CHAPTER 143 A RING THAT LOOKED SIMPLEThe journey began before sunrise. The cathedral disappeared behind them beneath layers of mist and fading darkness while the eastern horizon slowly brightened with pale silver light. The cathedral meeting already felt distant, though the weight of everything discussed there remained firmly lodged in Rylan’s mind. He wasn’t just chasing a Seal this time, he was chasing for answers. The group traveled in silence for much of the morning. Seraphine led them through old roads long abandoned by modern travelers. Some paths had once connected ancient Dominion territories before being swallowed by forests and time. Massive stone markers occasionally emerged from the undergrowth, covered in faded symbols that nobody except Seraphine seemed capable of recognizing.Rylan walked near the middle of the group, his hand remained inside his truffle sack bag, wrapped around something. A ring, the Seal of Dominion. To anyone else it appeared ordinary. Just an old

CHAPTER 145THE VOICE BEHIND THE THRONE Rylan did not sleep again. The dream lingered long after he woke, refusing to fade the way ordinary dreams did. Usually details disappeared within minutes, dissolving into fragments and half-remembered images. This one remained intact. Every stone of that impossible city. Every banner hanging from those colossal walls. Every word spoken by the figure on the throne. Most of all, the feeling remained.The sky above the camp slowly brightened as dawn approached. The others began stirring one by one while the last remnants of the campfire smoldered quietly. Lucien was already awake, sharpening a blade beside a fallen log. Mara emerged from beneath her blanket looking annoyed at the existence of morning itself. Rylan sat apart from them, staring at the ring. The Seal of Dominion rested in his palm. The silver band reflected the weak morning light while dark engravings circled its surface in patterns that seemed almost random. Yet the longer he looke

CHAPTER 147THE BARGAINMira sat against the back wall of her cell, staring at the bars. Days had passed since their capture or maybe not. Time felt strange down here. Across the corridor, Tovin was pacing again, Sera sat with her arms folded while Niko remained near the corner of his cell, trying unsuccessfully to hide how nervous he was, Darain stood near the bars, watching the corridor with the patience of someone who expected trouble eventually and trouble arrived sooner than expected.The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the prison and everyone immediately became alert, then the corridor doors opened and assian entered. The atmosphere changed instantly. The prison somehow felt colder whenever he appeared. His black coat looked untouched by dust despite the underground tunnels. The same two cloaked cultists followed behind him, silent as shadows. Cassian walked calmly between the cells.“Good evening.” “Always a pleasure,” Tovin muttered.Cassian smiled faintly. “You

CHAPTER 149THE BREAKMira had spent every waking hour watching the guards, memorizing patrol routes and studying every weakness she could find. Eran had been doing the same from his separate containment cell. Piece by piece, the prison had revealed itself to them. The eastern checkpoint changed guards shortly after midnight. For exactly three minutes, the corridor remained undermanned while the replacement patrol crossed from the upper levels. Three minutes, that was all they had. The moment arrived quietly. Mira was sitting against the wall of her cell when the warmth beneath her skin returned. Stronger this time. The strange resonance from the Seal of Flesh moved through her veins like liquid fire. It wasn’t painful. If anything, it felt familiar. Mira froze then slowly lifted her wrists. The blood-binding restraints were still intact, but something had changed. The warmth spread into her fingers, threading itself through muscle and bone. Across the corridor, Sera noticed immediat

CHAPTER 151THE FIRST VAMPIRE SPEAKSThe sanctuary remained quiet long after the conversations ended. Nobody felt reassured by what they had learned. If anything, the documents from Nyxara and Rylan’s dreams only confirmed what they already feared. Whatever was happening inside him was accelerating. Eventually, night settled fully across the mountains. Most of the group attempted to rest, though very few managed it successfully. The atmosphere within the sanctuary felt wrong now, heavy in a way none of them could explain.Rylan sat alone near one of the sanctuary’s outer balconies. Cold air drifted through the ancient stone arches while darkness stretched endlessly beyond the mountains below. For a while he simply stared into the distance, trying not to think about crimson skies, ancient cities and thrones waiting inside his dreams. Footsteps eventually approached. Mira. She sat beside him without speaking and for several moments neither of them said anything. The silence felt comfort