Tick. Tick. Tick.

  The sound echoed through the corridors like a metronome counting down to destruction. Eli felt it more than heard it—a rhythmic pulse that seemed to vibrate through the stone beneath his feet, through Starling in his grip, through the binding spell around his neck. Each beat perfectly spaced, unnervingly precise.

  "Twenty-three hours and thirty-nine minutes remaining," Marco's voice filtered through the circlet interface, calm yet tense. "The Pattern Alpha cycle is progressing exactly as predicted."

  Eli stood at the portal entrance to the Grotto, Aura hovering anxiously by his shoulder, her glow fluctuating with each tick. The events of the past hours had left him physically drained but mentally sharp. The accidental creation of the stable crystal node during his last harvesting attempt had been both a breakthrough and a warning.

  "The timing couldn't be worse," Eli said, running his fingers along Starling's smooth surface. The core pulsed with stored energy—no longer the warm amber of its original state, but a deep violet-black that occasionally sparked with silver filaments. "But maybe it couldn't be better either. We finally understand what we're dealing with."

  Marco's voice carried a hint of urgency rarely present in his typically measured tones. "The dungeon's corruption readings are already increasing by eight percent compared to baseline. The Pattern Alpha cycle is accelerating the corruption generation rate throughout this sector. We need to leverage every advantage we have."

  Eli nodded, feeling the weight of the situation settle across his shoulders. "And our biggest advantage is time dilation in the Grotto and Hall."

  "Precisely," Marco confirmed. "One hour outside equals approximately five days inside the subdimension. If we utilize the full potential of this phenomenon, you could gain months of training before the wave hits."

  Aura fluttered to Starling's dark core, her tiny hand hovering just above its surface. The binding spell around Eli's neck warmed slightly, facilitating their unique connection.

  "I can read it now," she said, her voice tinged with wonder. "The energy you've harvested and stored... the Aethel term for it is Flux." She traced a pattern in the air, mimicking ancient glyphs. "It means 'flow between states' or 'purified potential'—energy that has been converted from raw corruption into a stable, usable form."

  "Flux," Eli repeated, feeling how the word seemed to resonate with the energy. "How much do we have?"

  Aura's brow furrowed in concentration as she communed with Starling's core. "The Aethel measured Flux in units called motes. Each mote represents a quantifiable amount of purified energy." She hovered closer, her light dimming slightly as she focused. "Starling currently holds... approximately 840 motes of Flux."

  Marco's voice cut in. "Which corresponds to the 83% capacity reading I've been monitoring. That's a substantial reserve, but without knowing the Flux cost of activating the Memory Gates within the Hall, we risk depleting our resources prematurely."

  "That's why we need the recon," Eli said, understanding immediately. "We need to know exactly how much it costs before we commit to the extended training."

  "Correct," Marco confirmed. "The Pattern Alpha wave will converge on our position in less than twenty-four hours. Based on historical data, it will likely manifest as coordinated attacks from multiple corrupted guardians—entities far more dangerous than the scouts or sentinels you've encountered so far."

  Eli felt a chill run through him, remembering the desperate fight against the phase-shifting Obsidian Scouts. If those had been merely advanced scouts, what would full guardians be like?

  "Our strategy must be precise," Marco continued. "You need to enter the Hall for a very brief reconnaissance—seconds from my perspective, minutes from yours. Locate the Memory Gate most likely to provide foundational training, determine its Flux activation cost, and return immediately with that information. Only then can we properly allocate our resources for your extended training session."

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Aura bobbed in agreement. "The binding spell serves as a translation mechanism. I can read the glyph markers above each gate now, identify their purpose and cost."

  The ticking seemed to grow louder, more insistent. Or perhaps it was just Eli's growing awareness of what each beat represented—one moment closer to the Pattern Alpha wave's arrival.

  "The Gate of Foundational Forms is what we need," Marco instructed. "Based on the fragmented data I've recovered, it should contain the basic Aethel training modules—essential meridian mapping, energy circulation principles, and the first levels of physical conditioning designed specifically for Hero's Lineage bearers."

  Eli shifted his weight, testing his body's readiness. The aches from his earlier energy overload had mostly subsided, leaving only a deep-seated fatigue that he pushed away through sheer determination.

  "What exactly am I looking for once we're inside?" he asked.

  Aura drifted to eye level. "Each Memory Gate in the Hall is marked with identification glyphs. I'll help you find the one corresponding to foundational training. Then we need to approach it, activate the information display, and determine the Flux cost without actually initiating the gate itself."

  "Like checking the price tag before buying," Eli muttered.

  "An apt analogy," Marco agreed. "You cannot afford to make an uninformed commitment of resources. Not with the Pattern Alpha cycle already in progress."

  Eli tightened his grip on Starling, feeling the Flux pulse in response to his intent. "How do I check the cost without activating the gate?"

  "Touch Starling to the base of the gate," Aura explained, her voice taking on a teacher-like quality that reflected her rapidly expanding knowledge. "The binding spell will facilitate the connection, allowing you to read the Flux requirement. Just don't channel any energy into it yet."

  "Understood." Eli squared his shoulders, mentally preparing himself. "What's our time limit for this recon?"

  "Keep it under five minutes Hall-time," Marco instructed. "That will be approximately one minute in real-time. Any longer risks depleting your physical stamina unnecessarily before the main training session."

  Eli nodded, then turned to the shimmering doorway that led to the Grotto. The portal's surface rippled like liquid silver, occasionally parting to reveal glimpses of the luminescent cavern beyond.

  "Ready?" he asked Aura.

  The tiny figure nodded, her determination visible despite her diminutive size. "I'll guide you straight to the right gate. No detours."

  Eli took a deep breath, centering himself. He activated the Dual Circulation technique he'd recently mastered, feeling the gentle push-pull of energy flowing through his meridians—light and shadow, balance and power. The binding spell warmed against his skin, no longer the painful constraint it had once been, but a complex tool he was slowly learning to work with rather than against.

  "Starling has 840 motes of Flux," he confirmed, mentally noting the number. "We need to find out how many it will cost to access the training we need."

  Tick. Tick. Tick.

  "Twenty-three hours and thirty-six minutes remaining," Marco reminded them. "Exercise extreme caution. The Pattern Alpha cycle is causing increasingly erratic energy fluctuations throughout the dungeon. Even the Grotto might be affected in ways we cannot predict."

  Eli shared a final glance with Aura, resolve passing between them. Then he stepped forward, Starling extended before him, and passed through the shimmering portal.

  The transition was instantaneous but disorienting—like stepping from shallow water into the depths of an ocean. Time seemed to stretch and slow around him, the air itself thicker, charged with ancient power. The tick-tick-tick of the countdown became distant, muffled, as though heard through layers of stone.

  The Grotto welcomed them with its gentle bioluminescence, the Healing Pool at its center glowing with a soft blue radiance. Eli moved quickly past it, respectfully nodding toward the place where Aura had emerged from Starling's fractured core. They continued onward, passing the wall of murals that had revealed the binding spell's true purpose as an Aethel safeguard.

  "This way," Aura directed, leading him down the familiar path beyond the murals.

  They soon emerged into the Hall of Memories with its faded grandeur—a vast circular chamber with a domed ceiling that sparkled with tiny points of light like a starry sky. Dozens of Memory Gates lined the walls at regular intervals, each a darkened rectangular frame inscribed with intricate patterns currently inert. Glyphs shimmered above each gate, pulsing faintly with residual energy.

  Aura immediately darted forward, her light leaving a trailing glow as she flew along the perimeter of the chamber. "This way," she called, her voice echoing strangely in the timeless space. "I can sense it—the Gate of Foundational Forms is in the eastern quadrant."

  Eli followed, passing beneath archways of ancient stone, acutely aware of each second passing. Five minutes Hall-time. No more. Find the gate, check the cost, return. Simple objectives, but vital to everything that would follow.

  The subdimension felt stable and safe, untouched by the corruption that plagued the outer dungeon. A sanctuary of knowledge preserved across millennia, waiting for someone with the right lineage to access its secrets.

  He couldn't afford to fail. Not with the ticking clock counting down to whatever chaos the Pattern Alpha wave would bring.

  The hunt for knowledge had begun.