Alex moved quickly into the room, it was dark, but a few meters of light still managed to pour in from the previous chamber. Ulric and the lieutenant were still fighting it out in there and Melodi turned to watch for a moment while Alex searched for the nearest source of light.
With a burst of Magickal fire, an orb appeared above his palm and lit the room with faint firelight. However, the fireball was quickly consumed and its energy spread out to seven torches around the room. Each one quickly burned with a white light that revealed all.
The entire chamber was made of pearl white marble. Intricate lines and details spread out everywhere and seemed to converge in the exact middle of the room. There, on top of a slight rise with a staircase leading to it sat a pedestal. Upon it, rested a familiar sight and Alex was somewhat surprised to see it here.
Just as had been in the ruin that was destroyed by the Rank-Six undead, and just like the one that was around Cypher's waist in the warehouse sat an Ark Cradle. Alex was at first confused to see that item here, but his mind quickly worked to put the pieces together.
Ulric had done what he did because of this artifact. He hadn't meant to cause any harm when he had left them in the abandoned house. He could have killed them easily then if that were the case, but instead, he had been protecting them.
Alex assumed that he must have thought this place would be too much to handle for the two of them. In part, he was correct. All manner of traps and spells had once lain upon the hallways of this place. Alex remembered passing several signs of such things, but he had paid them no mind since the danger they would have represented was already gone.
He had only assumed that these traps had fallen into disrepair over the centuries, but Ulric had clearly faced them all and even had to face off against an Order lieutenant at the same time. If Alex and Melodi had come along, they would have either been killed or captured. Ulric couldn't have protected them and dealt with the traps and the Order lieutenant at the same time.
According to what Cypher had explained back in the warehouse, the armor this belt could bestow was incredibly powerful. If the Order got their hands on even one of these it could spell doom for anyone who opposed them. Entire countries could potentially fall to their power and who knew what other horrors they had at their disposal?
Alex was mesmerized by the vision before him. He took a slow step forward and Melodi turned to see him climbing the steps towards the pedestal. Her face filled with confusion, but she quickly saw his aim and her eyes grew wide.
"Alex... is that...?" she stuttered. Alex said nothing and continued to climb the stairs. Ulric and the lieutenant took notice of what was happening and the lieutenant roared in anger before charging towards the room.
Ulric moved to stop him and their clash sent out a shockwave. The force of the collision moved through the room and Melodi was caught up in it and launched to the other side of the room where she slammed into the wall and fell unconscious.
"STOP ALEX!" screamed Ulric as he fought off the lieutenant. "You don't know what you're getting into!" Alex ignored him. His attention was entirely on the Ark Cradle that lay before him. He gazed at it, almost as if in a trance, and his hand stretched out towards it.
Images from his earlier visions flashed before his eyes and his heart grew heavy with his pain. He ignored it though and laid his hands upon the Ark Cradle. A bright flash of light engulfed the room and when it faded a barrier appeared around Alex and the pedestal. It was like a waterfall that traveled upwards and the power of it was immense.
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Alex looked around for a moment before turning his attention back to the Ark Cradle in his hands. It was heavier than he expected. It was as if it carried some incredible burden that had yet to reveal itself. Alex felt as though he was prepared for that burden after the visions from his past had appeared so clearly in his mind once more.
He could only stare at it in his grasp with a look of awe. This one was identical to the one Cypher had been wearing, except that instead of a rainbow of colors on the faceplate, the gems were all crimson in color. They pulsed faster as Alex drew near and he felt his Orrium responding in kind.
The Ark Cradle pulsed harder as Alex held it and he turned to face Ulric and the lieutenant struggling in the doorway. His mind ran wild with ideas but Ulric looked at him with a pleading expression. "Please Alex, give me the Ark Cradle! We cannot let the Order lay claim to it! If that happens..." Ulric was cut off as the lieutenant struck his claymore and sent him flying back into the previous room.
"If that happens," began the lieutenant, "we will usher in a new age of peace and prosperity! Don't you see young man, this world is rotten to the core! Conductors run around like they own everything, never minding the lives of those weaker than themselves! Wouldn't a world where we all were equal be more appealing? Just think of it! No more petty wars! No more starving masses! All would be equal and on an even playing field!"
The lieutenant took a step forward. "All you have to do is hand that device over to me and we can make that shining future happen! My Sect leader would welcome you to our cause with open arms!"
Alex narrowed his eyes. "Your offer sounds appealing on the surface, but who would run this new world? You claim to want to make the world a better place, but at what cost? I've seen what you people are capable of. Your companions almost killed me and my friends! No, I won't allow you ass clowns to have something as powerful as this. Instead, I’ll use it to help put a stop to you and your plans!"
Alex swallowed hard and held the Ark Cradle up to his waist just as Ulric dashed back into the room. "Alex, no! Don't do it! You won't be able to survive the drain on your Zight! It will kill you for sure!" he warned, but Alex couldn't be swayed at this point. A light that Ulric was all too familiar with glinted in Alex's eyes.
Alex knew that he still wasn't ready to face his own demons just yet. However, in this world of Magick and Conductors, demons rested around every corner, and more often than not they took the form of humanity. In this instance, it was the Order of Eternal Night. Alex closed his eyes as the words of his father rang out in his mind.
"Remember Alex, my son, in this world, there are too many problems for one man to take on alone. Evil men lurk around every corner and they don't need Magick or power to spread their malice into the world. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing, that is how it has always been.
"Stamping out evil isn't something you can do in a single day! Don't spread yourself too thin. I know you have a heroic heart but you can't help everyone. The key is to find a balance and help those you can when you can. If you do that, you'll find that even the smallest of good deeds can add up to the greater good..."
The order lieutenant growled in anger and dashed forward seeing what was coming next as Alex stood holding the Ark Cradle. He slammed his fists on the barrier over and over with all the force he could muster, but it didn't even budge. Alex opened his eyes, the words of his father fading into the recesses of his mind and he smiled, pressing the Ark Cradle firmly onto his waist.
Another bright flash of light engulfed the room as the iridescent belt appeared around Alex's waist. Alex immediately felt his Zight draining away at a rapid pace. 75%, his legs wobbled. 45%, his heartbeat began to slow. 27%, his arms felt heavy and fell to his sides. 10%, his vision darkened. 3%, the drain finally stopped and his vital signs stabilized.
His Zight was low but he was still alive and he could already feel strength returning to his limbs as he converted a small amount of his physical energy into Zight for his Orrium. However, now that he looked around, he could see that he was in a white void. His previous surroundings had fallen away and now only this white expanse remained.
"Well done getting this far!"
A familiar voice caught his attention in the empty white expanse, and he turned to face the speaker in shock. His eyes went wide as he saw himself standing a few meters away twirling a Scal'tar. The other Alex grinned and fell into a battle stance and Alex could only remain dumbfounded at what he was seeing.