The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

"Purpose?" I asked.

Isaac didn't answer. The crow's red eyes were fixed on the empty air, unmoving. His gaze rolled like a slow wheel through the void until it stopped over the whitened manuscript.

I lowered my eyes to it as well. With Isaac's silence as a backdrop, my thoughts aligned. One clue pointed the way—the rise in my Wisdom stat. This manuscript contained Ashton's power. My awakening in the grave was also proof. Even seeing those words in the air could not be separated from Ashton.

The Archmage Trapped in the Cracks of Time being here was also part of the design. Everything was not a coincidence. Dots had been placed, lines drawn, and architecture planned. When the pages turned white, it felt like a pivot had been reached.

Rubia's voice wavered. "Are you saying Kevin Ashton planned… for me to raise Mr. Skeleton?"

In the end, it all boiled down to one question.

"But… why?"

Her eyes met mine, reflecting the same question I carried.

I turned...