Si-Yoon approached the obsidian pillar.
Mortem was busy muting villages, and Lyra was busy securing the perimeter which likely meant dispatching assassins to deal with any overly cheerful flora. He had perhaps ten minutes before the basilisk-eye tea arrived.
"Focus, Si-Yoon," he whispered internally.
"This is a simple puzzle. Third skull on the left. Must be a hidden switch or a pressure plate."
He lifted his skeletal hand, aiming for the third skull in the row. As his bony finger made contact, a soft, ethereal chime echoed through the hall. It was a rather sweet, delicate sound, like tiny bells made of moonlight.
A section of the wall beside the pillar shimmered, dissolving into a curtain of purple smoke. A doorway, wide and ominous, was revealed. Above it, carved in ancient, runic script, was the title of the hidden space.
Si-Yoon's non-existent eyebrows furrowed as he translated the runes mentally, drawing on the character's base knowledge from the novel.
'The Repository of Absolute Damnation. No admittance without the Lord's Mark.'
"The Repository of Absolute Damnation," Si-Yoon repeated, the dryness in his throat becoming profound.
"I was really hoping for 'Kallian's Cozy Reading Nook.'"
He stepped through the smoke and into the Crypt of Whispers.
It wasn't a crypt at all. It was a massive, cylindrical library that plummeted into darkness, stacked floor-to-ceiling with scrolls, tomes bound in dubious leather, and glowing, forbidden artifacts stored in floating cages. The central pillar was a spiral staircase, but the steps looked ancient, brittle, and frankly, too much effort.
"Okay. Kallian is too lazy for stairs," Si-Yoon deduced, pulling from his knowledge of the villain's personality in the novel.
"There has to be an elevator."
He looked around and spotted a shimmering, skeletal structure; a platform lift, clearly designed for one person and powered by captured souls. Much better. He stepped onto it.
He needed two artifacts: the Scepter of the Void (a massive, six-foot staff that controlled shadow magic) and the Heart of the Forgotten Saint (a small, glowing orb that contained immense healing energy, which Kallian used as a paperweight).
First, the Scepter. It was usually kept on the fifth tier, near the forbidden section on 'Infernal Taxation Laws.'
He commanded the lift: "Fifth tier, Section Beta-7."
The lift shot upward with terrifying speed, stopping with a sickening lurch. Si-Yoon grabbed a nearby column, his bone fingers clicking loudly.
He found the Scepter hanging horizontally, secured by two black chains. It was breathtakingly dramatic; a staff of pure shadow given form.
As Si-Yoon reached for it, a disembodied voice boomed, rattling his skull.
"STATE YOUR INTENTION, WORM! WHY DISTURB THE SCEPTER OF THE VOID?"
Si-Yoon froze, realizing this must be the Scepter's security system.
Keep the Act! Keep the Act!
He puffed up his nonexistent chest, projecting extreme arrogance. "I am Kallian von Draich! I disturb nothing! I merely retrieve what is mine to wield in the coming... grand cosmic annoyance."
He waited for a thunderous approval. Instead, the voice sounded utterly baffled.
"GRAND COSMIC ANNOYANCE? THE SCEPTER ONLY RESPONDS TO MOTIVATION ALIGNED WITH ETERNAL SUFFERING! STATE YOUR TRUE INTENTION!"
Si-Yoon threw his hands up in skeletal exasperation. "Fine! My true intention is to use this heavy stick to lean on while I read! It looks supportive!"
Silence. Then, a defeated sigh from the security system.
"ERROR: MOTIVATION TOO PITIFUL. SCEPTER ACCESS GRANTED. TAKE THE STICK, WORM."
The chains fell away. Si-Yoon, now holding the massive, six-foot shadow staff, nearly tipped over from the weight. It was like wielding a telephone pole.
"Right. Supportive," he grumbled, leaning heavily on the Scepter. He rode the lift down to the lowest tier for the Heart.
The Heart of the Forgotten Saint was in a small, glowing display case near the bottom, right next to the section on 'Petty Vengeance: A Lord's Guide.'
As he reached for the small, bright orb, the security system roared again, this time sounding like an overprotective parent.
"ACCESS TO THE SAINT'S HEART REQUIRES A DECLARATION OF DEEPEST, UNYIELDING PAIN AND SACRIFICE!"
Oh, this is easy. I'm a failed actor.
Si-Yoon gripped the Scepter, channeling the absolute, soul-crushing despair of receiving a rejection email for a soap commercial role.
"Listen here, you judgmental relic," Si-Yoon's voice was filled with genuine, pathetic emotion.
"I am a man who was promised fame, only to find myself relegated to playing extras. I have spent years perfecting emotional nuance only to be told my 'enthusiasm is too much.' I sold my entire being for a role, and they gave me the skeleton scheduled for the chopping block! My pain is eternal, unyielding, and largely based on poor career choices! Release the paperweight!"
The security system didn't sigh this time. It simply wept; a high-pitched, wailing sound of true recognition.
"ACCESS GRANTED, LORD OF SUFFERING! NO PAIN IS GREATER THAN PROFESSIONAL DISAPPOINTMENT! MAY THE SAINT'S HEART EASE YOUR MORTAL ANGUISH!"
The glass case retracted. Si-Yoon quickly snatched the small, warm orb. It felt reassuringly solid—and tucked it into a hidden compartment on his borrowed coat.
"Thank you," Si-Yoon muttered, feeling a strange kinship with the despairing AI.
"Finally, someone who understands."
He had the artifacts. He had the Scepter. He had the Heart. And most importantly, he had a clear path to the study.
Just as he stepped out of the library, Mortem's armor clanked loudly in the main hall. He was back early.
"My Lord!" Mortem boomed, approaching rapidly, covered in dust and a concerning amount of freshly spilled blood.
"The Muting is successful! The villages are now absolutely silent! However, on my return, I intercepted Lady Lyra. She mentioned the Chronomancy Grimoire and the need for Focused Pain."
Mortem knelt down, looking utterly earnest.
"I apologize, My Lord...
I should have realized your stillness was a prelude to seeking forbidden knowledge. I have brought you a gift to aid in your ritual: The Skull of Crying Children. It produces a steady, rhythmic sound of misery guaranteed to sharpen the focus. Use it well, My Lord!"
Mortem held out a damp, dusty skull. Si-Yoon stared at it, the horror of the gift washing over him.
"You are going to use that for the background track, aren't you, My Lord?" Mortem asked, his blue eyes glowing expectantly.
Si-Yoon held the heavy Scepter, his face a perfect picture of skeletal dread. His private study session just became a torture ritual with a macabre soundtrack.
"Mortem..."
Si-Yoon commanded, projecting cold, absolute fury.
"Your devotion is... overwhelming. Put that Skull of Crying Children in the corner. I shall... contemplate its potential later. Now, absolute Seclusion. Go."
Mortem bowed low, satisfied.
"Understood, My Lord. Contemplate the misery. I shall ensure absolute peace."
Mortem retreated. Si-Yoon, clutching his Scepter and his Saint's Heart, stared at the Skull of Crying Children in the corner.
"Focused pain," he sighed internally. "This is going to be a long three months."