Rise Of The Infinite Sovereign-Chapter 456: Crystal Enclave

Ezra steps further into the secret realm, his senses repressed by the oppressive atmosphere.

The golden platform beneath his feet seemed to pulse with a strange, irregular rhythm, matching the chaotic energy swirling around him.

Though he had mentally prepared for this moment, experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely.

The atmosphere is thick with tension, humming with an almost malevolent energy.

Every breath felt like inhaling shards of glass, and even with his enhanced physiology, the realm’s environment weighs on him.

The ability to retreat in an instant was reassuring, but he wasn’t foolish enough to rely solely on it.

He would need to keep his wits about him if he was going to survive this collapsing realm.

His eyes scan the expanse ahead.

The golden platform stretches endlessly, a vast sea of shimmering light fractured by jagged cracks and ominous shadows.

The broken remnants of once-grand structures loomed still in the distance, their towering forms resembling the bones of fallen giants.

"Guess there’s no turning back now," Ezra muttered.

Adjusting the pitch-black armor, he began moving forward, his steps deliberate and cautious.

As he moves deeper into the realm, the golden light around him begins to shift.

The warm hues turn colder, tinged with a faint blue that gives the environment an otherworldly quality.

The cracks in the platform widened, revealing swirling voids of black and gold beneath the surface.

Occasionally, faint whispers echoed from the sections occupied by pitch darkness, unintelligible yet deeply unsettling.

Regardless, Ezra pushes on, soon reaching a fork in the path as the golden platform splits like branches from a tree, into five separate lanes.

One of the lanes lay with a section completely broken off.

’Well, not that one’

Furthermore, each lane held a different colour.

They are lined as Red, Orange, Purple, Black and Blue respectively.

The orange lane is one completely broken section, the others are riddled with cracks and some chipped at the edges.

These lanes branch off into the unknown, vanishing into a wall of thick smoke, a fog, a shining fog whose thick air shimmers and glimmers, letting out glints.

Watching it, Ezra observes that his gaze couldn’t penetrate and discern what lay beyond it, only recognizing the countless tiny shards augumenting its glow.

’So it’s a fog full of crystals’

Then, while the fog sways and sways from side to side, it didn’t move an inch beyond where it already was.

A cause for concern, most definitely, but the reports hadn’t mentioned the fog itself being or doing anything dangerous, so Ezra isn’t worried.

Back to the previous matter.

With cracks over all the lanes, none of the lanes are truly safe, so Ezra picks the one with the least visible cracks—the Black lane, the fourth lane.

Ezra doesn’t give himself time to rethink or second guess his choice, taking off right away.

He didn’t know what the lanes colour signified, and neither did any of those who had come in earlier, so why waste time over it?

Sprinting all through, Ezra dives headfirst into the crystal fog and it consumes his sight, encompassing him in nothing but white.

Shortly after, Ezra finds himself falling, within an entirely different space.

With quick reflexes, Ezra taps off the crystal pillars before sticking a graceful landing.

Landing, Ezra surveys his new environment.

He had fallen in some enclave of crystal because everywhere, in any direction he looks lay crystals of some type.

Pillars made of crystal serve as highlights, rising to insane heights.

Then, the ground and walls lay encased with crystals as well, melded together unevenly.

Ezra steadies his breath, his eyes sweeping across the crystalline enclave.

The soft hum of energy vibrating through the crystals echoes faintly, almost like a melody just out of reach.

This new space is different—not as oppressive as the golden platform but still unnerving in its own right.

Here, the atmosphere feels alive, charged with latent power that seemed to pulse in rhythm with his own heartbeat.

The air itself shimmers, carrying a faint chill that seeps into his armor.

Each breath carried the scent of ozone and something faintly sweet, as though the crystals themselves exhaled their essence into the realm.

Ezra kneels, brushing his fingers over the uneven surface beneath him.

The crystals were warm to the touch, and as he releases his energy, trying to snuff out what other existence lay within this space alongside him, the crystals react.

In response, Ezra watches as the crystals began to light up in quick succession, emitting a cascade of bright colours as they did.

’Amazing’ Ezra remarks.

He stands, his gaze drawn upward.

The towering crystal pillars stretched far into the distance, their surfaces refracting light in mesmerizing patterns.

Some were jagged and irregular, while others were smooth, their edges unnaturally sharp.

Above him, the ceiling lay lit like kaleidoscope of shifting colors, constantly shifting between hues of blue, purple, and green.

Beyond this, certain sections of crystal melded with the floor or the ground glow brighter than other, outrightly emitting a harmless light beam, and with multiple of such things, it didn’t take much for the whole place to start looking like a light show.

Ezra admires the sight for the whole of half a minute before his instincts scream him out of his reverie.

Instantly, Ezra takes a fighting stance.

Momentarily mesmerized, he had forgotten that he currently lay within a collapsing realm.

Despite having learned long ago that beauty often hid deadly dangers.

Thinking about it, having seen all this, it is baffling that despite the realm collapsing, this section seems surprisingly intact.

On cue, a faint tremor beneath his feet confirms his suspicions.

’I spoke too soon’ he sighs, looking to front. ’This place isn’t stable afterall’

The enclave begins to shift and shake.

Cracks began forming in the crystalline walls, spreading at an alarming pace and fine shards rained down like glittering snow.

Ezra moves swiftly, sidestepping the falling debris while making his way inward, he knew he couldn’t stay here long.

He picks a direction and began to move, his steps light and deliberate.

The crystals beneath him hums with every step, as though they were alive and aware of his presence.

Occasionally, he would hear faint whispers, and gradually they became clearer, almost coherent.

"...Release... us..."

Ezra froze, his hand tightening around Skyfall.

The voice was faint, disembodied, but undeniably real.

It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Who’s there?" he calls out while making his getaway despite the unease creeping up his spine.

The enclave responds with silence, save for the constant hum of the crystals.

Ezra shook his head, forcing himself to focus.

Focus on surviving first. Questions can come later.

He pressed on, navigating through the maze-like structure of the enclave.

The ground was uneven, with sharp crystal formations jutting out at odd angles.

Each step required careful attention, as one misstep could result in a nasty fall—or worse.

As he ventured deeper, the enclave began to change.

The crystals around him grew darker, their vibrant hues dimming to shades of black and deep purple.

The hum of energy grew louder, more erratic, and the whispers returned, more insistent than before.

"...Free... us... from..."

Ezra clenched his jaw, refusing to be distracted.

He reaches a narrow passage flanked by towering crystal spires.

The path ahead was littered with jagged shards, but it was the only way forward. He moved cautiously, his senses on high alert.

Halfway through the passage, the ground beneath him trembled violently.

A deafening crack echoes through the enclave as one of the towering spires collapsed, sending a cascade of crystals hurtling toward him.

Ezra reacted instinctively, channeling energy into his legs and leaping backward just in time to avoid being crushed.

He landed in a crouch, shards of crystal raining around him.

This place is falling apart faster than I expected.

He stood, dusting off his armor, and pressed forward.

The path led to a wide chamber, and as he stepped inside, he stopped in his tracks.

The chamber was massive, its walls lined with crystals that pulsed with a dark, foreboding energy.

At the center of the room stood a pedestal, and atop it rested a crystal unlike any other he had seen.

It was black as night, with veins of crimson light coursing through it, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Ezra approached cautiously, his instincts screaming at him to turn back.

The oppressive energy radiating from the crystal was overwhelming, but there was something about it that drew him in.

As he got closer, he noticed faint inscriptions carved into the pedestal.

The symbols were ancient, their meaning lost to time, but they pulsed with the same crimson light as the crystal.

The whispers returned, louder and more distinct than ever.

"...Take... it..."

"...Set... us... free..."

Ezra steps back, his instincts instantaneously, winning out over his curiosity.

The crystal was too dangerous to interact with without understanding it fully. He needed more information.

As he turned to leave, the chamber shook violently.

The walls began to crack, and shards of crystal fell from the ceiling.

The pedestal emitted a blinding light, and the whispers turned into a deafening roar.

"...Do not... abandon... us!"

"Would you shut it? I’m trying to think!" Ezra yells, annoyed by such nonsensical antics.

Then, in the distance, Ezra slots an opening.

He doesn’t wait to find out what would happen next.

Ezra sprints through the passage towards the opening with the chamber collapsing around him.

He leaps over jagged crystal formations and dodges falling debris, the sound of the collapsing chamber echoing in his ears.

But just Ezra would begin to rejoice, he spots something flashing past him to then stand in his way.

Observing the creature, whose features he had been briefed on, Ezra clicks his tongue in displeasure.

’Of course. You were here’