. He recalled the estate's eerie atmosphere and the faint afterimages lingering near the shattered pedestal where Ethan's dagger had once rested. Could those flashes be echoes of past events tied to the artifacts?
He turned to the interface and sighed. "Only one way to find out."
Grabbing a haphazard mix of materials—a cracked mirror, a fragment of obsidian from a junk box, and a small vial of mercury—Adam placed them on the workbench. The system's glow intensified as it analyzed the materials.
[Materials Recognized.]
Mirror Shard: Medium Quality. Potential for truth-seeking properties. Obsidian Fragment: High Resonance. Potential for dimensional insight. Mercury Vial: Catalyst for reflective effects.
[Artifact Type: Vision Artifact Recommended.]
A glowing [Begin Crafting] button appeared, and Adam hesitated for a moment before pressing it. The familiar hum of energy filled the room, and his hands moved as if guided by an unseen force. He placed the mirror shard at the center, edged it with the obsidian fragment, and poured the mercury into grooves that had formed as if by design.
The artifact glowed brighter, runes etching themselves onto its surface as the components fused together. Moments later, the light dimmed, leaving a palm-sized mirror with an obsidian handle resting on the table.
[Artifact Created: Mirror of Temporal Reflections]
Effect: Reveals echoes of significant past events tied to the user's location. Activation Phrase: Revelare veritatem."
Adam picked up the mirror, its surface strangely cool to the touch. "Looks like we're going echo-hunting."
The first location they tested was outside the estate where Ethan had acquired the dagger. The grounds were eerily quiet, the overgrown hedges casting jagged shadows under the moonlight.
"Ready?" Adam asked, holding up the mirror.
"Not really," Ethan admitted, clutching his medallion like a lifeline.
Adam exhaled sharply. "Revelare veritatem."
The mirror's surface rippled like water, and the air around them grew heavy. Suddenly, the barren lawn was replaced by a vivid scene. Figures clad in archaic armor clashed with shadowy creatures, their weapons glowing with the same runes etched on the artifacts Adam had created.
Ethan's eyes widened. "Is this... the past?"
"Looks like it," Adam said, his voice tight. He turned the mirror slightly, and the image shifted to show a robed figure standing amidst the chaos, chanting in an ancient language. The figure raised a staff adorned with an artifact similar to Ethan's dagger, and a massive portal tore open above them, unleashing the shadowy creatures.
The mirror's glow faded, and the scene disappeared, leaving the two men standing in stunned silence.
"Well, that explains a lot," Ethan said finally. "Artifacts aren't just tools—they're weapons. And whoever that guy was, he figured out how to use them to summon monsters."
Adam nodded, his jaw set. "We need to find out who he was and how this connects to the system."
Before Ethan could respond, a deep growl echoed from the shadows. Adam spun around, raising the mirror defensively. Emerging from the darkness was a hulking creature, its body twisted and dripping with a black, tar-like substance. Its glowing eyes locked onto the mirror in Adam's hand.
"Oh, come on," Adam groaned. "Why does it always have to be monsters?"
Ethan activated his medallion with a shaky, "Custodi via!" The protective aura shimmered around him, but the creature ignored it, its focus entirely on Adam.
"Looks like this one's after me," Adam muttered.
He pulled out the Dagger of the Wraith and shouted, "Umbra transit!" The blade activated with a dark glow, and Adam phased through the creature's initial strike, slashing at its side. The creature roared, staggering but not falling.
"Any brilliant ideas?" Ethan shouted, edging closer to the workshop's exit.
"Working on it!" Adam snapped. He held up the mirror again, hoping for some guidance. To his surprise, the surface rippled once more, revealing an image of the artifact he'd just crafted, surrounded by swirling energy.
"Of course," Adam muttered. He raised the mirror and shouted its activation phrase again. "Revelare veritatem!"
The artifact flared, and the creature froze mid-lunge. The mirror's surface reflected the creature's true form—a corrupted human twisted by the energy of a damaged artifact. With a final, unearthly wail, the creature dissolved into ash.
Ethan stared, slack-jawed. "Did... did that thing just die from its own reflection?"
Adam lowered the mirror, his hands trembling. "No. It was the artifact's corruption. The mirror just... revealed the truth."
Back in the workshop, Adam placed the mirror carefully on a shelf, his mind racing. The mission was complete, and the system had rewarded him with the promised ability: Artifact Fusion.
But the memory of the robed figure haunted him. If artifacts were being used to summon monsters, then whoever was behind it wasn't just a collector—they were building an army.
And Adam had just become their biggest obstacle.
End of Chapter 8.