They met in the middle like two storms looking for a spine to break.The first ranks hit hard—shields of scorched iron, spears of bone and light. The dead didn’t shout or snarl. They moved in silence, each step measured, each strike precise, like a memory looping on command.Jin broke the line with a roar and an axe swing that cratered the ground. Shock ripples knocked three soldiers sideways. Lyra slid through the opening he made, twin blades flashing, wrists turning sharp and clean. Knees first. Necks next. Back out before the formation closed.Sera didn’t rush. She spread her hands and let the shadows drop like a curtain, a wall of black that swallowed the first volley of light-spears and spat them back as slivers of night. A dozen undead fell, headless, their bodies hanging upright for a beat before folding as one.Draven stepped into the space they’d carved and the world bent toward him.The air around his blade shivered. Golden lines ran along the steel like veins, brightening w

The new passage breathed like a living thing.Each exhale stirred dust that hadn’t moved in centuries. The air grew colder with every step, damp stone giving way to smooth marble veined with faint gold light.No one spoke. Words felt wrong down here.Only their footsteps and the hiss of torch-flame echoed off the walls.Sera finally broke the silence. “This tunnel wasn’t carved—it was grown.”She ran a hand along the wall. “See the texture? Magical crystallization. The tomb rebuilt itself.”“Then it wanted us to find this,” Jin muttered. “Great.”They emerged into a vast circular chamber. The ceiling arched high overhead, engraved with constellations that shimmered faintly when their torches flared. At the center stood a dais of cracked marble, and on it… a throne.King Aldrich sat there. Or what was left of him.The crown was broken cleanly in half across his brow. His armor gleamed like molten silver, but his face—his face was hollow light, flickering like a candle trapped in glass.

The walk back felt longer than it should have.Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was the weight of what they'd left behind. Either way, every step dragged, and the silence between them stretched thin.Draven led the way, his sword heavy at his hip. Behind him, Jin limped slightly, favoring his left leg. Lyra kept checking her daggers like she expected them to break. Sera walked without a word, her eyes distant.None of them had slept well. None of them would admit it.The sun climbed higher as they followed the dirt road back toward the staging area where Varen had set up base camp. Three miles, maybe four. Not far. But it felt like walking through mud."How long do you think he's been waiting?" Lyra asked eventually."Varen?" Jin snorted. "Probably pacing holes in the ground. That man doesn't sit still.""He's going to have questions," Sera said."He always has questions," Draven muttered.They crested a small hill, and the valley below came into view. The camp should've been visible

Draven kept watch while the others slept, his eyes scanning the darkness between the trees. Every shadow looked like a threat. Every sound made his hand drift toward his sword.Something was wrong.He couldn't put his finger on it, but the feeling sat heavy in his gut. The rescue had been too easy. The mercenaries too disorganized. For a professional company, they'd fallen apart fast.Too fast.Beside him, Varen shifted in his sleep, muttering something unintelligible. Rask breathed heavily, his ribs clearly hurting from the beating he'd taken.Draven looked at them in the dim moonlight filtering through the trees.Then he froze.Varen's wrist. The rope burns were there, red and raw. But something about them looked wrong. Too perfect. Too symmetrical.Draven stood slowly, moving closer. He knelt beside the merchant, studying his face in the pale light.The cuts were real. The bruises were real. But the way Varen breathed, the way he lay there—It was too still. Too posed.Like a paint

The academy gates looked different when they returned.Same stone walls. Same guard towers. Same banners flapping in the wind. But something felt off.Maybe it was them who'd changed.Draven walked through the gates with his team behind him. Students passed by, laughing and talking about classes. Normal academy life. Like nothing had happened.Like they hadn't just failed to save two people."I need a shower," Lyra said quietly. "And sleep. Lots of sleep.""Same," Jin agreed.They split up in the courtyard. Jin headed to the dormitories. Lyra toward the bathhouses. Sera just disappeared without a word, the way she always did when things got heavy.Draven stood alone in the courtyard, watching students move around him.He should report to Master Vex. File the expedition paperwork. Explain what happened.But he couldn't make himself move.The pendant was cool against his chest. Silent. No ancient memories offering wisdom. Just his own thoughts circling endlessly.Varen and Rask were sti