Chapter 79 – The Fourth Piece

The thirty-fourth floor was unlike the floor beneath it.
The moment Team Snail stepped through the entrance, all four paused.
Not because of danger.
Because of the scenery.

The entire floor seemed ancient.
Not ruined.
Ancient.
As if time itself moved differently here.
Massive stone structures rose from the landscape.
Broken roads stretched across valleys.
Collapsed towers stood on distant hills.
Pieces of giant statues lay scattered throughout the floor.
Some were buried halfway underground.
Others leaned against cliffs as if they had fallen centuries ago.

Mira slowly turned in a circle.
“People built all this?”
“No idea.”
Aerin answered honestly.
The mysterious man remained silent.
Even he appeared slightly interested.

Kael opened her notebook almost immediately.
The habit had become natural by now.
She began sketching.
Marking directions.
Drawing landmarks.
Recording everything.

The floor was huge.
Far larger than most floors they had crossed recently.
Exploring it properly would take time.
Which suited Team Snail perfectly.

Unlike most climbers, they had never cared about speed.
They cared about understanding.
About adapting.
About learning.

For the next week they followed their usual routine.
They fought monsters.
Collected materials.
Explored ruins.
Mapped pathways.
Practiced their skills.
Cooked meals together.
And, surprisingly, spent more time talking than ever before.

One evening while resting near a ruined bridge, Mira was reading one of her medical books.
Aerin sat nearby sharpening his sword.
The mysterious man was examining an old stone carving.
Meanwhile Kael was studying a map she had drawn over the last several days.

Mira suddenly groaned.
Loudly.

Aerin looked up.
“What now?”

“This plant has six different uses.”
“So?”

“So?”
Mira pointed at the page aggressively.
“One leaf heals burns.”
“Good.”
“The root helps poison.”
“Also good.”
“The flower causes stomach pain.”
Aerin blinked.

Mira continued.
“The stem puts people to sleep.”

Aerin immediately nodded.
“That’s stupid.”

“Exactly.”

Even Kael’s lips twitched slightly.

The mysterious man chuckled.
A rare occurrence.

Mira looked offended.
“Why are all of you laughing? Imagine accidentally using the wrong part.”

“Then don’t.”
Kael answered.

Mira stared at her.
Then pointed dramatically.
“See? This is why she would be a terrible healer.”

“Agreed.”
Aerin nodded immediately.

For some reason all four ended up laughing.
The sound echoed across the ruins.
Strangely warm.
Strangely normal.

Months ago none of them would have imagined this.
Especially Kael.

Yet somewhere along the journey, Team Snail had become more than a temporary group.
More than companions.
More than allies.

They had become a family.
Even if nobody said it aloud.

Three days later, something finally happened.

The shard reacted.

Kael stopped walking immediately.
The familiar vibration spread through her pocket.
Stronger than before.
Far stronger.

Aerin noticed first.
“Shard?”

Kael nodded.

Mira immediately became excited.
“Finally.”

The combined shard glowed faintly in Kael’s hand.
Not constantly.
Not brightly.
But enough.
Enough to guide them.

For the next two days they adjusted their exploration route slightly.
Not abandoning their habit of mapping the floor.
Simply allowing the shard to influence their direction.

The closer they got, the stronger it reacted.

Eventually they arrived at a canyon.

A massive crack split the landscape.
Deep enough that the bottom couldn’t be seen.
Ancient stone stairs descended into darkness.

The four exchanged looks.

Then started walking down.

The descent lasted nearly an hour.

The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
The quieter everything felt.
Even monster sounds disappeared.

At the bottom of the canyon stood a structure.
Not natural.
Built.

An enormous circular chamber carved directly into the stone.

The moment Kael stepped inside—
The shard nearly jumped from her hand.

Everyone saw it.

The light became brighter.
Stronger.
Almost excited.

Mira grinned.
“Found it.”

At the center of the chamber stood a pedestal.
Ancient.
Covered in symbols.
And resting atop it—
Another shard.

The fourth piece.

Unlike previous shards, this one wasn’t hidden.
Wasn’t lost.
Wasn’t buried.

It was waiting.

The realization made Kael uncomfortable.

Waiting for whom?

Before she could think further—
The chamber shook.

A deep growl echoed through the room.

Everyone immediately drew their weapons.

Stone cracked.
Dust fell.
The ground trembled.

Then something emerged from the shadows.

A creature unlike anything they had seen before.

It looked almost human.
Almost.

Its body was covered in black crystal.
Its eyes glowed silver.
And unlike monsters they usually encountered—
It held a weapon.

A sword.

The creature looked toward Kael.
Directly toward Kael.
Ignoring everyone else.

Then it spoke.

One word.

“Keeper.”

The chamber fell silent.

Nobody moved.

Nobody understood.

The creature itself appeared confused.
As if it expected something.

Then its expression twisted.
Pain.
Confusion.
Anger.

And suddenly it attacked.

The fight began instantly.

This creature was different.
Far different.

It wasn’t stronger than every monster they had faced.
But it fought intelligently.

It adapted.
Learned.
Reacted.

For nearly twenty minutes the battle continued.

Aerin engaged directly.
Mira supported.
The mysterious man intervened several times when things became dangerous.
Even Kael found herself struggling to predict its movements.

The creature constantly changed.
Adjusted.
Improvised.

As if it possessed real intelligence.

Eventually they managed to corner it.

Aerin’s sword struck.
Kael attacked from the side.
The mysterious man blocked its escape.

The creature staggered.

For a moment its silver eyes focused on Kael again.

Then it whispered something.
So quietly that only she heard it.

“Almost… home…”

The next second it shattered.
Not died.
Shattered.
Like glass.

The fragments dissolved into light.
Gone completely.

Silence returned.

Nobody spoke for several seconds.

Finally Mira broke the silence.

“…what was that?”

No one had an answer.

Not even Kael.

And that bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

Slowly she approached the pedestal.
Picked up the fourth shard.
Held it beside the others.

Immediately the pieces pulled together.

Light filled the chamber.

The shards merged.
Joined.
Connected.

When the glow faded, the object in Kael’s hand had changed again.

No longer a simple fragment.
No longer merely several pieces attached together.

It now resembled part of a sphere.
Incomplete.
But clearly becoming something larger.
Something whole.

Only two pieces remained.

Just two.

And for the first time since beginning this journey, Kael felt she was getting close to the truth.

Not close enough to understand.
Not close enough to relax.

But close enough to realize that the answers she sought might be far stranger than she had ever imagined.

As Team Snail left the canyon, none of them noticed the ancient symbols on the pedestal beginning to glow faintly behind them.
Nor did they notice one line becoming visible among the stone carvings.
A line written in a language none of them knew.
A line that had remained hidden for countless years.

The Keeper has returned.