Chapter 464: Chapter 466: Apotheon Silence was deafening. It was always deafening when it was silent... The heavens may not have shaken, but their hearts certainly had. Akasha wasn’t a place. It wasn’t a relic, a treasure, or a lost civilization. It was just absolute knowledge. Calling it "just" knowledge would be madness... but that’s what it was. The absolute knowledge of magic. Damon couldn’t even begin to imagine what one could do—what one could become—with that level of understanding. With just this single page, he hadn’t only learned of Akasha... he’d been introduced to the three main sources of power, each a path in its own right. Mana that flowed from the heart... leading to Akasha, the absolute comprehension of the world. That was an objective truth. Ki that gathered in the dantian... which led to the Dao, a selfish path that bent the heavens to one’s will. Your comprehension of the heavens mattered more than what actually was. This was a relative truth. And Ether, which flowed through the mind... leading to Aatraxia, where all truths were born of thought. The last was a subjective truth. But what shook Damon the most wasn’t any of those. It was the mention of Apotheon. The Pillar of Ascension. Did that mean there was more than one pillar? He already knew of Bellum—the Pillar of Conflict—hidden somewhere in this world. The Unknown God had been seeking it. So then... what about Apotheon? Which of the countless stars in the heavens was that one hidden on? Would the Unknown God seek that out too? "Do you know what this means?" Lilith whispered, her voice nearly lost to the silence. Damon nodded solemnly. "There’s more than one pillar out there." She shook her head. "Yes, that... but more importantly, Ashcroft wasn’t the only one who left behind traces. Mugu did as well. If we find more of his journal, we can piece together everything he learned from the Unknown God." Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "Mugu was supposedly the prophet of the Unknown God. He could commune with Him directly. So tell me, Miss Priestess of the Unknown God... why can’t you do any of that?" Lilith raised an eyebrow and glared. "You got a system from Him. Why can’t you?" Damon chuckled. "Fair enough." He crossed his arms, brow furrowed. "How did Chrome find this page? From the looks of it, he definitely didn’t get it here in this subdimensional space." Lilith tapped her chin. "For now, we shouldn’t dwell on that. Let’s focus on what’s right in front of us. As for clues from the past, we’ll gather them as we go. The only thing we truly don’t have any leads on... is the Zero Epoch, and how it ended." She stored the fragile page into the hidden space within her stigmata. "We can still find clues. I happen to know someone who’s an expert at tracking spells. With this one piece, we might be able to find more." Damon picked up another stack of documents, flipping through them. "Hmm... it looks like Chrome was trying to create physical vessels. His whole purpose was to build a new body—one that could harness the power of the dark spirit, Rashi Ignath." Lilith continued browsing through weathered tomes and magical seals. "He based his research on what the Visitors achieved. They abandoned their original bodies for new ones. But to do that, he needed to reach the fourth class... a rank where the soul can leave the body temporarily." Damon sneered. "So all this... was because he thought he could build the perfect body. All so he could claim Ignath’s power—and maybe reach something as vague as Akasha." Lilith sighed. "If Akasha were that easy to attain, everyone would be a master of all magic. But Akasha is blasphemy at this point... because to master all magic means having control over every attribute... without limitation." Damon understood the implication. The Goddess of Doom had taken that away. The ability to use more than one attribute had been erased from the world of Aetherus. It happened during the Zero Epoch. In the First Epoch, mortals tried to resist her decree, which eventually brought the Visitors... and the Unknown God. That was when demons were introduced into the world. The Second Epoch saw the rise of the Temple, and with it, the dark legacy of Ashcroft. But Ashcroft was destroyed by the goddess herself. All of those events... everything... was tied to the Pillar of Conflict. This was a world where the Temple reigned. Anything that defied the goddess was branded heresy—and destroyed. Especially anything related to the Unknown God. "Let’s search the other rooms," Damon said. They’d deal with the rest later. For now, they had to understand where this place was... and how they could use it. Lilith took the lead, examining the other rooms. Most were empty, save for a few rare potions, some research scrolls, and some zeni. One had a bed, barely used. After sweeping through the hidden space, they turned off the homunculus equipment. It felt wrong—creating life that way. Inhumane. Even if it wasn’t illegal, it wasn’t for them. Eventually, they found themselves standing before the massive vaulted door. Lilith frowned, staring at the glowing runes and ancient seals etched into its surface. They weren’t sure if the seals were meant to keep something in... or keep them out. Either way, they had to know. Especially if they planned to use the Key of Lazrak for future plans. A hidden base like this—safe, secret, and almost impossible to trace—was a rare asset. "What do you think is out there?" Lilith asked quietly. Damon shook his head. "Whatever it is... we’re about to find out." Lilith glanced back toward their escape route. Matia was waiting beyond the spatial door, a spear of ice forming in her hand. If anything went wrong, she’d bombard the place with a volley. That thought gave Damon a little peace of mind. And he had his new skill—Shadow Stride—so escape wasn’t impossible. He nodded at Lilith. She raised her hand. A single, quiet motion—and the large seals began to unlock. The vault doors rumbled, chains clanking as they slowly pulled open. Damon watched as a cold breath of air swept through the opening. What greeted him... was darkness. A deep, oppressive blackness—so thick it almost clung to the skin. His eyes slowly adjusted. The hallway beyond was silent. Still. And with one step forward... the shadows welcomed him— —into the unknown.