The passage split into three paths ahead.
Holding a light source he had created through alchemy, Albedo crouched at the fork and ran his fingers through the dust on the floor.
There were footprints at the entrance to all three passages, but they pointed in different directions. The ones in the middle were the shallowest, those on the left the deepest, and those on the right somewhere in between.
"Someone's been down all three paths. The footprints are different depths."
Albedo stood up and dusted off his hands.
"We don't know which one leads to the core and which ones are dead ends."
Ronava stood in the middle of the fork, her golden eyes sweeping over each of the three entrances. She could sense that the Elemental Energy was strongest in the middle.
"Splitting up would be the most efficient."
Albedo spoke as he took out several stones that gave off a pale blue glow.
"Whichever path you take, come back here once you reach the end. If you run into danger, I have some fluorite stones I've modified. Crush one, and the others will break too. Take them."
Lin En glanced at Ronava. She nodded slightly and took two stones, handing one to him.
"The two of us will take the middle."
Ronava did not let Lin En go alone.
"That works. I'll take the left, then."
Albedo closed his notebook and headed into the left passage with his pack on his back. After a few steps, he looked back.
"If no one takes the right one, we can explore it together when we get back."
The three parted ways.
The middle passage was much narrower than the main route they had taken before, barely wide enough for two people to walk abreast.
Lin En walked beside Ronava, his shortsword in hand and his Vision at his waist, ready for anything unexpected.
The murals on either side of the passage became more abstract. They no longer depicted specific scenes, but rather intersecting lines and dots, like an ancient star chart or a sketch of a formation.
After they had walked for a few minutes, hurried, jumbled footsteps suddenly came from the passage behind them.
"Stop!"
Lin En whipped around. A figure at the end of the passage was hurrying after them.
Only when the person drew closer did he make out the blond hair, white coat, and pack on his back. It was Albedo!
Lin En immediately frowned. Albedo had taken the left passage, so how could he be catching up from behind? Puzzled, he asked,
"Albedo, you finished exploring the left already? That fast?"
"You..."
Albedo ran up to them, panting. His gaze swept over Lin En and Ronava's faces as though he were seeing them for the first time.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
Lin En tightened his grip on his shortsword.
"Are you Albedo?"
"Albedo, chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius."
He straightened up, his wary gaze settling on Ronava. He had sensed the inhuman aura about her.
"I came to Dragonspine to study minerals. Outside Starglow Cavern, I heard a tremendous collapse underground. When I came to investigate, I found this domain. The stone door was open, so I thought someone might have gone in ahead of me and followed them inside."
He paused and looked at Lin En.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
Lin En and Ronava exchanged a glance. Instead of making a move immediately, she turned her head aside and let Lin En decide for himself.
"You said you came over because you heard a noise outside Starglow Cavern?"
Lin En asked.
"That's right."
Albedo took a notebook from his pack and opened it.
"I was collecting ice crystal samples near the cavern entrance when the ground suddenly shook. I rushed to the scene immediately, and the stone door leading to this passage was exposed in the pit. When I went in, the door was open, and there were fresh footprints on the floor."
Lin En stared into his eyes for several seconds. This Albedo's tone, mannerisms, and even the little way he flipped through his notebook were identical to the one from before.
"If what you're saying is true, then the Albedo who came in with us..."
"Someone is impersonating me."
Albedo's expression darkened.
"This isn't the first time. Similar methods have been used to get close to the Knights of Favonius before. If he can imitate my appearance, he must have mastered some kind of transformation or illusion technique."
Ronava suddenly spoke.
"What are you going to do, then? Go after him now?"
Lin En froze.
"What?"
"This lady is right."
"Then we'd better hurry."
Lin En turned and ran back the way they had come.
"The fake went left. He must be looking for the domain's core."
"Wait."
Albedo followed him.
"What core are you talking about?"
"Apparently it's a blue crystal. That's what the fake Albedo said earlier."
Lin En spoke as he ran.
"I see. Then we have to stop him quickly."
Albedo's expression changed.
Ronava, however, followed the two of them at an unhurried pace.
The three raced down the passage.
Back at the fork, they charged into the left passage without hesitation.
The left passage was much wider than the middle one, and the murals on either side gradually changed from abstract lines into distinct images.
A few minutes later, they reached the end of the passage. A massive stone door stood open, and a dazzling blue light shone from within.
Lin En rushed into the stone chamber, his pupils suddenly contracting.
In the center of the chamber, the floating crystal was spinning violently. Blue light burst from within it, bathing the entire room in blue.
Around the stone platform, all five Ruin Guards were active, their crimson eyes like five burning coals in the blue light.
The other "Albedo" stood before the platform, one hand already pressed against the surface of the crystal, a strange smile on his lips.
The patterns on the crystal were climbing up his arm like some kind of living runes.
"Don't touch it!"
Lin En let out a shout and drew his shortsword.
The fake Albedo turned around. The smile on his face, identical to that of the blond alchemist, suddenly became twisted and unfamiliar.
"You're one step too late."
His voice had changed as well. It no longer held Albedo's gentle, scholarly tone, but had a piercing quality like metal scraping against metal.
Ronava simply watched Lin En charge forward and did not intervene.
The fake Albedo's figure flashed aside. The shortsword struck the edge of the stone platform, blasting fragments of stone into the air.
All five Ruin Guards sprang into action at once, their massive mechanical bodies charging toward them.
"Protect the crystal!"
Albedo drew a one-handed sword from his pack. Elemental Energy flared along the blade as he slashed at the nearest Ruin Guard, sparks flying where the sword struck its mechanical shell.
Lin En activated his Vision. A Stone Stele rose from the ground, blocking the space between the fake Albedo and the crystal.
The fake Albedo sneered and drew a finger across the crystal's surface. The blue light suddenly turned into chains of lightning that struck at Lin En.
Ronava stepped in front of him and swept one hand through the air. A black barrier swallowed every bolt.
A mass of dense black energy had already gathered in her other hand, and she sent it straight at the fake Albedo's face.
"This is too boring. Let's finish it quickly."
Ronava's voice was icy.
The fake Albedo's pupils contracted sharply, and he lurched backward. But Ronava's black energy had already reached his chest. He let out a piercing scream and collapsed.
The runes on his body faded, and a pale blue cube fell from his hand.
The stone chamber fell quiet again. Of the five Ruin Guards, Albedo had dealt with two, and Lin En had trapped one with a Stone Stele. With a raise of Ronava's hand, the remaining two turned to powder in the black energy.
Lin En panted as he looked at the cube on the ground. Its blue light had stabilized, and he picked it up.
"Finally, that's taken care of..."
Suddenly, an aged voice sounded in his mind.
"Young man, do you desire power? I can grant you supreme power."