The castle was even more dilapidated inside. It must have stood abandoned for years, its neglected interior crumbling on every side.
Dust and rubble covered the floor, and weeds even grew along the walls. Victor Rookwood clearly cared little for the legacy his ancestors had left him.
Rookwood Castle's interior was not complicated. They soon reached a heavy door, and Rookwood deftly worked several nearby mechanisms to open it. Beyond lay a dim space lit by a few torches. Stone steps led down to an iron door that looked like the entrance to a prison.
A cold draft blew out, suggesting that the space within was large.
Ranrok hurried inside, and Rookwood rushed after him.
Will followed close behind.
The underground space resembled a cellar, but it was badly ruined. Great masses of rock had cracked and collapsed, leaving the floor looking like a construction site.
After only a few steps, Will saw a round core glowing red in the passage to his left. Its brilliant crimson light resembled the glow of Ranrok's Bracers.
From Ranrok's memories, Will already knew what it was: the powerful magic Charles Rookwood had left behind.
The moment Will saw it, he could barely contain his excitement. He knew exactly what it was—an Ancient Magic Core, a physical one, not a construct of Magic like his Joy Core.
Without waiting for Ranrok or Victor, he strode toward the Ancient Magic Core.
It was a huge, round device, like a sphere that had exploded. Its brilliant light bathed everything around it in crimson.
In Will's Sight, intricate patterns covered its surface. They glowed red in the darkness, breathtakingly beautiful.
Will leaned closer to study it. He could see Magic flowing, circulating, and transforming inside the core, forming an extraordinarily complex structure of nested layers.
By then,