Chapter 67 The Burden of Choice

The revelation echoed through the chamber, leaving them stunned. The figure they had encountered in the Undercity, the creature of chaotic energy, wasn't a malicious entity, but the leader of the City, trapped within the crystal by his own actions. The weight of this knowledge settled heavily upon them. Friesland, ever the pragmatist, was the first to break the silence. "We can't leave him trapped," he declared, his voice resolute. "He may have made a mistake, but his intentions were for the betterment of the city." Elizabeth, her brow furrowed in worry, voiced a concern that gnawed at them all. "But can we trust him? Can we be sure freeing him won't unleash another Aethel Surge?" The Scholar, his voice trembling slightly, offered a tentative solution. "Perhaps there's a way to release him without jeopardizing the stability of the Aethel network. Maybe the knowledge within the chamber holds the key – a ritual, a failsafe mechanism built into the crystal itself." The voice boomed on