B3 - Chapter 63: Legacy
"So... they know," Elena whispered. Her voice was unnaturally tight in complete silence.
Seth kept his grip firm around the steel pyramid. "They were bound to find out," he said. "After all the casualties I've caused, it would've been stranger if they hadn't."
Elena looked at him. Something flickered across her face. Self-doubt or... maybe shame? As if his words implied she hadn't accomplished enough for the Empire to suspect she carried a Legacy as well.
"You're Rank 46, Elena," he voiced, stepping closer. "And despite that, you're already among the five highest contributors in the entire war. If you were at the Peak of Iron like Jaxar or Marine, your contributions would be twice what it is now. And I'm sure you saved dozens more lives than they did."
The corners of Elena's lips rose up, and her emerald eyes met Seth's as the tension slowly drained from her shoulders. Then a smile finally broke through.
"Thanks."
Seth looked down at Jaz's ruined body.
The three harvested Seeds could explain the Guardian's monstrous resilience. But at the same time he doubted they accounted for everything.
After kneeling beside the corpse, Seth pressed the cold steel base of the pyramid against the dead man's shattered breastplate.
"You're really going to use it?" Elena asked, unable to hide the unease in her voice.
"I don't see how this is any different from harvesting his Seeds," Seth replied, eyes moving to her. "If the situation had been reversed, they would've done the same to us." He looked back at the artifact. "He carried this for a reason."
Elena's lips pressed into a thin line. She couldn't argue with that.
Seth didn't wait any longer and channeled a wisp of aether into the steel pyramid.
The intricate runes blazed to life, then a crushing pressure settled over the clearing. The air itself seemed to grow heavier and something stirred within Jaz's corpse—a presence far older and far more powerful than anything Seth had ever encountered.
Glowing words materialized above the pyramid.
| [Lightning Protection - Uncommon] |