While the Challenge Ended
The voice announced that this time, they had two days to rest.
As usual, the team set up camp and bought food. Suddenly, the voice spoke again, saying, "Memories of Zaharos the Corrupted." Three crystals emerged from a glowing violet portal and fell into the hands of Isaac, Morpheus, and Rozemar.
The crystals revealed their properties on a floating screen:
Memories of Zaharos the Corrupted
Level One Memories
Effect: The recipient of this memory gains strong mental immunity against mind manipulation.
Morpheus remarked, "What an intriguing reward."
Isaac, scratching his head, retorted, "Why didn't we get any crystals in the previous challenges?"
Morpheus proposed, "We should inject our ethereal energy into these crystals to unlock the memories. Their effect could be vital if we face a stronger foe with mind-manipulating abilities, especially since Rozemar's transformation doesn't last forever."
Isaac and Rozemar nodded in agreement.
They each infused their ethereal energy into the crystals. They began to glow a brilliant sky-blue and, moments later, the memory of the creature Zaharos entered their minds.
---
They witnessed the tragic story of Zaharos, who was once a human named Larios, a brilliant scientist in the kingdom. Larios, along with his assistant Jake, stumbled upon a horrifying secret related to the kingdom's church and royal family.
They discovered that the church and the royal family were involved in human sacrifices—particularly of children—using demonic rituals to enhance their strength and prolong their lives.
Horrified, Larios decided to expose these vile practices to the public.
Jake, however, had his own agenda. Suffering from an incurable disease that even Larios couldn't cure, Jake's desperation grew. With only a short time left to live, he devised a plan to betray Larios in exchange for access to the sacrificial arts, hoping to extend his own life.
Jake secretly approached the church and royal family, offering them Larios in exchange for their forbidden knowledge. They agreed, and Jake laid out a trap for his unsuspecting colleague.
One day, Jake came to Larios, feigning urgency. "It's time to reveal the truth to the people," he said. "I've learned that they'll be performing another ritual in an abandoned church at the edge of the kingdom. I'll bring the townsfolk as witnesses while you gather evidence inside."
Trusting Jake completely, Larios set off to the abandoned church while Jake gathered the people.
When Larios arrived at the desolate church, he found remnants of sacrifices and strange demonic symbols. However, there were no members of the church present. He thought to himself, "Perhaps I came too late."
As he was gathering evidence, the church doors burst open, and a crowd of angry townsfolk stormed in. They shouted, "Larios the heretic! Kill him! Punish him!"
Realizing he had been betrayed, Larios looked up to see Jake standing smugly beside the church members and the royal family. Jake's expression was one of pure contempt as he smirked at his former friend.
The news of Larios' "crimes" spread like wildfire across the kingdom. The narrative painted him as a madman who practiced human sacrifice and demonic rituals. The people demanded his execution.
The royal family declared that Larios would be imprisoned and thoroughly investigated for any ties to demonic cults. Once the investigation was complete, they would execute him publicly.
Days later, word spread that Larios had taken his own life in prison.
This disgraceful end led his pregnant wife to commit suicide as well, unable to bear the shame.
However, the truth was far darker. The church had secretly taken Larios, bound and alive, and thrown him into a pit filled with the decaying corpses of sacrificial victims. The pit's vile energy transformed him into a vengeful, rotting monstrosity, driven by hatred to curse the entire kingdom with his blight.
---
As the memory faded, the team sat in stunned silence. Isaac broke it, muttering, "No wonder he became what he did."
Morpheus clenched his fists. "What a cursed existence. Betrayed by a friend, destroyed by corruption, and abandoned by the very kingdom he tried to save."
Rozemar remained quiet, her face pale as she processed the tragedy they had just witnessed.