Lucian looked at Aesthra, who had already steeled her resolve, and answered her with equal seriousness.
"Don't worry. There's no need to despair over the road ahead."
"I will resolve all of this, and I will bring you back to the real Lands Between."
Swearing upon the name of the proud users of Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, Lucian would not lose.
Though Aesthra still did not truly believe he could accomplish such a thing, she nodded happily all the same.
This was the person she had waited for across two lifetimes.
At the very least, she could now walk beside him.
Lucian shifted his gaze to the pitch-black tower standing beside them.
The structure was dim and lightless, soaring straight into the heavens.
Several sharp, protruding spires extended outward from its body, features that corresponded exactly to the design of the Helphen's Steeple greatsword in his memory.
If so… then this must be the true black steeple of the Helphen within the Spirit World, the tower said to guide the dead.
Lucian stepped closer and looked up at the immense structure from its base.
Aesthra moved to his side and said:
"This steeple is Helphen's Steeple."
"I previously visited another one elsewhere and attempted to explore a way to leave."
"But unfortunately, I couldn't defeat the powerful monsters guarding it. I barely managed to escape alive."
"Later, I came to terms with it. My physical body is already dead, so even if I returned, it would be meaningless. I stopped trying to explore further."
Lucian examined the tower carefully. There was no visible doorway anywhere on its surface.
No doors, nor even a single window.
It looked less like a building meant to be entered and more like a monumental landmark.
"There's no entrance. How do we get inside?"
Aesthra smiled and stepped forward.
"It's actually quite simple."
"Let me show you."
She placed her palm against the wall of Helphen's Steeple.
At once, several branching protrusions along the tower lit up with a faint spectral glow. In the next moment, Aesthra vanished from where she stood—clearly having been transported inside.
Lucian nodded thoughtfully, then imitated her action.
He, too, was drawn into the tower.
The moment he entered, he was swallowed by profound darkness.
The entire interior was pitch black, utterly devoid of light. He could see nothing at all. Even Aesthra, who had entered just before him, was nowhere to be found.
They had entered from the same location one after another. If the tower scattered them to different places, that would be troublesome.
Lucian ignited a flame in his hand, attempting to illuminate the surroundings.
He could clearly feel the flame burning in his palm, yet not even the faintest light appeared.
It was as though all illumination had been devoured by the darkness itself.
Lucian frowned. What was this phenomenon?
At that moment, laughter rang out from beside him.
"Hehe. Surprised?"
"There isn't even the slightest bit of light in here. I was startled the first time I entered as well."
"I ran straight back out and only returned after finding a flame source."
Aesthra's voice came from very close by. They were indeed still near the entry point.
Within the absolute darkness, a faint white glow flickered to life—then gradually grew brighter.
It was the glow of pale spiritflame.
Aesthra turned, took Lucian's hand firmly, and began walking forward.
As they moved, she explained:
"This is a small trick, using collected spiritflame embers to burn a portion of Humanity, producing light."
"If you use spiritflame to burn a complete soul, it will give rise to a vengeful wraith."
"But if you only burn a small amount of Humanity, that won't happen. It's safe to use."
"Though it's somewhat wasteful, light is absolutely necessary when exploring these Helphen Steeples."
"Without it, you simply can't move forward."
Lucian looked at the dim glow that barely illuminated two or three meters around them and sighed lightly.
"Even so, exploration will be quite difficult. Can you make it any brighter?"
Aesthra shook her head apologetically.
"I know it feels uncomfortable… but we don't have much choice."
"The Humanity from the monsters you killed earlier has already been used for healing."
"As for the Humanity I have stored, we'll need it for large-scale, long-term exploration—and we must also reserve some in case of injury."
"Taking everything into account, we need to conserve it. We can't afford waste."
"And even under these conditions, we can't move too slowly."
Lucian nodded. He understood her concerns.
He had only just arrived and had accumulated very little Humanity. Nearly all of it had been consumed during his treatment earlier.
For now, they could only rely on what Aesthra had gradually stockpiled over time.
From the look of it, her reserves were limited as well. If they ran out, they would be forced to explore in total darkness.
At that point, forget exploration, they might not even be able to find their way back out.
So even in the Spirit World, he had ended up living off someone else's support.
And when it came to fighting, he still had to rely on Asimi. That made it double dependency—
Because the light was so faint, the two of them had to walk very close together.
Throughout the journey, Aesthra kept a tight hold on Lucian's hand, afraid he might suddenly vanish into the darkness.
Inside Helphen's Steeple, there was only a single stone path stretching straight ahead.
On either side lay a chasm so deep that even their faint glow could not penetrate it.
Guided by the dim light, they soon reached the center of the tower.
It was a circular platform. Due to the limited visibility, Lucian couldn't tell how large it was.
Judging by the curvature of the edge, however, it must have been vast.
They continued forward.
Suddenly, in the center of their limited field of vision, a hand appeared on the ground.
Shado halted immediately, tension tightening her posture.
But after several seconds, there was no movement from whatever the hand belonged to.
Lucian quietly instructed Asimi to prepare for combat and signaled for Aesthra not to worry. They moved forward.
As Aesthra took two more steps, the full shape came into view.
It was a gauntlet lying on the ground.
Aesthra exhaled in relief.
"So it's just a gauntlet. You scared me for nothing."
Lucian studied the armored hand carefully. Something about it felt off, but he couldn't immediately pinpoint what.
He was about to kneel and inspect it more closely, but Aesthra tugged at him impatiently.
"Alright, let's keep moving."
Lucian nodded and allowed himself to be pulled onward.
After some time, they discovered the matching breastplate and one greave.
The armor's design was ordinary—nothing particularly distinctive, no crest or insignia to suggest affiliation.
It appeared to be the standard equipment of a knight. Nothing unusual.
Finally, at the far end of the platform, they found the helmet belonging to the set.
The helm was badly damaged, smeared with thick, pitch-black viscous fluid.
Having already seen the other pieces, Aesthra was no longer startled.
She pulled Lucian past the helmet and found, just beyond it, a stone ramp descending downward.
Her eyes brightened.
"There's a path already? That's wonderful."
"Though I wonder if it might be broken further down."
"Let's hurry."
Lucian nodded and followed her toward the slope.
Just as they were about to step onto it—
A faint sound came from behind them.
It was extremely subtle. Aesthra noticed nothing.
But Lucian did.
He squeezed her hand gently.
"Aesthra. Turn around."
Aesthra looked back in confusion, about to ask what was wrong.
Even without Lucian's reminder, Aesthra quickly noticed something was wrong.
Behind them, the helmet that had just been within the illuminated area had vanished without a trace.
Her expression darkened. Both she and Lucian had examined the scattered armor pieces earlier, there had been nothing unusual about them.
But clearly, it had deceived them.
Asimi materialized instantly at Aesthra's side, intercepting an attack that struck from behind.
Aesthra turned and saw the tip of a blade mere inches from her. She stumbled backward in fright.
The light in her hand revealed the attacker's true form.
It was a fully assembled suit of armor. Within the hollow helm was nothing but pitch-black emptiness.
Judging from its appearance, it was the very same armor that had been scattered across the platform moments ago.
In its hands, it gripped a battered greatsword, pressing it hard against Asimi's blade.
Its strength was slightly inferior to Asimi's, so even though she had parried hastily, she did not fall into disadvantage.
Asimi forced aside its greatsword and formally engaged it, steel clashing repeatedly in the dim light.
Lucian moved past Asimi, reaching toward the armor.
If he could just seize it, he could crush it through sheer soul force—even if it meant trading injury for injury.
But the enemy clearly had no intention of fighting to the bitter end.
Seeing Lucian make a move, the armor immediately retreated, slipping back into the abyssal darkness and concealing itself, preparing for another ambush.
In the darkness, it made not a single sound. Neither Lucian nor Asimi could locate it by ear.
Asimi did not recklessly pursue. In such profound darkness, she could not fully exert her strength.
With their power levels so close, environmental disadvantage could easily tip the balance against them.
"My lord, it's not weak," Asimi said, standing protectively before Lucian and Aesthra.
Lucian nodded. He had already realized as much.
That empty shell of armor had appeared utterly ordinary before, nothing out of place. It had fooled all three of them.
Yet its strength was formidable, only slightly below Asimi's.
Asimi could suppress it through raw power, but defeating it quickly would be difficult.
And with the battlefield shrouded in darkness, the situation was not favorable.
Lucian prepared himself to intervene at any moment. Even if it meant further soul damage, he would finish it swiftly, prolonging the fight would severely hinder their exploration.
Seeing this, Aesthra suddenly burned Humanity in her hand more intensely, dramatically expanding the radius of light.
For a brief instant, the armor's silhouette appeared—
then it immediately retreated deeper into the dark.
Lucian shook his head and signaled for her to reduce the brightness again.
They needed to restrain it within the darkness first, only then could they expose it fully.
Lucian retrieved the Spirit Calling Bell from his spatial disc, along with the ashes he had obtained from the Catacombs beneath the Minor Erdtree in Liurnia; the ashes of Lhutel the Headless.
Among the spirit ashes he possessed, she was the most suitable choice.
Due to ideological opposition, Lucian could only forcibly bind her through the Spirit Calling Bell. She could not unleash her full strength under compulsion.
A forcibly summoned spirit was weaker than those who willingly followed him.
But raw power was not what he needed from her now.
As a headless knight, Lhutel did not rely on sight. Darkness would not impair her other senses. She only needed to locate and harass the enemy.
Lucian felt resistance from Lhutel's soul, but he summoned her regardless.
As the bell's authority took hold, her resistance gradually faded into silence.
In the next moment, Lhutel the Headless appeared before him, bearing her Eclipse Crest Greatshield and long spear.
While under the bell's forced control, she was Lucian's puppet.
She completely ignored the darkness and locked onto the hidden enemy.
Raising her spear, she hurled it into the dark.
A gray, phantom spear manifested mid-flight—her skill, Spectral Lance.
A faint sound echoed from the darkness.
She had hit.
Lhutel released several more Spectral Lances in succession, then charged forward under Lucian's command, pursuing into the dark.
Lucian instructed her not to chase too far, draw the enemy toward the edge of the light.
Through the bell and their soul connection, Lucian monitored her condition.
He glanced at Aesthra.
"When we pinpoint its position, I'll signal you. Increase the brightness, and make it wide."
Aesthra nodded. This was no time to conserve.
Lucian sensed Lhutel engaging the armor.
"Now!"
Aesthra's light flared outward instantly, extending ten meters and fully illuminating both Lhutel and the armor mid-combat.
Lhutel had already sustained visible damage, her spectral form marred by wounds.
Seeing the sudden light, the armor knocked her aside and attempted to retreat—
—but Asimi and Lucian were already closing in.
Asimi thrust toward its helm. It was forced to block.
That single defensive motion cost it the opportunity to escape back into darkness.
Lucian's hand seized the helmet.
An unprecedented, searing agony erupted through his soul.
Ignoring the pain, he crushed.
With a violent surge of soul force, he shattered the helm.
In the next instant, the weapon and armor disintegrated into ash, streaming through Lucian's fingers.
He shook the residue from his hand.
If only the equipment could be retained, he would have worn it.
With Spirit World gear, he might have gained proper means of attack.
Right now, what limited him most was the lack of effective combat methods, he could only deal damage by directly colliding souls through his flesh.
Unfortunately, the era of trading blows barehanded was not over yet.
Lucian recalled Lhutel.
Unlike in the Lands Between, where spirit ashes required FP to manifest a physical body, here their souls were summoned directly.
That meant any injuries were real spiritual damage, Lucian would need to restore them or wait for slow self-recovery.
For the time being, Lhutel would not be able to fight.
Asimi was powerful enough to avoid serious injury, but it was unwise to rely on her continuously.
She was their highest source of damage. Her strength had to be preserved for what might become a final confrontation.
Aesthra approached to heal Lucian.
He assessed himself.
The Humanity gained from destroying the armor was considerably more than from the earlier skull, but if he fully restored his soul, little would remain.
He considered.
The injury was not severe. It would not significantly hinder him.
Their priority was exploration. Full recovery could wait. He could farm Humanity later if needed.
Lucian handed the Humanity to Aesthra.
"Use only a small portion for healing. It's not serious."
"The rest should be reserved for exploration."
She nodded and treated him with a measured amount.
His soul was not fully restored, but stable.
There was also a large mass of dark soul left behind. Lucian had Aesthra purify it and use it to strengthen him.
With their Humanity reserves now significantly increased, the next stage of exploration would be slightly easier.
They returned to the descending stone ramp.
This time, Lucian did not rush forward.
He had Aesthra intensify the light once more to illuminate the surroundings.
Earlier, during the brief flare, he had noticed something.
Aesthra brightened the light again, revealing the space around them.
Lucian looked upward.
There was nothing.
Above them, only endless darkness. No ceiling. No visible tower interior.
They had entered a towering structure, yet there was no path upward. Only descent.
He looked down.
With the expanded illumination, the true structure became clear.
They were roughly at the center of Helphen's Steeple. The ramp spiraled outward, expanding as it descended, eventually reaching the inner walls of the tower.
After walking downward for a while, Lucian glanced upward again—
—and saw tier upon tier of steps above them.
What they had initially thought was a sloped ramp was actually the underside of a grand staircase.
They were walking along its reverse side, descending deeper.
Lucian fell into thought.
'An inverted structure… like the inverted study hall of Caria?'
He and Aesthra continued down the spiraling path, their figures gradually swallowed once more by darkness.
—
[T/N: Helphen's Steeple Greatsword]
Greatsword patterned after the black steeple of the Helphen, the lampwood which guides the dead of the spirit world.
The lamplight is similar to grace in appearance, only it is said that it can only be seen by those who met their death in battle.