The Lazy Chronicles: Apartment of the Apocalypse-Chapter 125 - 126

The Truth Behind the Gate

At the heart of the library, they found it—a stone pedestal, upon which lay an ancient codex. The cover was inscribed with the same glyphs as the Forgotten Gate Key.

Mallory carefully lifted it.

The pages were fragile, but as she flipped through them, she found what they were looking for.

A passage detailing the Forgotten Gate’s original purpose.

> The Gate was not meant to be sealed.

It was meant to be controlled.

Mallory’s pulse quickened.

> A soul must serve as the conduit—not to die, but to bind their essence to the Gate itself.

Her heart pounded.

She wouldn’t have to die.

She would have to become something else entirely.

Greg peered over her shoulder. "So, uh... what exactly does that mean?"

Mallory swallowed hard. "It means there’s another way."

She met their gazes.

"We don’t have to accept fate."

Elara’s lips quirked. "That’s what I like to hear."

Alex nodded. "Then let’s rewrite the prophecy."

Mallory closed the codex.

They had what they needed.

Now, it was time to change destiny itself.

---

The moment Mallory closed the ancient codex, the entire Sunken Library seemed to shudder. Dust trickled from the high ceiling, bookshelves groaned, and a low rumble echoed through the cavernous space.

Elara tensed. "Tell me that’s just the library celebrating our discovery and not a sign that we woke something up."

Greg gave a nervous chuckle. "If this place starts collapsing, I’m officially done with ancient ruins."

Mallory barely heard them. Her mind was racing.

> A soul must serve as the conduit—not to die, but to bind their essence to the Gate itself.

Her essence.

She had assumed the prophecy demanded her life, but in reality, it was asking for something different—something possibly worse.

To become the anchor of the Forgotten Gate meant more than death. It meant giving up a part of herself forever.

Quinn placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mallory. We need to move."

She snapped back to the present, nodding. "Right. Let’s go."

With the codex secured, they turned toward the exit.

But something was wrong.

The Guardian that had allowed them passage before was standing in their way again.

And this time, it wasn’t just watching.

It was blocking them.

---

A Guardian’s Final Duty

Mallory exhaled, stepping forward. "We passed your trial. You accepted our offering. Why are you stopping us?"

The Guardian’s hollow gaze flickered. Then, its voice rumbled through the chamber.

"Knowledge is a burden."

Greg scoffed. "Yeah, well, so is every other problem we’ve had to deal with."

The Guardian ignored him.

"To carry this knowledge means to be bound by it."** "You may not leave unless you accept what must be done."**

Mallory tightened her grip on the codex. "I already made my choice. I’m going to change fate."

The Guardian’s eyes glowed brighter.

"Then you must prove you have the strength to wield this truth."

Quinn sighed. "I hate when ancient beings say that."

The Guardian raised its weapon—and the entire library came alive.

Books flew from the shelves, forming sharp projectiles. The ground cracked as ethereal chains slithered up, seeking to ensnare them. Shadows twisted into monstrous figures, their hollow eyes locking onto Mallory and her team.

Elara cursed. "Of course, it’s never that easy."

Mallory’s pulse spiked. This wasn’t just another test.

This was a final battle.

---

Breaking the Chains of Fate

The first chain lashed toward Mallory, glowing with eerie blue light. She barely dodged in time, rolling to the side as Greg swung his warhammer, shattering one of the spectral bindings before it could reach her.

Quinn and Alex engaged the shadow creatures, their blades cutting through their forms, but the creatures simply reformed, as if made from living darkness.

Elara unleashed a wave of fire, scorching the air. The heat forced the shadows back, but they did not vanish.

Mallory realized it instantly.

"These things aren’t physical! They’re bound to the Guardian’s will!"

Greg gritted his teeth. "Then we take down the boss!"

The Guardian moved with inhuman speed, striking out at Quinn and forcing him on the defensive. Its blade sang through the air, each swing carrying the weight of centuries of knowledge and duty.

But Mallory saw it now.

The Guardian wasn’t attacking mindlessly. It was stalling.

It was waiting for them to give up.

Mallory’s jaw clenched. "Not happening."

She gripped the Forgotten Gate Key, feeling its warmth pulse against her palm. The key resonated with the codex’s power, and an idea formed in her mind.

If this place was bound to the Guardian’s will...

She could unbind it.

Taking a deep breath, she threw herself forward, bypassing the shadow creatures and the flying books.

The Guardian turned toward her just as she thrust the Forgotten Gate Key forward—directly into its chest.

---

Rewriting the Rules

The impact sent a shockwave through the library. The Guardian’s glowing eyes widened, its form trembling as the key’s power surged through it.

Mallory felt it, too—a connection forming.

The Guardian wasn’t just an enemy. It was a gatekeeper, a being woven into the very fabric of the Forgotten Gate’s secrets.

And now, she had forced it to acknowledge her will.

The Guardian let out a deep, shuddering sound—not a scream, but a sigh.

"You... reject the chains of fate."

Mallory didn’t waver. "I do."

The Guardian’s form began to dissolve, its body breaking apart into streams of light. The shadows and chains vanished, the chaos in the library ceasing as the ancient being accepted its final rest.

As it faded, its last words echoed in the air.

"Then go forth... and forge a new path."

And just like that, the battle was over.

---

A New Destiny

Silence settled over the Sunken Library.

Elara let out a slow breath. "Well. That was dramatic."

Greg flopped onto the floor. "I hate fighting ghosts."

Alex sheathed his sword. "What now?"

Mallory looked down at the Forgotten Gate Key, now glowing brighter than before.

And she knew.

"We open the Gate."

Quinn studied her. "Are you sure?"

Mallory met his gaze. "We came all this way for an answer. Now we have it. We don’t have to accept fate. We can control it."

A slow smile tugged at Quinn’s lips. "Then let’s end this."

With the codex in hand and the Guardian’s test behind them, they stepped out of the ruins.

The path to the Forgotten Gate awaited.

And this time, they would defy prophecy itself.

---

The Sunken Library’s ruins lay silent behind them. The echoes of their battle with the Guardian had faded, leaving only the soft rustling of sand and the distant whisper of shifting stone.

Mallory stood at the entrance, gripping the Forgotten Gate Key tightly. Its glow had dimmed, but its warmth still pulsed against her palm—a constant reminder that it now belonged to her.

Quinn stepped beside her. "We did it."

Greg let out a deep breath. "We survived, at least. That’s a win."

Elara frowned, scanning the horizon. "Not to ruin the moment, but we still have to find the actual Gate."

Alex crossed his arms. "The library gave us the knowledge. Now we have to act on it."

Mallory nodded. "We have everything we need. We just have to make it there first."

The Forgotten Gate lay beyond the Valley of Echoes, a treacherous wasteland said to distort time and space. It was the last barrier between them and their goal.

And time was running out.

---

The Valley of Echoes

The journey was grueling. The Valley of Echoes stretched before them like an endless sea of twisting paths, flickering mirages, and haunting voices that whispered from the shadows.

Greg wiped the sweat from his brow. "I swear we’ve passed this same rock three times."

Elara scowled. "That’s because the valley is alive. It’s messing with our sense of direction."

Mallory pressed a hand against the Forgotten Gate Key. The pulse of its magic was steady, like a beacon. "We follow this. Not our eyes."

As they moved forward, the whispers grew louder.

Mallory...

She froze. That voice—she knew that voice.

She turned sharply, her breath catching in her throat.

A figure stood at the edge of her vision, shrouded in mist. A man dressed in familiar dark robes, his face obscured—but she didn’t need to see it to know who he was.

The Scholar.

He had been her mentor before everything had fallen apart. Before the betrayals, before the war that had changed everything.

Before he had died.

Quinn noticed her hesitation. "Mallory? What is it?"

She swallowed hard. "It’s nothing."

But as they walked, the whispers continued.

You cannot escape fate.

You will lose everything.

The Valley of Echoes wasn’t just a place—it was a test.

And it was trying to break them.

---

Breaking Through the Illusions

Hours passed, or maybe it was days. Time lost meaning in this cursed valley.

Greg was the first to snap. "Alright, I’ve had enough of this!" He swung his warhammer into the ground, sending a shockwave through the earth. "We’re getting nowhere! What’s the plan?"

Mallory closed her eyes, focusing. The Forgotten Gate Key still pulsed, but the valley’s magic was distorting its signal.

Then, she realized something.

The whispers—the illusions—they weren’t random. They were feeding off their fears, their doubts.

Mallory turned to the group. "Ignore the whispers. Ignore the mirages. They only have power if we let them."

Quinn gave her a skeptical look. "And how do we do that?"

She gripped the key tighter. "We trust in reality. We trust in each other."

Elara exhaled. "Easier said than done."

But one by one, they forced themselves to look forward, to keep moving without hesitation.

And slowly, the illusions began to fade.

The Valley of Echoes resisted, trying one final time to turn them against each other. The whispers became screams, the mirages grew more lifelike, and the very ground beneath them trembled.

But they held firm.

Until at last—

The valley broke.

A blinding golden light split the horizon.

The illusion shattered.

And the Forgotten Gate lay before them.

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