WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom

He spoke of how the group split into two—those who tried to undo their mistake, and those who doubled down. Of how the surface world was lost in the aftermath.

By the time he finished, Elvira was still. Silent. Processing.

Ben gave her a moment. Then added, "She thinks my existence confirm someone might be trying to bring the Daemon back. Or maybe they never went away."

Elvira's eyes sharpened, her thoughts racing. "That... would explain a lot." Her voice was quieter now, more thoughtful, as pieces began falling into place from her past lives.

In both timelines, she had always found it strange how her peaceful clan suddenly descended into chaos. Her own family had turned on her, tried to kill her—over what? Power? Influence? Wealth? Elvira never cared for any of that.

All she ever wanted was knowledge. To invent, to push magic further. And everyone knew that.

But now... if someone had been pulling the strings behind the scenes, manipulating events from the shadows, it all made sense.

Ben's expression turned serious. "Tell me everything you know. Especially about the Magus. I need details. Now I'm sure they're my enemies."

Elvira smiled faintly. "Our enemy," She corrected Ben. "Don't forget my beloved we're in this together now. Our souls are linked."

Then her mana flared as she raised a hand, conjuring a glowing projection in the air. "We're currently in Year 153," she said, drawing a line across the image. "I've never heard about those first, second, third epoch, but... what that Lady of the Lake said makes too much sense to ignore."

She marked another point further down the line. "Year 190. That's when I died in my first life."

Then she placed another dot before it. "And Year 175. My last death."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You died sooner on your second try?"

"Yes." Elvira sighed. "It's not like those stories where regression makes you overpowered instantly. When you start changing things, everything else changes too. At first, I could predict some events. But the longer it went on, the harder it got."

She traced her finger along the line again. "I became stronger, yes—but then out of nowhere, that power armor relic appeared. It never existed in my last timeline."

Ben frowned. "So it was introduced by someone else? Maybe those Templars?"

"Exactly." Elvira nodded. "Too many things started happening that didn't belong. Sudden power shifts, unexpected betrayals, hidden resources that no one should've known about." Her voice dropped. "If those Templars really exist... then they were behind it. Feeding information and tools to my enemies. Trying to steer the timeline to the same conclusion, no matter what I changed."

Ben's eyes narrowed. "And what was that conclusion?"

Elvira's expression darkened. "Civil war. My clan was torn apart. Even though they won, the clan were left with less than half our original strength." She paused. "Now I wonder... if they were also behind the disappearance of our true clan leader."

Ben tilted his head. "Your real leader?"

"Yes. A powerful sorcerer. One of the strongest I've ever seen. If he were still there, no one would've dared to start that civil war." Her hands curled into fists.

Ben sat in silence for a moment, letting the weight of her words settle.. "So he's still alive?"

"No one really knows," Elvira replied, her voice quieter, more solemn. "Most believe he's already dead. It's been so long, after all."

Ben stayed quiet for a moment, then spoke, his tone thoughtful. "Do you think your clan was targeted for elimination? Remember what I said earlier… about the Aether?"

"Of course," she nodded. "I've heard whispers about it before. But I've never found anything solid—just scattered rumors. Honestly, I still don't even know how to access that energy."

Ben gave a half-smirk. "That part's simple. No need to gamble with theories. We just need to capture a Daemon… and experiment on it."

Elvira blinked. "Simple, he says," she muttered, crossing her arms. "Just capture a Daemon. Like you're talking about catching a fish."

Ben shrugged with a grin. "Compared to figuring out all this magical nonsense you do? Yeah. It is."

She sighed and shook her head. "You're lucky you're my beloved, or I'd strangle you for that."

She than let out a sigh. "Still, capturing one isn't that easy. Based on what the lady of lake say even the weakest Daemon can easily kill you, that mean I also not their opponent now"

"I doubt they're still that strong," Ben said flatly. "If they were, they wouldn't need to pull strings in the shadows."

Elvira paused, his words cutting through her thoughts. He was right. If the Templars still had real power, they'd have crushed her clan openly, not pulling the string from behind a curtain. Subtlety was the tool of the weak.

Ben leaned forward, his voice low. "Here's what I think—they're trying to awaken the Daemon."

She frowned. "Then why attack my clan? If their goal is to resurrect the Daemon, why waste time tearing us down now? Even if we pose a risk, isn't it better to do it after the daemon awaken?"

"The Empyrean Crystal," Ben replied without missing a beat. "You said each major clan holds one. Maybe they need them—lots of them. To fuel the resurrection. Or maybe your clan has something else… something they can't take without war."

Elvira's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of realization behind them. "There are many relics locked within our ancestral vaults. If they're after something other than the empyrean crystal... it has to be one of those."

Ben gave a slow nod.

Her hands curled into fists, a faint shimmer of mana dancing along her knuckles. "Then they won't get it. Not while I still breathe."

Ben smirked. "That's the spirit."

She turned to him, sharp-eyed. "Then what's the plan?"

"The core of it doesn't change," Ben replied. "We get stronger. Build our forces. Expand the Krell. Prepare. Because they'll come looking for me eventually—whether it's the Magus or something worse. When they do, we'll be ready to drag answers out of them."