Chapter 462 - The Seal of Elenvine

Oooh, things are getting exciting. The last few chapters have been so fun to write. Thanks for waiting. Hope you enjoy!

“It’s not a bad idea,” Emilia said.

“Of course not,” Hump said. “When has bringing the roof down ever not been helpful.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Emilia said. “At least not entirely. With us, we have enough artifacts to arm an army. Artifacts we brought with us to prevent the warlocks from using them against us.”

“What are you suggesting?” Bud asked. “You want us to duel wield our weapons?”

“No!” Emilia scowled. “I’m suggesting we line the tunnel with all manner of explosives and then collapse sections of the tunnel. At the very least, we can thin their numbers down before they reach us. Hopefully, we scare them off entirely.”

“I like it,” Prince Gregory said. “Higrid, how many artifacts did you bring with you that could perform?”

The steward gave a slow shake of his head. “Dozens, your Highness. The Royal Armoury has been collecting all sorts of alchemical concoctions, glyphs of destruction, and artifacts so filled with essence it is a wonder they haven’t exploded already. Artifacts I wouldn’t want to set off anywhere near Elenvine.”

“And artifacts fit to kill a whole host of demons,” Prince Gregory said with a grin. “Get them ready.”

“We’ll need to do this fast,” Celaine said. “They’re already in the tunnel. Hump, prepare your magic, the rest of us will get them into place.”

Hump nodded and looked to Emilia. “How many sections do you want me to bring down?”

“Start with one as far from us as you feel safe going. We’ll begin placing artifacts behind there. After that, just keep bringing down sections of tunnel. The more you can do, the longer it will take for them to reach us.”

“Prince Gregory, do you have any barrier blessings?” Hump asked.

“I can create a wall of light, yes,” the prince said.

“Come with me then please. There’s going to be a lot of dust and debris. It would be better if we don’t all need to breathe it in.”

Hump’s essence encompassed the tunnel. The Book of Infinite Pages shone with essence in his left hand, while his staff blazed in his right—streams of bronze power rising around him. With a surge of effort, and a word of command, he cast Cataclysmic Collapse.

The tunnel shook with a force that almost sent Hump from his feet. The boom that followed was one of the loudest sounds Hump had ever heard, echoing through the tunnel. With a resonating crack followed by a deep, grinding rumble, cracks splintered outward across the ceiling like a spiderweb, but these walls were not carved through ordinary means. In all likelihood, they had been created by Lady Light herself.

He poured more essence into his magic, envisioning it spreading through the ceiling like veins of gold through stone. The cracking continued; dust and fragments fell like rain before him. And then, all at once, the rest came crashing down in a thunderous collapse that shook the chamber.

Dust clouded Hump’s view. A cloud of debris swept through the tunnel towards him, but Prince Gregory was ready for it, forming a wall of shimmering gold taking form before them before going clear as crystal. Beyond it, the collapsing roof packed the tunnel so tight that not a speck of light passed through.

A crude barricade, but for wizards and warlocks, sheer mass was often one of the most difficult things to deal with. Breathing matter was a difficult thing to do, even with spells.

With the first collapse complete, Hump carefully worked his way past the pathway laced with explosive glyphs while the others began placing some sort of potion Higrid had provided onto the rubble of the first collapse. Once the demons broke through, they would shatter and explode, sending a fire and a deadly barrage of shrapnel through their ranks.

Hump completed the same task three more times before they ran out of space and supplies.

“We were already trapped,” Hump said. “At least now we have a bunch of rock between us and the demons and warlocks. I doubt it will hold them for long anyway. If we’re lucky, maybe an hour.”

He scrunched his nose even as he spoke. So far, Antony had only demonstrated skill with blood magic, but the man was an incredible wizard. If he had reached Rank 8 like Hump had suspected, it seemed highly likely that his capabilities with earth would match Hump’s, and rubble like this would be of little trouble to him. He would either pack it back into the roof or spread it out on one side of the tunnel, creating a narrow path.

“What now?” Prince Gregory asked.

“We prepare to fight. This is where we hold our ground. This is where we stand.”

Hump’s hand tightened on his staff, and he glanced at Nisha, then Celaine. They’d prepared as much as they could. Lacing the tunnel with traps gave him some confidence, but Anthony would make it through eventually. Alone, perhaps they could stop him, but he would have allies.

“Have you sent a message to Wizard Aldric or Count Daston yet?” Emilia asked. “We need reinforcements.”

Hump hesitated. He didn’t want to admit to the count that he’d disobeyed a direct order and brought the prince here, but he needed to know. Closing his eyes, Hump reached out, searching for the familiar essence signatures.

Nothing. He couldn’t sense a thing beyond these walls. He tried again, this time manifesting his soul and reaching for them with the telepathy of the wolf dragon, yet again the walls stopped him.

“We’re cut off,” Hump said. “This place is blocking me.”

Emilia’s expression darkened. “Then we’re on our own.”

“We don’t need to prepare for the lesser foes,” Celaine said. “What we need to worry about is Warlock Anthony. I can see only two ways we kill him. One of my arrows, or Hump’s Erupting Core. We only need an opening and time, but there’s no way he won’t see our attacks coming in here. It’s too obvious.”

While the others continued to lay traps and strategise, Hump approached the door to the Seal of Elenvine, placing a hand upon it. The metal was cool to the touch. Power thrummed beneath his palm. Could he use it somehow? If they harnessed the essence of the seal, it could enhance his magic far beyond normal.

The Book of Infinite Pages shook, and Hump took it from his belt. Surely he couldn’t…

Runes spread over the pages. The Book of Infinite Pages pulsed with essence, runes spreading across its surface in flowing blue lines.

Seal of Last Light
A powerful magical lock composed of twelve interlinked spell formations arranged radially around a central core glyph. Each formation functions as an essence channel tuned to a specific harmonic frequency, requiring sequential activation through controlled and precise essence application. Failure to maintain sequence or use of brute force will trigger a discharge of concentrated radiant essence.

Beneath the description was the spell formation perfectly inscribed upon the page, essence flowing freely through its runes and channels.The enchantments woven into the door, like the other magic he’d seen down here, was neither written in god glyphs or modern Alveronian, yet with this, Hump wouldn’t need to understand either. If he followed the application of essence in his spellbook, he could wield it.

Nisha nudged at Hump’s leg, drawing his attention back to the tunnel.

“What is it?” Celaine asked, coming to his side.

“I can get us inside,” Hump said, not quite believing it himself. “I can open the door to the seal.”

Prince Gregory stepped forward. “How? That seal is ancient. Created by Lady Light.”

“It’s a complex enchantment—designed to keep out those seeking to forcefully enter it. But I have the key.”

“Can you lock it again afterwards?” Celaine asked.

“I’m not sure. Maybe. Probably not.”

A deep boom rumbled through the stone beneath their feet. Dust shook loose from the ceiling. A second later, an even louder boom followed. The first barricade had been breached and it seemed their trap had heard. As quiet settled, Hump thought he could hear the screams of demons.

“They’re here,” Dylan muttered.

“We can’t let them reach the seal,” Prince Gregory said firmly. “If we open the door, we’re just giving them a way in.”

“They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t already have a way in,” Hump argued. “They’ve destroyed eleven seals already. They’ve done it before, and they’ll do it again.”

Another detonation rocked the tunnel. The entire floor vibrated. Screams followed—distinct this time. Painful, inhuman, some cut off mid-roar.

“What if they don’t know?” Emilia said. “Go inside, Hump.”

Hump turned to her. “Alone?”

“You and the prince. Get inside, close the door, and prepare Erupting Core. It doesn’t need to lock. We’ll hold the tunnel while you build up the power you need. Cast it behind the door and use the energy leaking from the seal to conceal its buildup. If the rest of us are fighting out here, he’ll never guess that one of us is inside preparing an attack. He’ll think we’re defending the seal. He won’t know it’s already been opened. He’ll assume the prince was escorted out of the armoury while we remained.”

Hump hesitated, a frown on his lips. He didn’t like the idea of leaving his friends to face Warlock Anthony without him. His eyes roamed over his party members.

“I like it,” Bud said. “Hurry up and get the door open. We’ll keep the bastard busy.”

“I…” Hump swallowed, his gaze settling on Celaine.

“Two ways we can kill him, remember,” Celaine said. “Don’t worry about us. Just get that spell ready.”

More shrieks echoed through the corridor—closer now. A high-pitched crackling whine signalled the ignition of one of the glyphs. A beat later, a dull boom sounded, and the ground shuddered again. The traps were slowing them down, but they had breached the third collapse already.

Hump clenched his jaw. He hated this, but in a narrow passage like this, he couldn’t think of another play they had.

He gave a sharp nod. “The door will be open. If it gets too dangerous, don’t hesitate to come inside.” He took out the elixir Higrid had given him and gave it to Bud. “And you’ll need this.”

With Prince Gregory at his side, Hump approached the great door. Power surged through his staff and the Book of Infinite Pages. He’d been over the formation a few times now and done his best to commit it to memory, but this was still going to be one of the most difficult essence manipulation exercises he’d attempted. For this to work, he had to follow the path exactly.

The Seal of Last Light hummed with essence. He reached out with his essence, his intent slipping into the first of the spell formations. The faintest flicker of light shone from within, and immediately he sensed the vastness of the enchantment. Yet where others might see a maze of unknown pathways branching out in a hundred different directions, Hump had a map to guide his way.

Slowly, he pressed his will forward. His essence slipped into the mechanism, flowing precisely as the book dictated. The first ray lit with soft golden light, pulsing once before holding steady. A hum passed through the door, deep and resonant, like a distant bell. Hump didn’t rush. He worked one ray at a time, manipulating the delicate harmonic frequencies until the next formation engaged.

Second. Third. Fourth.

The spell formations responded to his movements, each unlocking in sequence. As the twelfth ray illuminated, the central sun-shaped glyph erupted with brilliance, flooding the chamber in the amber glow of sunset. A soft click echoed through the walls—the quiet shift of ancient locks disengaging.

The door began to part.

Beyond, the chamber to the Seal of Elenvine lay still. The moment the threshold opened, a wave of essence rolled out like a breath held too long. Hump stepped inside, the vault groaning shut behind him with a low metallic note.

It was a fairly large room, though almost empty. Pillars supported the chamber, but they were made of simple white stone, much like all the walls, glowing with that same light.

There was only one source of darkness.

The seal floated at the centre of the space, a sphere of complete darkness suspended in a web of radiant lines and glowing script. The lattice of godly essence anchored it to the floor, the ceiling, the very foundation of this place. Power bled from it in waves, curling through the air like mist.

“Amazing,” Prince Gregory whispered. “All this fighting… for this.”

Hump studied the sphere, unsure what to make of it. It reminded him of the rifts to the Remnant Realm in a way—that same darkness, only here it had been given solid form.

As another boom shook the tunnel outside, Hump turned back to his party. He ordered Nisha to follow him, then wished his friends good luck.

They echoed his sentiment with a smile on their faces.

“Stay by the door,” Hump said, glancing back. “When I give the command, open it.”

Prince Gregory nodded, his jaw set. “Understood.”

Hump took a breath and crossed to the far side of the chamber. He could feel the pressure of the leaking essence pressing against his skin—dense, volatile, yet responsive. As he drew in that power, the bronze lines of his staff flared to life. The Book of Infinite Pages opened beside him, pages fluttering in a windless stir, falling open to Erupting Core.

Hump stood before the door, his staff planted into the ground. He infused his staff with Transform Earth and began to carve the runes into the ground. Soon, a web of runes and channels surrounded him, bright with essence and intent. He placed his staff into its centre and pressed his essence into the formation.

Power built in the room, heavy and dangerous. Before him, the first flicker of fire appeared, condensing into a small bead. Then, all at once, essence surged—raw, furious, untamed.

It answered his call.