Back in the chamber, Liam escorted Anasthasia to where the rest of them located. Her eyes darted on the line of chandeliers graced the hallway, carpeted with blue material and elaborate silver designs. The walls draped with azure cloths and tapestries, making the whole not inferior to the regalias.
Anasthasia, upon closer look, she discerned different images depicted from each tapestry.
'These are the descendants of Wallace from different generations. My... isn't his genes too strong? One could say those cyan eyes beamed colder than the frozen winters.'
She immersed herself for who knew how long, granted the hallway sprawled with different pathways.
***
"Who is the other lady in that portrait?" Anasthasia pointed as curiosity swelled in her heart.
"She is Ruth Ashleigh, nothing sophisticated from her background as she was a commoner. But according to him, she had this persistence. In the end, he could never find himself to discard her."
"Oh, he's tolerant of people around him? Did I hear improvement?" Anasthasia giggled in subtlety and sighed with a tinge of regret. "I'm more than curious about what developed then."
Blake shook his head. "I must say, their relationship is tragic. Everyone knew how she loves him unconditionally, but it never reciprocated, however…"
Anasthasia gaped at how his eyes averted and how he pressed his lips thin. The atmosphere turned gloomy, so she raised her palms to stop—she was too late.
"He agreed to elope with her for his legacy to carry on."
Inwardly, Anasthasia ascertained such a possibility. Her facade remained, but Blake knew too well.
"Did you know the outcome?"
"Not that I'm confident about it, Blake. Especially to hear things developed as these weren't in my watch. I was further in despair and lost when Michael said no records in history written about the Prismatic Empire."
Blake arched his neck towards the grant portrait of Wallace then faced her. She clenched her fist when she noticed his long and forlorn face. This time, she steeled her heart.
But the walls built on her guarded mind crumbled from shocking revelations uttered.
"He did mention as it was a must keeping everything hidden in the dark. There was no use for any outsiders to learn everything either about your or the twelve guardians. I think you could grasp the consequences when it's relayed and handled in bad hands."
"...It must have been so hard for you." Anasthasia lowered her head as she whispered.'
"Not at all, it's an honor to uphold and maintain integrity. None of these were false beliefs, loss cause, or mere brainwash cults. Wallace retrieved a fraction of artifacts in the treasure trove—"
Blake covered his mouth, eyes widening, from how he slipped his tongue, which only brought forth a furious side of her. She gripped his collars with gritted teeth.
"What did you say?!"
His pupils dilated, and beads of sweat trickled on his forehead.
"W—Wallace retrieved artifacts from your—"
Anasthasia shrieked in disbelief and agony. Her mind lurched from his utterance, thoughts swirling into the whirlpool of chaos.
"Please, hear my plea, Miss Ana."
"I—" She shut her eyes as she tried to control her emotions.
***
Anasthasia shook her head; it was a bomb that ticked his forehead from all the aches she found out. Dread already washed her spin. Presumably, beyond mortified from the secrets, she would witness inside the archive. Her heart might not take all the pain and confusion.
Soon as she noticed where they stood, she brisked her legs. Her chest, slowly and deeply, rose and fell, trying to calm herself down.
"Do you want them to know, Miss Ana?" For one last time, his queries still never changed her mind—she gave a curt nod—which had him open the door.
It was dark at first when the lamps pinned on both sides of the walls illuminated down, which revealed incalculable steps towards their destination.
Blake took a step, and the rest followed; Lucy's hand gripped Anasthasia's as she wandered her head around; it was bland—walls made of stones and bricks, built by the laborer's blood and bone. The cold, damp air lingered them as it enhanced the eeriness, sending hair stood their ends.
The exorbitant and exalted residence hid the bland and spooky place within.
'Dang this! I had to strut for days earlier, and now I'll be descending for years. My feelings reached the bottleneck as I can feel the palpitations of my heart.'
Long steps, indeed, but as soon as they reached the lowest platform. Their eyes welcomed the sight of a grand door of brilliant gems embellished with gold trimmings on it. None of them dilly-dallied further as Blake advanced his steps.
As he moved close, Anasthasia creased her eyebrows as she noticed how he folded back his sleeves and her eyes bulged from how a quick slash on his wrist, it was thin and clean-cut, oozed an ounce of blood.
'What—! Blood rite?!'
Things happened so fast: Liam, once again, covered Lucy's eyes. Fortunately, she was petite to see; Levi reached for a spare handkerchief, and Anasthasia grabbed his wrist as she cast.
'Regeneration!'
"What are you doing?!" Anasthasia hissed.
"It's needed, Miss Ana. If we are to enter this archive." Nevertheless, he thanked Levi for the handkerchief and wiped off the bloodstains. She knew and understood where he came from, but she couldn't help but bit her lower lip from all of this.
The door revealed a bright symbol and shimmered before them. Without delay, the door rumbled and slid to the slide, revealing a white mist that crept out of the archive. It was followed by a bright light that flashed and showed the place: Patterns of wood and steel draped from the room's corners.
As usual, shelves of books and artifacts occupied space, which Anasthasia darted her eyes on. Nostalgia surged her as she landed every single one of them, even from afar.
'If this place draped with silver and items coated with gold. It's safe to assume this was a treasure trove.'
"I shall make this entry a fruitful one," she said to herself.
"Uhh…" Lucy muttered, "May you remove your hands, brother?"
"Right, I'm sorry. I acted impulsively." Liam scratched his head. Lucy huffed out, not different as to how Freidmirth acted.
They all entered, and Anasthasia, equally surprised as them, turned around and saw: more and more artifacts displayed.
Blake's lips drew thin as he witnessed how Anasthasia's jaw dropped, but her eyes gleamed with sorrow.
Lucy squealed, "So many artifacts are in here!"
Michael and the twins glanced the same and watched in awe.
"These items here are just as many as in our royal treasury…" he declared with his voice so breathless.
"... And none of these were carried or equipped by Master since we first met him!" Levi mumbled audibly; he felt his glasses cracked from all the shimmers and glory exuded from all of them.
The shock was an understatement for Anasthasia as right now, things cast all kinds of emotions rammed to her, and no time to recover.
Lucy was no different; needless to say, she ogled and leaned more on the portraits perched on the walls.
"Sister Ana, you and… That's him, right?!" She prodded Anasthasia and pointed out the portrait she referred to.
Anasthasia felt a hard lump stuck on her throat, gulping more than once before she blurted out, "Yes, that's Wallace, bowing with his allegiance, which I find awkward, but I could never say it as he was beyond sincere from his intentions."
"Sister Ana, you were… The Empress back in your prime, these are your subordinates. Isn't that appropriate?"
"I never treat them as anything inferior to me; Equal... They are a friend to me, and I treat them as my own—a family." Her eyes shut down. "I want them to be free… I never want them to be on a leash or any of the sort; yet…" she croaked.
Lucy hugged her and apologized, but Anasthasia reassured her as it wasn't offensive or insensitive to her.
Blake, as much as he wants to respect her time to digest everything, cleared his throat and responded, "Welcome to the archive. This is where we placed all the keepsake of Wallace, and over there is the chest that I mentioned earlier, Miss Ana."
Their gazes followed his hand, pointing to where it was and found the chest under peculiar limelight. The moment Anasthasia's eyes laid on it, she drew close. The rest followed behind.
She bent down, hands hovering over it, and felt the same essence: prismatic energy.
'No wonder…'
With a fraction of her power, the chest opened brightly. Bright enough not to see the contents, but she shuddered when she heard the voice she's so familiar with.
"I bestow this prismatic gift to the person that unlocks the mystery of the world."
They all wondered and faced her with skepticism. Lucy couldn't help but ask, "Was it you, Sister Ana?"
"No, but I have a bad feeling about this!"