Transcendent Gene
Chapter 192: Hidden Legacy [6]

Chapter 192: Hidden Legacy [6]

The staircase was long, leading almost down to the same depths they were at before they took the floating platforms up to the cave.

’It’s been...ten hours?’

The sun was probably high in the sky already. The action made it easy to ignore the exhaustion, but neither he nor Neriah had slept the night before.

They needed to find a safe place to take rest at some point. Gio hoped it would be at the end of the staircase, but it was a useless emotion.

When they reached the bottom, Gio and Neriah arrived at the entrance of a wide tunnel that was only somewhat taller than them.

The path forward was blocked by their next obstacle; however, what was their next obstacle exactly?

The entire tunnel was filled with an aurora of light that calmly drifted from side to side, shifting in pattern and color.

It almost felt like their eyes had been replaced by kaleidoscopes. There was no doubt that the light wasn’t a physical thing, but it presented a physical barrier of danger that they couldn’t cross.

’All of my senses are telling me to stay away from it,’ Gio thought with furrowed brows.

"There’s another sign."

At Neriah’s prompting, Gio looked over to see a plaque embedded in the wall. This one was in much better condition. After all, this wall wasn’t natural but entirely made of human-forged metals.

[Follow The Flow, Or Suffer The Consequences]

The legacy owner was kind enough to leave a small clue, but what was the flow in question?

The entire aurora was flowing with a mixture of blue, green, and purple hues. They shifted from light to dark and from side to side, always appearing differently than they did the second prior.

Within it all, there was sure to be a flow, but was it one they could follow?

Neriah curiously approached the aurora and threw a rock into its light.

Psssh!

It disintegrated easily.

"As expected," she said with a nod before moving to a different part of the aurora.

Another stone flew, but this time...

Clack!

It landed on the ground without issue. Only a few seconds later when the aurora shifted did it disintegrate like its predecessor.

Gio’s eyes widened slightly.

"Those sections were both blue-green."

"Indeed. There is no clear difference between this side and that side, but it worked when I threw it here," Neriah replied with a nod.

"I believe the flow has something to do with the motion of the aurora, or more specifically, the way it changes. I can sense the movement of the entrance, but..."

"Mm. You can’t rely on instinct to make it to the end. If you slip up even once, we’re done."

"Correct."

In other words, if Neriah was moving alone, she might’ve been able to risk it, but the two of them together could not rely on her instincts.

A frown formed on Gio’s face. His attention was currently split between reality and his own mental world as he looked inside the [Memory Book] and tried to find a pattern in the aurora’s movement.

’Odd.’

[Memory Book] didn’t align with reality.

In the [Memory Book], the aurora was seen as a flat red laser floor. Its colors and movements didn’t exist, nor did its presented dangers.

’Hmm...is it an illusion, then?’

[Memory Book] denied anything that didn’t conform to its definition of a "true reality." Even if he saw them with his eyes, he wouldn’t be able to revisit them in his memories.

It wasn’t improbable for the aurora to be an illusion, but where did its power come from, then?

"Ah..."

Gio suddenly made a sound of understanding, bringing Neriah’s attention to him.

"You found something?"

"I don’t know. It’s just a theory that I’m about to test."

Why didn’t he think about it when Neriah said it earlier?

If the pattern was related to change, then there was a much better way to search for it.

His world turned black, barring the "change" made by his and Neriah’s breathing before it was suddenly filled with color.

A hazy white and gold blanket of light covered the entire floor. With his eyes on it, Gio threw a stone, confirming that it did indeed disintegrate.

’It’s coming from below.’

The ground itself was producing the source of the light, and though it looked stationary, the fact that he could see it meant it was constantly moving.

If that wasn’t enough to confirm, then the single line of blackness that swerved through the light had the same effect.

’That’s where it starts and ends. It’s barely big enough to walk through by putting one foot in front of the other, and it’s moving too fast for her to follow me through it...’

"We have two options."

"You learned the pattern?"

"Not necessarily, but I found the path."

Neriah frowned and hummed for a second before nodding.

’His eyes changed. He must have a similar pathfinding ability to mine.’

"What are the options?"

Gio liked that she didn’t care much about him. He could do much more if he didn’t have to explain himself.

"The first is for us to cross using our own methods. If you’re confident in your instincts, we can rush it one by one and get to the other side."

Neriah made a sound of acknowledgement.

"And the second?"

"The second is for me to carry you across. I’m certain that my path is the right one. It’s just a matter of if you feel the same or not."

Neriah’s face was colored with displeasure.

She looked out at the aurora. In her eyes, there was a part of it that was vague and translucent, marking the path for her to follow.

It wasn’t a path created through any conclusion she had made. One of her Sequences was related to pathfinding, and though she trusted it, she knew it wasn’t entirely accurate.

Those rocks were incinerated the moment they touched the light. In her mind, she had already concluded that it would be very risky to move according to the route she could see.

However...

’I am not weak.’

For the past several hours that they’d been moving, Gio did almost all the work.

She was already feeling discontent after needing his help to escape the piglets. The fact that he once again suggested that she ride his coattails almost offended her.

She glanced at the path one more time before looking back at Gio.

"I will do it myself."

Her words were firm.

She was also a genius. She’d been praised since she was young for her skill. She’d heard so many praises that she could no longer take compliments seriously.

She wasn’t someone he could outshine as he pleased.

Gio shook his head wryly as he received her gaze.

’At the end of the day, they’re all teenagers.’

Just like the rest, Neriah was desperate to prove herself to the world and become someone.

"Go first. I’ll follow."

Gio wasn’t going to block her blessings. If she wanted to show her skills, she could do exactly that.

Neriah gave him a slight nod. It was the most she could do to show her appreciation.

She approached the aurora with Gio not far behind her.

She waited for the entrance of the path to arrive before her, and without hesitation, she rushed into the light.

Bang!