The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 387 Triple Shackles
"This...how is this possible!"

David froze, filled with shock and confusion.

Everything he had understood before now became so small and powerless in the face of this truth.

Lucia had already fallen to her knees, she covered her face with her hands, blood flowing from the corners of her eyes, sparkling like stars.

The interweaving of bright red and gold seemed to tell of the pain and despair deep in her heart: "It turns out that we... are all gravekeepers..."

She murmured to herself, her voice trembling and low, like a deer that had lost hope and looked back into the endless darkness.

"We have been blinded all along, and the information instilled by the church has obscured the truth." David slowly walked towards Lucia.

He felt the invisible force trying to drag them into deeper unrest.

"We exist to protect this secret from being disturbed by the outside world and to prevent a greater disaster from happening."

The First Pope seemed to sense the conflict in their consciousness, and his cold and majestic voice sounded again:

"If you continue to explore, you will be drawn into an inescapable cycle of reincarnation. Time is supposed to be constant and irreversible. You are just small pawns. Don't even think about challenging fate!"

"We are no longer pawns!"

Lucia endured the pain, she stood up, and looked at those scarlet compound eyes with a firm gaze, "We choose our own destiny! Even if we have to face all the unknowns, we will never be sleepers again!"

Her words were like a flame that ignited the unyielding will that had been hidden deep in David's heart for a long time.

He gripped the Silver Moon Sword tightly, took a step forward, stood side by side with Lucia, and stared at those compound eyes together.

"If this is our destiny, then let it be a new starting point for us to resist darkness and pursue the truth!"

At this moment, those compound eyes suddenly shrank into points, and then suddenly spread out, and an incredible force that tore through space came crashing down.

The surrounding space began to collapse, the earth shook violently, and a message like a call from the abyss rushed towards the two.

"Be prepared to face the real test!"

The first Pope said coldly, and these words were like an icy blade cutting through their souls, pushing the two into a thick and unknown new realm.

David closed his eyes. He felt that time was passing at a very fast speed and all kinds of information were constantly burning his soul.

However, under this devastating impact, they found themselves gradually becoming clearer.

The vortex of light gradually revealed its true form in front of David, like a door leading to another world, gorgeous and mysterious.

The countless twinkling points of light were like elves dancing in the galaxy, gathering into a powerful force, as if an invisible hand was calling him.

“David,” a deep and powerful voice came from the center of the vortex, “You need to inherit this power to fight against the coming darkness.”

"How can I bear this power?"

David felt a palpitation, he knew what this meant. The power of light is not only salvation, but also a responsibility and burden.

At this moment, Lucia's attention was attracted by the scene of those rotating and shining mysterious runes, and she suddenly realized the deeper secrets hidden by the first Pope.

Those runes depict not only time and space, but also a more terrifying truth -

"The Pope used this power to create the Holy White Cage... to imprison the gods!" she exclaimed, "The entire church is a melting pot of consciousness!"

"What?" David came back to his senses. He held Lucia's shoulders tightly. "What are you talking about?"

Lucia bit her lower lip and tried to organize her words: "The first pope was not simply pursuing faith."

"Instead, he uses the believers' deep desire for truth and soul to continuously absorb the pain and desire in their consciousness and transform this energy into the power needed to control the imprisoned god in the Holy White Cage. He hopes to use this power to realize his desire to be immortal and dominate everything!"

As she spoke, the images reflected by the glimmering runes gradually became clearer.

In an ancient and magnificent hall, countless believers prayed devoutly. Their souls gradually drained away and were extracted as invisible energy that gathered into the huge holy white cage.

This cage reflects a delicate yet cold and ominous aura like a giant crystal. The countless images imprisoned inside seem to be shouting but unable to break free.

“We’ve been living under this fantasy construct.”

Fear and anger intertwined in Lucia's eyes, and she was filled with resentment. "Our faith has been twisted into a shackle that binds us, and we don't even know the truth!"

At this moment, the voice in the vortex sounded again: "Choose! Either inherit my power and use it to liberate all the oppressed; or reject it and let the darkness continue to devour everything."

David felt his heart pounding, and he knew he was facing the biggest decision of his life.

He looked around at the uneasy scenes that woven reality and fantasy, and once again at Lucia, whose determination yet vulnerability inspired him to respect her.

"I can't give up! For my own future, and for all those who are oppressed, I will accept the challenge!"

He slowly raised his palm, resonating with the vortex of light.

A warmth flowed through his body, cleansing every cell.

He felt a sense of freshness that he had never experienced before. It was a kind of liberation that transcended himself and also a supreme responsibility.

With the huge energy fluctuations that erupted in an instant, a dazzling golden sword light shot out from his hand, resonating with the surrounding space and making the entire field flicker.

The endless information and everything in his past turned into a strong breath and formed a wall to resist the invasion of darkness!

At the same time, through the violently rotating space, a clear picture was once again reflected.

The chains on the Holy White Cage were being torn apart, and dazzling cracks appeared.

Ancient and powerful beings seemed to be awakening among them, and the low hums they emitted gradually revealed a new hope.

And just as they are welcoming this new situation, there comes an echo from the unknown abyss, and a law that has never been seen before and is full of hidden fear is about to strike again!
"Hurry! We have to stop this!" Lucia said anxiously.

A new fire of indescribable but resolute courage rose in her heart, and she grasped the moonlight dagger again, ready to face all the challenges that were coming alongside David.

Amid the strong attraction of the vortex of light, David suddenly realized that this power was not as pure as it seemed. Deep in his heart, a sense of uneasiness became stronger and stronger, as if the vortex was not only giving him power, but was trying to seize his body and soul.

His Silver Moon Mark shone with unprecedented brilliance at this moment, as if sensing the crisis in his heart.

"Lucia!" David yelled, "I can't let this power control me! We have to cut it off from me!"

"Hurry! Use the Silver Moon Mark!" Lucia encouraged, her voice full of determination.

She understood the danger David faced and knew that only through will and conviction could he resist.

David took a deep breath and focused his attention on the Silver Moon Mark.

He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, an unyielding determination burning in his heart.

As his thoughts were conducted, he pointed the tip of his sword at the whirlpool that was constantly spinning and shining with enchanting light, and a brilliant silver light suddenly burst out like a galaxy.

"Break!" he shouted in a low voice. In an instant, the silver moonlight pierced through the night sky like a knife and reached the core of the vortex.

With a deafening explosion, the energy connection was severed and the feeling of restraint dissipated.

He felt his body relax, and the swirling energy waves collapsed.

However, under this huge rebound force, Lucia's expression suddenly changed: "Be careful! Even so, it will still fight back!"

She realized that even if the connection was cut off, this unknown entity that had been heavily sealed by the first Pope and twisted into a shadow form would still retaliate in another way.

At this moment, those scarlet compound eyes began to twist into more ferocious and hideous shapes. They were like hunters in the dark night, and the gods trapped in the cage also began to make faint but angry moans.

As their resonance rose and fell, invisible shackles fell, covering the two of them like a shadow, making them feel suffocated.

“Look!” Lucia pointed forward and said excitedly, “The Vortex of Light has been put into triple shackles by the First Pope!”

"What?" David looked in the direction she pointed in confusion, only to see that the tangled and chaotic interweaving of countless chains and runes condensed into a huge cube.

Each symbol exudes an irresistible and suffocating aura of prohibition.

These shackles seem to be not just physical restraints, but also a manipulation and distortion of the soul and deep consciousness!

"The first level is to weaken the ability of time to flow, making it impossible to escape; the second level is to harvest the consciousness of believers to form an endless cycle; the third level is to inject the power of the imprisoned gods into the Pope, making him immortal, so that he can control the entire church and use the believers to create the Eternal Furnace." Lucia explained hurriedly, "If we can't break these restrictions, this existence will sink into darkness forever, and the first Pope will use this power to further control the world!"

David's eyes were filled with fighting spirit. He knew that without breaking these shackles, he would not be able to truly liberate the oppressed, nor would he be able to save the world.

He looked around, stunned by the unimaginable yet clearly visible conspiracy behind the scenes.

"We must find a way to unlock these restrictions one by one."

So, they stood together and once again faced the huge whirlpool and the layers of intricate, cold and ruthless seals.

With the tacit cooperation of the two, they began to challenge again and again with an uncompromising attitude, condensing their collective emotions into a fighting will. Every impact was accompanied by incredible new energy that was continuously released towards the giant closed body!
Just as they were concentrating, a strong vibration suddenly came. The evil runes seemed to feel threatened and began to resist violently.

However, at this moment, the momentum of the two became even higher. With the help of the unspoken understanding between each other, they transformed all their emotions into a sword beam that shot up into the sky, and once again headed straight for the first layer of shackles!
As David and Lucia's power continued to gather, the first layer of restrictions melted like ice and snow in the sun, making a harsh crackling sound.

However, this is just the beginning, and greater challenges are waiting for them.

At this moment, a flash of inspiration came to Lucia's mind, and she realized that the conspiracy set up by the first Pope was far more complicated than she had imagined.

"David, listen to me!" she said eagerly.

"The first pope did not simply imprison the gods, but established an entire belief system by forging oracles, making believers voluntarily walk into this trap!"

There was anger and anxiety in her voice. "He took advantage of people's desire for gods and truth and lured that truly powerful being into a cage in an attempt to control everything!"

David's heart was shaken, and he seemed to understand something: "So, the beliefs and rituals we have been cultivating in the church have actually been manipulated and distorted?"

"That's right!" Lucia nodded. "Real gods do not need to rely on fake oracles to guide humans. Instead, they hope that humans can pursue the truth through their own will and soul."

"However, the first Pope took advantage of this desire and transformed all the emotions and wishes of the believers into a part of the power he controlled. This is his dual truth!"

At this moment, the vortex of light seemed to sense the sublimation of their cognition, and the light it emitted began to flicker uneasily, but because of the Law of the Golden Bird, it could not break through the soul confinement on its own.

The Law of the Golden Bird is an ancient and complex binding mechanism that connects a soul to its deepest desires, making it impossible for the individual to easily escape or resist.

And now, this mechanism is firmly locking the will of the two.

"We must find a way to break this law." David pondered. He grabbed the Silver Moon Sword and slashed it hard into the air.

"We cannot let the First Pope continue to control all this. We must liberate ourselves and also liberate the real being imprisoned in the Holy White Cage!"

“Some ancient legends mention this law,” Lucia reminded.

"As long as you can find the truest and purest desire in your heart, you can break the golden bird law and freely enter and exit the spiritual realm."

Instantly, their eyes met, and they both seemed to realize the importance of seeking their true selves.

"Our goal is not only to break free from our shackles, but also to find ourselves!" they said in unison.

So, the two of them closed their eyes in the center of the vortex and tried to go deep into their own hearts.

In the endless darkness, they began to recall their life experiences and true emotions.

David recalled his childhood longing to fly freely in the blue sky and his unremitting struggle to protect those he cherished.

Lucia recalls her unyielding pursuit of justice, her uncompromising attitude towards power, and her yearning for a better future by hoping to save the world.

As these emotions continued to emerge, a dazzling yet warm silver light burst out from the two of them.

They felt the invisible yet deep bond between each other, a power that made every cell full of vitality.

At this moment, they realized that this connection was the key to breaking the Golden Bird Law!
(End of this chapter)