Chapter 296: The door finally opens

Hearing the mature voice of his first, and most important companion, the lone spiritual resident of his Soul Space, Aiden froze in his tracks. Shock emerged on his face, causing confusion to spread amid the group of servants and Drake.

"Uhm… Are you okay Aiden? Why are…" Turning towards the boy, Drake asked with a bewildered look on his face.

However, before he could finish his second question a large brown index finger shut his lips. Sharing the mystical connection between Master and Servant, Roas understood from the suddenly erupting powerful emotion he felt from the Young Master that whatever was going on, was important. 

Drake wanted to retort and wrestle his lips free from Roas's meaty finger, but when he saw the stern, serious look as he focused his attention on Aiden, he calmed himself down. Whatever was going on, must have been important.

Similarly to them, the trio of goblin also stood in silence, they could also feel the powerful tide that erupted from the very depths of Young Master's heart.

'E-enya… Is that you? How?! Shouldn't you be still resting?' Still not daring to believe that the owner of voice has suddenly come back, he stuttered.

In response a faint, but gleeful giggle could be heard inside Aiden's mind. It took the spiritual guide quite a while to settle down and be able to properly speak.

'[What did you expect Aiden?! While I was away you did all you could to destroy everything? You were constantly overtaxing yourself, getting hurt, and…]" As if just noticing something important, she gasped, and turned silent for a bit. Although it was faint, Aiden could vaguely sense her presence, she seemed to be focused on something. The little white wisp of light that was now her body, zapped in the void of darkness inside his Soul Space whilst several additional yelps and surprise-filled wondrous whispers flew left and right. 

After a while, she returned her attention towards Aiden, in a still wondrous tone she exclaimed.

'[I have to admit, what you achieved, although quite barbaric, was still incredible. You managed to unlock the Minion Management section in the System! Not to mention the system is ready for an update, although you are probably not aware as you have yet to check your notifications…]

'Update?! What does that do?' He asked, but as he thought about it, he shook his head inwardly, forcibly changing the topic. 'Wait, nevermind that for now… Tell me, what is this place, and why do I need to touch the gem? Just... what is this place?!'

'[That… I cannot answer you, sorry. This is something you need to check out yourself. Just know that it will not harm you in any way, although this can't be said for your companions. Only you yourself can pass through this door.]'

Hearing his answer, Aiden's already shocked and stunned look mixed in a tinge of confusion as well, giving him a complex, complicated expression. 

'What do you mean, you can't answer? You obviously know what this is!' He exclaimed inwardly, almost losing his control and sending the message through his minion-links as well.

A soft sigh could be heard as Enya tried to collect herself to formulate an acceptable answer.

'[I… I can't tell you, sorry. There are… certain… limitations, that I, as your Guide has to conform myself to. I… can't… sorry.]' From her tone it was clear she was struggling to answer, her tone carried a visible discomfort as she blurted the response word by word.

'I see.' Aiden sighed, understanding that this was yet another mystery related to his strange system that seemed to be controlling the crucial aspects of his life.

'Just answer me this then: What is this System exactly? Why does it assign me with these... Quests that keep threatening me with ending my life if I would fail to do them? Why am I being forced to keep 'playing' along? What is the true purpose here? What am I supposed to do?!' A grand mixture of his pent-up emotions startled the boil and rise to the surface; all the frustration, the misery, his anger, confusion, all came to the surface at the same time. 

Strong emotions, that could affect Aiden's state of mind, and further damage the crystalline prison at the very depths of his Soul…

'[Calm down Aiden, you can't get too emotional! Remember the Pocket World, where you last lost control! You don't want that happening again, do you? Lily, Granny, and even your Master would be very worried!]' Feeling the threat of the potentially dangerous outburst, Enya warned Aiden with a worried tone.

Luckily, the mention of his family seemed to do the trick, Aiden yelped in shock at her words. Closing his eyes, he took in a large gasp of air, stored in his diaphragm for a moment before slowly exhaling it out.

It took him a bit, but he managed to take back control over his frustration and all his raging feelings, pushing them back down to the depths of his heart, forcing the calm look back on his face. His eyes however still seemed vacant, he was still motionless as he was focused on his inner world for the time being. The return of Enya was too sudden for him to just move on.

'I… understand. Sorry, Enya.' He apologized to his spirit guide.

'[Don't worry about it… Listen, I know you have many questions, and you want to understand more, but please trust me when I say that you will get your answers behind that door.]' 

In a hushed tone, barely enough to be a whisper, she added.

'[Well... maybe not to all of your questions… Not yet anyway…]' 

Then, coughing, Enya cleared her throat while also altered the course of their discourse.

'[Anyway, you should get back to reality Aiden. You have been standing like a statue for quite a while now. Your companions are starting to worry. Open the door and also let them know that they need to wait for your return.]'

Aiden could only let out an exasperated sigh, nodding at Enya's words, before he returned his consciousness, awakening from his sudden stupor.

As clarity returned to his vision, the first face he saw was his first servant's, Roas's serious face, masking the worry he could clearly feel through their shared connection. Behind him, three smaller heads, the trio of primal goblins peaked, looking at him with concerned expressions.

Still, the first voice he heard, was the silver-haired prince's, Drakes coming from behind as it grabbed his right shoulder.

"You... You okay man? You dazed out for quite a while…" 

"Uhm."  He nodded at the question, revealing his usual calm, friendly smile, looking at his servants. 

"I am fine. I just had to... analyze the situation. Luckily if my guess is right, I know how to get through the door." While he spoke in common, he made sure to convey the same message to his minions using the shared links. 

Having said that, he stepped forward, he approached the door. 

'[Just place your right hand over the amethyst and inject some of your [Soul Power] into it. The gemstone will recognize the familiar energy and let you through.]' Enya's instructions promptly resounded in his mind, surprising Aiden once again.

'Familiar energy? What do you mean?' He asked inwardly, meanwhile following the instructions. Carefully, he reached for the gemstone at the center of the oak wood door.

'[You'll see. Don't ask pointless questions, just follow the instructions!]' Fast came Enya's retort, refusing to provide an answer to yet another one of Aiden's questions. Although he was denied once again, a slight smirk emerged on his lips. His long lost guide, his sort of spiritual mother, Enya has finally returned and despite all the time she spent dormant, she hasn't changed the slightest!

'Fine, fine. Don't yell at me!' He snickered inwardly, as his palm grabbed the surface of the violet gemstone.

Following the instructions Enya provided, he closed his eyes, focusing on the flow of his [Soul Power], guiding a small strand of it towards the connecting palm. 

A faint golden light could be seen passing through his hand to the crystallized surface, shortly vanishing from the sight. Although the action was merely a fleeting moment, a fraction of a second, the group still managed to catch sight of it, causing shock to settle on most of their faces. 

Roas, clenched his fists, and stretched his muscles, ready to jump ahead in case of any threat would emerge. The others also weren't resting, everyone was in a battle-ready state. Gob and Glohn were holding the weapons they took from the defeated orcs from upstairs, while Galina had a focused look, her slender fingers were gently waving against the air, ready to cast the known incantations to assist.

In the next moment, as his energy seeped into the deeply etched gemstone, it suddenly lit up, glowing in a bright purple hue. A faint buzzing sound could be heard from its core, as similarly colored capillary cracks made out of the same energy began to spread throughout the door. 

The energy-based spiderweb rapidly spread throughout the entire surface of the wooden door, engulfing it into its magical luster, giving it a thin layer of purple film.

In the next moment, a faint clicking sound was heard, as the door creaked open by itself, revealing a dark cavern as it continued to slither further down, underground. 

The entrance to the Demon Grotto was finally found and opened!