The staircase spiraled upward for what felt like hours, every step echoing in the vast silence. Kaelen’s breath fogged in the cold air, his bare feet slick with dried blood. The crimson runes burned faintly beneath his skin, a reminder of the deal he had made. The Exiled God’s voice had gone quiet after the battle, leaving Kaelen alone with his thoughts. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or uneasy about the silence. Whatever he’d bound himself to, it wasn’t done with him yet. At last, the staircase ended in a massive archway that opened onto a sprawling corridor—the second floor. Kaelen paused, scanning his surroundings. The chamber beyond was unlike the ruin below; this level looked like the remains of a once-grand cathedral, its towering pillars carved with intricate murals. Shafts of pale light filtered through cracks in the ceiling, illuminating motes of dust that floated like snow, so quiet.Kaelen crouched, examining the floor. The cracked tiles were streaked with dried

The staircase narrowed as Kaelen climbed, the air turning colder with every step. The glow from the runes on his dagger dimmed, swallowed by the oppressive darkness pressing in around him. Even the tower’s constant hum, a sound he had grown accustomed to, faded until all he could hear was his own breathing and the faint drip of water from somewhere far above. When he finally emerged from the staircase, it was into a cavernous hall. Thousands of them hung from the ceiling, thick and rusted, some disappearing into cracks in the stone floor while others dangled free like pendulums. They swayed gently in a breeze Kaelen couldn’t feel, clinking softly, the sound echoing through the massive chamber. The air smelled of iron and mildew.Kaelen stepped forward cautiously, water dripping from his clothes as he studied the room. His instincts screamed that this was no simple passage. The hall felt… alive and watching. The god’s voice whispered in his mind, low and amused. Ah, the Hall of C

The darkness yawned beneath Kaelen, an endless void where Varin had been swallowed whole. The chains writhed like living serpents, their clinking echoing up through the abyss.Leave him, the Exiled God murmured in his mind. He’s already marked for death. You’ll only follow him to your grave. Kaelen tightened his grip on the glowing dagger, its crimson light pulsing like a heartbeat. “I’m not leaving him.” The god’s voice turned sharp. “You barely know him.” “He saved my life,” Kaelen growled. A low chuckle reverberated in his head. So noble. It will get you killed. Kaelen ignored him. He sheathed the dagger and looped a broken chain around his waist, tying it off as a makeshift harness. He tested the tension; it would hold. Then he began his descent. The chains were cold, slick with condensation. The air grew damp as Kaelen lowered himself into the void, the glow of the platform above shrinking until it was nothing but a distant halo. The silence down here wasn’t empty; it was

The Warden moved like a living fortress. Chains coiled from its shoulders, each link glowing with molten runes, striking the floor like whips. Its massive fists, each the size of a carriage, slammed down, cracking the stone beneath Kaelen’s feet. Kaelen dove aside, rolling across the trembling floor. A chain lashed out, wrapping around a pillar, and the Warden yanked, tearing it down like paper. Varin’s spear crackled with blue energy as he hurled it at the Warden’s head. The weapon struck true, exploding in a burst of light that staggered the massive creature. But the Warden only roared, the sound shaking dust from the ceiling. “Hit its core!” Varin shouted. Kaelen’s gaze flicked to the Heart, the massive crystal pulsing in the center of the room, connected to the Warden by chains. He sprinted forward, dagger glowing crimson in his hand, but another chain lashed out, slamming into his side and throwing him across the chamber. He slammed into a wall, the breath knocked from his