Alexei slowly walked down the corridor, leaning against the wall. His jaws worked tensely, tearing through raw flesh. Tough tendons and fibers resisted, and the raw meat, thick and dense, carried the metallic taste of blood, unpleasantly sticking to his teeth. It was the taste of life, but at the same time—of death. It was far from a delicacy. The fur, still covering the chunk, clogged his throat, triggering coughing fits, but Alexei only clenched his teeth harder. He needed to regain his strength as quickly as possible.

However, despite everything, the power of his jaws amazed him. He knew he had grown stronger, but the feeling of how easily he tore through flesh and shattered bones into fragments was truly surprising. His own body was becoming something far more than he had ever imagined.

Alexei no longer feared the pursuit of the Elements of Harmony. Not at all. He had mentioned the whereabouts of the alicorns not just to attract Twilight’s attention, and certainly not because he was a good guy. He wanted the Elements to stay in one place, not running around the castle looking for the princesses. They would soon find the alicorns, and that meant they’d stay with them. The barrier in the room had already withstood an attack from the Elements of Harmony, and the cage holding the princesses would certainly hold up as well.

And even if the princesses explained to the Elements that Alexei had tricked them, they wouldn’t pursue him. Both Twilight and the princesses would understand—by that time, he would have recovered, and chasing him would be far too dangerous for the Elements.

The six mares, especially Twilight, still posed a threat to him. But Alexei knew that now, if necessary, he could escape. He just didn’t want to waste his time on them. And if he killed or ate them, Celestia would be so offended that she might even forget about Chrysalis for a while.

Besides, there was no point in it. He wouldn’t gain anything significant by eating them. Sure, it would speed up the restoration of his strength, but his energy was already recovering on its own, albeit slowly.

He had already learned from his experience with Sombra that consuming local beings was extremely inefficient. The losses in converting magical energy into mental energy were enormous. Even in Sombra's liver, which contained about ten units of energy, after digestion, he only received two. The rest was lost in the conversion or simply wasted. It was far more economical to feed on zebras, and even better—on their souls. But, of course, nothing could compare to the creatures from the Depths.

“Actually...” Alexei mused, swallowing another piece of meat. Interesting ideas were already forming in his mind. “I could use Twilight and turn her against Celestia.”

But he quickly shook his head and dismissed those thoughts. Now was not the right time for such considerations.

Above all, Alexei always prepared for the worst. This habit had saved him many times. Even now, he reflected on Sombra's death.

Was he really dead? Alexei had killed him with his own hands, consumed his soul, and was now finishing off his leg. And yet... it seemed too easy.

He had expected a much more difficult battle, thought he’d have to team up with the Elements to defeat Sombra. Sombra certainly should have had some tricks up his sleeve. Why had Sombra been running around the castle from them at all? If he couldn’t win, why didn’t he just teleport far away? Was he too weak for such magic, or was the problem in the miasma?

And was the unicorn he killed really Sombra? Even Alexei could erase someone's memories and implant his own, creating something like a clone that would believe it was the original. Sombra was certainly capable of much more. And these memories left behind... Alexei felt something was off. Hundreds of questions and theories filled his mind, but there was no proof.

Finally, he asked himself one simple question: “What’s the worst-case scenario?” The answer was obvious: Sombra was alive and wanted revenge, and Discord decided to support him.

What could Alexei do in that case? Nothing. If Discord decided to find him—there would be no hiding place in the world. Perhaps the Depths could serve as a temporary refuge, but Alexei couldn’t stay there forever due to the risk of being assimilated. His only hope was that Discord was still asleep and that Sombra had more important matters than taking revenge on an insignificant ant like him.

Alexei often thought about the abilities of beings like Discord. But maybe he was overestimating them. He really didn’t know what they were capable of. The fact that he had removed all his blood and bits of flesh from the room should have made it difficult for anyone to track him down. Without a sample of his blood or energy, could even Discord scan the entire planet to find him?

Of course, the alicorns might still have samples of his blood from when he was in the dungeon, but they were now useless. Alexei was no longer the person to whom that blood had belonged. Those remnants of his former body had become trash, useless for any magical ritual or spell to locate him.

And Sombra’s memories didn’t reveal much. All Alexei had learned was that Sombra was of the seventh rank, like the alicorns. The limit of this world seemed to be the sixth rank, and Sombra, along with the alicorns, had become exceptions, anomalies that broke through that limit. But despite that, they too had stopped. There was no further path.

Sombra’s memories had given him something more interesting than just information about his rank. According to calculations, in ten years, "that thing" inside the Tree of Harmony would awaken and consume most of the living beings in this world. And if Discord had cooperated with Sombra, it meant he too shared the concern about this threat. So, there was a high probability that it wasn’t just Sombra’s delusion.

Nevertheless, knowing that in some time a primordial monster capable of destroying the entire world would awaken was oddly calming. At least if Sombra was alive and Discord shared his concerns, they were unlikely to have time to worry about a human who, in the grand scheme of things, was just an insignificant ant to them.

“But why did he leave me these memories?” Alexei sighed, stopping in the middle of the empty corridor. “If he saw me as his successor, he would have passed on everything to make my task easier. What am I missing?”

He had a dozen theories spinning in his head, ranging from the idea that Sombra was playing mind games with him to musings on the metaphysics of the Tree of Harmony. He was wandering in the dark, clinging to theories and guesses without the slightest confidence in his reasoning.

Lost in these thoughts, Alexei finally approached the massive doors behind which lay one of the most secret places of the Crystal Empire.

He stood before the majestic gates, carved from dark crystal, towering like guardians of secrets. The doors were adorned with intricate patterns, each curve of which glowed faintly with a soft blue light. Rows of runes covered the surface of the doors, their meaning and origin lost in antiquity.

Alexei noticed familiar protective symbols—standard for such vaults: humidity control, shielding from foreign energy radiation, magical sterilization. But surprisingly, there were no offensive or identification runes that he had expected to see on such an important object.

Skeptically eyeing the doors, he looked at the gnawed hoof of Sombra, which he still held in his hand—perfect for a makeshift probe. Carefully touching the doors with it, he felt nothing—no reaction. Then he pressed harder. Suddenly, the massive doors creaked open. Cold air rushed into the corridor, brushing against his face, but fortunately, nothing more sinister happened.

Beyond the doors lay a spacious hall, more like an ancient library or laboratory. Tall bookshelves lined both sides, filled with neatly arranged books, some of which seemed incredibly old. Laboratory tables were cluttered with various artifacts, magical instruments, and mysterious crystals emitting a faint glow.

Surveying the corridor, Alexei spotted a stone statue of a unicorn on a pedestal.

Without much hesitation, he lifted it off the stand and smashed it to the floor with force. The powerful impact of his tentacle shattered the statue into pieces, and without wasting time, Alexei began tossing the fragments into the room. The shards clattered loudly on the stone floor, but nothing happened. Not the slightest sign of a trap.

His caution, however, was bordering on paranoia. It was too easy. Alexei didn’t trust this place. He was aware that Sombra had spent fifteen hundred years here in solitude, so maybe there hadn’t been a need for traps. Still, the lack of security measures gave him an uneasy feeling.

To make sure, Alexei detached one of his tentacles, filled it with some gray smoke, and tossed it into the room. The tentacle landed softly on the floor and began slowly crawling, exploring every corner, every object.

Alexei stood patiently, tuning into his sensations. He let the tentacle crawl around the room for about ten minutes, carefully watching its every movement. Better to be overly cautious than a little dead.

But as before, nothing happened.

Alexei chewed on his lip thoughtfully, weighing his doubts, and took a step forward. Silence still reigned. Slowly, step by step, he approached the nearest table, ready to leap back at the slightest hint of danger.

Reaching the table, he gently tapped his finger on the surface, and the sound echoed through the empty room, but nothing happened. Alexei picked up a random flask, twisting it in his hands, confirming that everything was in order. Finally, he sighed with relief.

Retrieving his tentacle, which was still gliding across the floor in search of possible traps, Alexei cast a fresh glance around the room.

Now, his focus shifted from threats to treasures. He carefully scanned the room, searching for anything of value. Of course, the most valuable items were undoubtedly the collection of books, lining the walls in majestic shelves.

He immediately headed toward them, pulling out a random book. The cover had no title, just a bunch of incomprehensible symbols. The texture of the cover felt like skin—unusually dense and cold.

Flipping through the pages, Alexei smiled, but not just because the text was in a language he understood—Equestrian.

“Demonology,” he muttered thoughtfully, placing the book back. He had a very good feeling about the contents of these books.

However, despite the allure of the knowledge within the books, Alexei decided to examine the laboratory first. Too many unknowns remained. He couldn’t take all these shelves with him, which pained him greatly.

There was still hope: perhaps the treasury ahead would contain a spatial artifact. If, of course, it wasn’t protected either.

His gaze landed on the experiment tables. Rows of cages, their bars stained with dried blood, caught his attention. Only three cages.

Alexei understood that Sombra hadn’t kept all his specimens here—this was a workspace, a place for experiments, not for housing live creatures.

Wandering around the laboratory, Alexei found nothing remarkable. The tables were piled with all sorts of magical instruments, dried fragments, crystals, and shards. All of these things might have had value, but compared to the books, they seemed like junk to Alexei.

Just as he was about to return to the bookshelves, he suddenly noticed a modest table in the corner. The table didn’t stand out, but the papers on it made Alexei step closer.

On the table lay a pile of handwritten notes, and atop them sat an old, worn bronze chalice.

“Sombra’s experiment records,” Alexei realized, stepping closer.

He quickly skimmed through the pages and reached for the chalice to move it aside. The moment his fingers touched the metal, his pupils dilated.

In an instant, he jumped back, crashing into the bookshelf behind him, sending it toppling down in a heavy avalanche. But that didn’t concern him. Alexei’s gaze remained locked on the chalice sitting on the table.

Outwardly, it appeared to be an ordinary chalice, but it radiated a powerful energy reaction that Alexei hadn’t felt earlier, despite continuously scanning every object in the laboratory.

Licking his dry lips, Alexei finally relaxed and slowly approached the chalice, picking it up once more. This time, he deliberately infused it with a bit of his mental energy. His gaze flickered when he realized he was holding a spatial artifact.

“No way…” Alexei muttered, hardly believing his luck. “Did I just hit the jackpot?”

But the next moment made his heart race even faster. His pupils dilated so much it seemed they swallowed his irises. The space inside the chalice was enormous—so vast that Alexei could barely comprehend it.

He saw a spherical space before him, filled with daylight, towering over a hundred meters high and nearly two kilometers in diameter.

Inside the chalice was an entire park, seemingly designed for leisurely strolls: soft grass covered the ground, and narrow paths wound among the flowers. There were several tables neatly arranged with magical instruments. But the most striking sight for Alexei were the three small trees, as black as night.

His gaze wavered. He instantly understood what they were. These were saplings of the same black tree that Sombra had cultivated. Apparently, Sombra had prudently taken a few branches and planted them here, in this spatial sanctuary.

Alexei grabbed a random book from the shelf, letting his fingers glide over its ancient, worn cover. Then, focusing, he had the book absorbed by the chalice until it disappeared completely. Peeking inside, Alexei confirmed that the book was intact—it lay undisturbed inside the artifact. With a mere thought, he summoned it back, and the book leaped from the chalice.

Thoughtfully gazing at the chalice, Alexei replayed in his mind the fact that as soon as he touched the object, the artifact recognized him as its new owner. This was yet another confirmation that the chalice’s previous owner, Sombra, was truly and permanently dead.

Sighing, Alexei quickly pushed these thoughts aside, unwilling to dwell on theories. Time was pressing—the alicorn cage could only hold for an unknown amount of time. Sombra’s memories didn’t even hint at how long that magical prison could last.

Determined to make full use of the chalice, Alexei conducted a few quick experiments. He placed and retrieved items of various sizes, manipulating the chalice to test its capabilities. The results came swiftly: not only was the artifact spacious, but it was also self-sustaining. The chalice had its own power source—Alexei only expended energy to interact with it, while the process of moving objects was powered by the artifact itself. The chalice’s magic slowly but steadily regenerated, drawing energy from the surrounding world. Additionally, the chalice could be controlled—its size and shape could be altered. However, this didn’t affect its capacity: even when reduced to the size of an egg, the chalice could absorb any item Alexei offered it.

Immediately shrinking the chalice to a miniature size, Alexei stashed away Sombra’s horn and hoof, then surveyed the laboratory with a predatory glint in his eyes. It was time for his favorite activity—looting.

Twenty minutes later, Alexei was exiting the laboratory, utterly pleased with himself.

Nothing remained inside—he had cleaned it out down to the last crystal. He’d even taken the magical lanterns off the walls, not to mention the alchemical tools and the massive cauldron he had initially ignored because of its bulk. Now everything was in the chalice.

Alexei couldn’t suppress a satisfied smile, feeling that life was truly wonderful.

With the chalice in hand, he rushed down the corridors toward the treasury. His heart was racing, not from fear but from anticipation.

Finally, massive doors appeared before him, similar to those guarding the laboratory. Wasting no time, Alexei repeated the same procedure—examining the doors, assessing the magical runes, and once again using the gnawed hoof to open them. The doors swung open before him, releasing a rush of cold air.

But when he stepped inside, instead of treasures and artifacts, he was met with… disappointment.

A pile of gold coins lay on the floor, along with a handful of magical crystals and a few bottles of alchemical ingredients. That was it.

Sure, one could say that such a pile of gold made him wealthy, but in this world, gold wasn’t particularly valuable. Moreover, the coins were stamped with the crest of the Crystal Empire—they couldn’t be used as currency. Essentially, it was nothing more than useless junk that even the black tree hadn’t bothered to consume.

Alexei mentally sighed, though his face remained calm. At another time, he might have called Sombra a pauper, but right now, he was too satisfied with the chalice to be upset by an empty treasury.

Picking up a few coins, he tossed them into the chalice, watching as they disappeared.

“Even if there’s plenty of space inside the chalice, there’s one problem,” Alexei thought, looking over the pile of gold before him.

The chalice could certainly store multiple items at once, but it wasn’t some kind of black hole. It created only a temporary spatial passage that could pull in any object it touched. This meant that to haul away the entire pile of gold, Alexei would have to “vacuum” it up with the chalice, touching the coins bit by bit. The task would take hours, and Alexei saw no point in it. He took a few coins out of curiosity and, without a second thought, turned away from the meaningless heap of gold.

He already knew where all the artifacts and most of the magical crystals had gone. Sombra had used them as fertilizer for his black tree. That plant was as omnivorous as Alexei himself now, devouring any source of power. Yet, despite understanding this harsh truth, Alexei still clung to the hope that something valuable had survived.

Unfortunately, those hopes crumbled one by one as he surveyed the nearly empty treasury.

Alexei began inspecting every corner of the vault, searching for anything Sombra might have overlooked or intentionally hidden.

His frustration grew with each new empty spot, but suddenly, in the farthest corner, tangled in cobwebs, he felt a faint magical pulse. Pausing, Alexei tuned into his senses, carefully reached out, and, brushing away the spiders, pulled out a small artifact.

It was an odd item—a small piece of fine mesh, adorned with tiny crimson beads.

Alexei examined the find closely and realized it was a low-level artifact. He had a vague idea of its purpose but was sure it couldn’t harm him. With slight hesitation, Alexei activated the artifact, and it flared with a bright light, instantly merging with his left forearm, leaving behind a tattoo in the shape of the same mesh.

Cautiously activating the tattoo, Alexei felt it absorb a small amount of his blood, and suddenly, invisible threads swirled around him. The next second, they collapsed to the ground, losing their form.

Alexei blinked, stunned, and then finally understood what the artifact did. Closing his eyes, he visualized a specific outfit and reactivated the mesh. This time, the threads whirled around him, quickly merging into clothing. In a moment, Alexei stood dressed in simple black pants and a T-shirt. Even light cloth shoes with firm soles appeared on his feet.

“Interesting,” Alexei muttered, examining his new outfit. “When was the last time I wore clothes?”

Judging by the blood-activated mechanism and its tattoo form, the artifact was clearly of zebra origin. Still, Alexei had no idea why zebras would need a quick-change outfit. They probably used such things for their ritual dances or other mysterious ceremonies.

"In any case, more junk," he thought with a smirk, resuming his search.

Now that he had a spatial artifact, all the necessary clothing could be stored in the chalice. The mesh was convenient, but he doubted he’d be wearing clothes anytime soon. Most of the time, he’d likely be in the form of the locals, who used a simple spell to conceal all intimate parts of their body—a life magic, as they called it. They could say whatever they wanted, but Alexei believed it was blood magic. The spell consumed a bit of the user’s stamina along with magical energy, and even non-unicorns could cast it. What else could it be if not blood magic?

But even if it was blood magic, no one would publicly admit it—the spell was just too useful.

For a moment, he grimaced, recalling how much of a headache that spell had caused him. Alexei couldn’t use it due to the magical energy requirement, so he had to completely rework his transformation potion recipe, or else the locals would have found him strange. On top of that, he had to create a potion from scratch to temporarily remove the concealment effect.

After thoroughly searching the treasury, Alexei found nothing else of value—except for one thing. In the far corner lay his old bag—the very one Sombra had taken from him long ago. Alexei picked it up, checked the contents, and was relieved to find everything, including the vial of tree sap, still intact. The bag even contained the mind-protecting artifact he had taken from Twilight. Alexei immediately discarded it without even touching it: the artifact bore Celestia’s magic, and continuing to carry it around would be asking for trouble.

Quickly gathering the remaining magical crystals and stashing them in the chalice, Alexei pondered his next move. Should he continue searching the castle?

Shaking his head, Alexei decided not to take the risk. He had already collected everything of value to him and didn’t want to waste time on scraps. But there was one last thing he wanted to retrieve.

Navigating the endless corridors of the castle, Alexei sprinted outside. His footsteps echoed in the silence of the empty halls, and the air felt thick with staleness and fatigue.

Finally, he burst outside and abruptly stopped, looking around. The miasma that had once been thick and nearly tangible had begun to dissipate. The clear sky was becoming more visible, which could only mean one thing—Equestrian forces would soon arrive.

“Time’s running out,” Alexei thought as he dashed toward the clearing where he had last seen the black tree.

His run was swift, almost instinctive—only a few crystal ponies crossed his path. Their eyes, wide with fear, darted away at the mere sight of Alexei, and they fled, desperately trying to avoid him. However, there were no problems—Alexei bore no hostility toward them. His focus was entirely elsewhere.

But when he reached the clearing, his face darkened. Instead of the tree, he was met with an empty crater in the ground.

Author's Note

“Demonology,” he muttered thoughtfully, placing the book back. He had a very good feeling about the contents of these books.