Chapter 57: Ten Remnants

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Ten Remnants

Far below the elven dungeon, in a chamber that did not exist on any elven map, Caelan stood.

He had been standing in the silence for several minutes when the light that resided inside the crystal suddenly changed.

A pulse of Dungeon Master Authority coursed through the chamber, passing over the ancient structures embedded into the walls.

Caelan’s eyes opened.

A smile appeared on his lips.

"So you have awakened."

Caelan placed a hand on the crystal and felt the familiar pulse of authority that ran through the dungeon.

"Arin Rahman."

Caelan spoke the name softly.

There was no malice in his voice, merely curiosity as if he’d been given the conclusion to a long awaited experiment.

He had watched Arin since the young man had set foot upon elven territory, had observed how he’d tamed Zarl, saved Mira, reacted to the history of the previous Dungeon Master and had quickly uncovered the secrets that had eluded centuries of search.

Arin was inexperienced, his own authority still extremely limited but he had achieved something Caelan hadn’t even expected.

He had successfully awakened Arene completely.

Caelan’s smile widened slightly.

"So the System has finally returned to it’s original state."

Caelan stepped away from the crystal and turned his gaze to the rest of the chamber.

The room stretched before him, growing into the darkness, ten massive structures stood along the walls each encased in layers of magical seals with a humanoid figure housed within.

They didn’t move.

Their bodies barely even resembled humans anymore, horns, scales, claws and wings mingling together to form things that should only have belonged to past Dungeon Masters.

Each one different, yet the same flicker of a blue hue ran through all of them.

Dungeon Master Authority.

Ten remnants.

Caelan walked forward, studying the first figure within the nearest structure.

"You were once a Dungeon Master," he murmured, his voice quiet. "You possess an authority that even the common adventurers could never hope to understand."

He moved onto the next structure.

"You built dungeons and tamed the monsters within them."

Another.

"You knew fragments of the world that kings and Heroes alike have never uncovered."

Caelan moved until he reached the middle of the chamber.

"And then you disappeared."

His expression darkened momentarily.

"Some of you died. Some of you were hunted. And all of you eventually became nothing more than remnants of what you once were."

His gaze snapped back towards the sealed figures.

"For ten years I have preserved what little was left of you."

A pulse of energy ran through the chamber.

Caelan turned his eyes upwards.

"But now there is another Dungeon Master."

The name left his lips easily.

"Arin Rahman."

Caelan hesitated only slightly before continuing.

"You inherited everything that once belonged to the previous Dungeon Master, yet fail to understand what it truly means."

Caelan raised his hand and magic danced across the air, sealing the ten structures responding instantly.

Blue symbols sprawled outwards across the floor, linking the different sealed areas together.

The authority within the ten figures began to stir.

[Authority Remnant 01: Stable.]

One symbol appeared in the air.

[Authority Remnant 02: Stable.]

Another followed soon after, then another, until the ten symbols were hanging in the air.

[Authority Remnant 03: Stable.]

[Authority Remnant 04: Stable.]

[Authority Remnant 05: Stable.]

[Authority Remnant 06: Stable.]

[Authority Remnant 07: Stable.]

[Authority Remnant 08: Stable.]

[Authority Remnant 09: Stable.]

[Authority Remnant 10: Stable.]

Caelan studied the symbols with some interest.

"Ten Dungeon Master Authority remnants against one newly awakened Dungeon Master."

He allowed himself a small smile.

"I wonder what will happen."

It wasn’t that Caelan expected Arin to defeat them easily, that wasn’t the point behind preserving these remnants.

He simply wanted to observe how Arin would react.

More importantly, he wanted to see a reaction from Arene.

"The previous Dungeon Master failed to fully restore you, Arin has done what he couldn’t."

Caelan’s eyes narrowed.

"I wonder how you will fare when being opposed by ten different Dungeon Master Authorities that no longer have their owners."

One of the crystal panes changed it’s display.

[External Dungeon Master Authority detected.]

Caelan looked at it, then smiled.

"So you’re already reacting."

He turned his gaze back towards the ceiling.

Somewhere above him Arin was likely still within the hidden chamber of the elven dungeon, probably attempting to understand the remnants he had uncovered and the strange authority that seemed to be tied to the lower depths.

Caelan knew that Arin had seen fragments of the memories of the past Dungeon Masters, knew of the Chimera tragedy, Zarl’s experiments and the fate of the previous Dungeon Master’s family.

But Arin didn’t know everything.

The previous Dungeon Master hadn’t been the only one to disappear.

There had been others.

Ten people in total, and fragments of their authority still remained.

Caelan stepped forward toward one of the sealed figures.

"Let’s see how you react when you finally see them."

He halted next to the structure.

"Or rather..."

His eyes scanned across the monstrous like figure within the sealed building.

"What remains of them."

The chamber fell silent as Caelan turned and walked forward towards the largest crystal at the middle of the chamber.

Within it resided a fragment of Dungeon Master Authority that was far greater then the rest.

When Caelan placed his hand upon it the crystal instantly responded.

An image appeared.

Arin.

Standing within the elven dungeon with his Dungeon Master’s Mark burning with light.

Caelan watched him for several seconds.

"So you have awakened, Arin Rahman."

The image disappeared and Caelan withdrew his hand.

"What will you do when you see the previous Dungeon Master and the other Dungeon Masters as Chimeras?"

His voice remained calm but there was a certain amount of anticipation in his eyes.

"I do hope you survive, Rahman."

Caelan turned back towards the ten sealed figures.

"I would hate for this experiment to end before I find out what your new System is capable of."

The seals surrounding the ten structures started to glow more brightly.

For a moment nothing happened.

Then one of the Chimeras slowly opened its eyes, a faint blue light shining from within them.

Caelan watched from behind the pillars without fear.

"Not yet."

The Chimera’s eyes shut once more.

"Let him come to you."

Caelan turned and began walking towards the exit.

As he stepped out he cast a glance over his shoulder at the ten sealed figures.

"Ten old Dungeon Master Authority remnants against the current Dungeon Master."

His gaze was thoughtful.

"And Arene caught between them."

The massive doors slowly closed behind him, Caelan’s steps vanishing away in the corridor with the ten ancient figures sealed within the chamber.

For the first time in ten years the forgotten Dungeon Masters were ready to meet someone who had inherited the authority that had once brought them all together.

Caelan had only one question left.

Would Arin Rahman become the Dungeon Master who finally uncovered the truth, or become another remnant preserved beneath the dungeon?