After I had gotten to my trembling feet, my mind was still spinning from the after-effects of the hallucination. The image of that girl, a warm memory in this cold hell, only added to my confusion. I looked at the entrance to the industrial zone before me. The constant roar of distant machinery grated on my nerves, and the sharp scent of rust and ozone filled the air.

  "We can't cross this place," I said, my voice carrying a desperate tone. "That air... it nearly killed me." Then I turned to my silent companion. I had learned my lesson. "404. Is there a way to get past this?"

  404 looked at me and tilted his head slightly. "The hazard is not in the entire atmosphere, but a specific gas that has been released in this area. I will return to find a solution."

  Before I could object, 404 turned and went back into the industrial darkness with his usual calm.

  Fear suddenly gripped me. This was the first time I had been left completely alone since entering this mountain. The thought of the "third threat" that was still "always close" returned to stab at my side.

  Two minutes that felt like an eternity passed, and then 404's massive silhouette emerged from the darkness once more. He was carrying two things in his hands. The first was a dark leather mask, connected to a small metal box. The second was a familiar rectangular metal device.

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  "A filtration device," 404 said as he handed me the mask. "Designed to neutralize the gaseous agent."

  I took the mask, feeling a slight sense of relief. Then I looked at the other device in his hand. "Another recording device..." I muttered, feeling a mixture of anticipation and dread. "What secrets does this one hold?"

  I took the device. It was cold and heavy. I ran my thumb over a circular dial, which moved slightly under my pressure. Suddenly, a faint crackle emanated from the device, then the voice of a man.

  (The recording begins with static, then the sound of a man breathing heavily, his voice filled with regret and exhaustion, not fear.)

  "Leo... can you hear me? We... 'The Pulse of Liberation'... oh, Leo, we were wrong. Wrong about everything. The King... the King was right all along."

  (A painful sigh is heard.)

  "My hands are stained with his blood... you know? He didn't even resist. Worse... he was smiling."

  "Listen to me carefully. Stay in the lab. Don't come out. You have enough food and water for months. When everything calms down... go to the palace. You have the key. Use it and escape this mountain... Live free... as we all wanted."

  "As for me... I must atone for my mistakes. I'm going to face them."

  (The sound of machinery approaching rapidly is heard, then a final scream, and the recording cuts off abruptly.)

  Silence returned.

  I was frozen, the words ringing in my ears. A civil war... regretful rebels... and a king who died smiling. I looked at 404, who stood silent as usual, then at the mask in my hand, then at the darkness before me. This place was no longer just a cavern; it had become a distorted mirror of a history I never knew existed.