We can't win this

The sanctuary didn't just wake. It erupted.

Valentine's world tilted before she could even process the shift. No screams. No alarms. Just a raw, primal recoil that hit like a punch to the gut. The silver veins etched into the pale stone walls blazed to life. Not with their usual gentle pulse, but in wild, jagged bursts. Light flooded the chamber, stinging her eyes and searing her skin. The low hum that had been a constant companion since she'd opened her eyes here deepened into a thunderous vibration. It rattled her bones, her teeth, her very soul.

She stumbled. Her hand slapped against the nearest pillar for balance as the floor bucked beneath her like a living thing trying to shake off an intruder. "What the hell is happening?" she snapped. Her voice carried fear she couldn't quite swallow.

Eryx was already in motion. His usual stoic calm shattered like glass under a hammer. He whipped toward the far end of the chamber. His hand sliced through the air, igniting a cascade of glowing symbols. Intricate sigils spun out like a web of fire, precise and deadly.

"They felt you," he said. His tone was clipped. Urgent.

Her heart hammered against her ribs. A frantic drumbeat. "Who? Who the fuck is 'they'?"

The answer ripped through the air before he could spit it out.

Space itself cracked open with a sound like thunder splitting stone. A sharp, unnatural fracture warped the chamber's reality. It folded inward like silk caught in a gale. The runes carved into the floor flared in desperate warning as three figures stepped through the tear. They emerged from the void as casually as if they'd strolled through an open door.

Their cloaks were the color of cold ash. Heavy and still despite the chaos swirling around them. Masks obscured their faces. Ancient markings etched into the surface made Valentine's skin crawl with a recognition she didn't want.

The Watchers.

Eryx cursed under his breath. Low and vicious.

"You said this place only lets in those it knows," Valentine hissed. She backed up until she was almost pressed against him. Her voice edged with panic. "They're standing right here!"

"Yeah," Eryx growled. His eyes narrowed. "Which means they're not intruders. The sanctuary let them in."

One of the Watchers stepped forward. The symbols on the floor dimmed under his boots. Not dying out, but submitting. Like they recognized some twisted authority. "Convergence," he intoned. His voice was a warped echo. It didn't just hit her ears. It pressed against them. Heavy and invasive. Like fingers squeezing her skull.

"You awaken too soon."

Valentine's stomach plummeted. A cold void opened inside her. "You know what I am."

"We know what you will become," the second Watcher replied. His tone was flat. Final. "And we cannot allow it."

Eryx shifted in front of her. A shield of muscle and barely leashed power. Energy rolled off him in tight, controlled waves. It thickened the air like an invisible barrier. Ready to crush anything that dared cross it.

"You're breaking the Accord," he said. His voice was ice-cold steel.

"The Accord shattered the instant she was rejected," the first Watcher countered. "The anchor broke. The signal rang out. You can't shield her anymore."

Those words slammed into Valentine harder than any fist. The rejection. It hadn't been her salvation. It had been a beacon. Screaming her existence to every monster in the shadows.

Eryx's jaw clenched. A muscle ticked like a countdown. "You won't touch her."

The third Watcher tilted his head. Almost amused. "You misunderstand, guardian. We're not here to take her."

The floor pulsed under Valentine's feet. A violent tremor shot up her legs.

"We're here to end her."

Something inside Valentine snapped. Not fear. Not helpless terror. Rage. Pure and scorching. It ignited like wildfire in her veins. The silver threads beneath her skin flared to life. Heat surged through her body as the sanctuary's symbols responded in kind. They blazed brighter. Feeding off her fury.

The Watchers hesitated. Their masks cracked with faint lines of surprise.

Eryx whirled toward her. Eyes wide. "Valentine, don't."

Too late. The power exploded out of her. Raw and untamed. A storm she'd never known was caged inside. It wasn't elegant. It wasn't a practiced spell. It was instinct. A tidal wave crashing free.

The sanctuary amplified it tenfold. Pillars groaned and splintered as blinding light detonated through the room. A shockwave hurled two of the Watchers back like ragdolls. Their bodies crunched against the stone walls with bone-shattering force. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ancient rock. Dust and debris rained down in a chaotic haze.

The third Watcher held his ground. Barely. His mask fractured down the middle. A sliver of something grotesque showed beneath. Skin like shadowed marble. Eyes glowing with otherworldly hate. "Impossible," he rasped. His voice cracked for the first time.

Valentine stood at the epicenter. Her body trembled. Breaths came in ragged gasps. Her vision rimmed in silver fire. "You don't get to decide if I live or die," she snarled. Her voice carried a new edge. Laced with the power still crackling through her.

The Watcher let out a soft, chilling laugh. "You have no idea what you are, child. But we'll show you."

He lunged. Faster than humanly possible. His hand thrust forward as dark energy coiled around his fingers like living smoke. The air thickened. Turned viscous. It tried to bind her in place. Valentine felt it claw at her limbs. Squeezing. But her rage burned hotter. She pushed back. Her own power flared out in a silver arc. It collided with his shadow tendrils. Sparks erupted where they met. The chamber shook with the force of the clash.

Eryx didn't waste the opening. He surged forward. Symbols ignited around his fists like gauntlets of light. He slammed into the Watcher from the side. Drove a punch straight into the masked figure's chest. The impact rang out like a gong. The Watcher's body staggered as cracks spread across his cloak. Armor shimmered beneath. Forbidden runes glowed faintly.

The other two Watchers peeled themselves from the rubble with unnatural grace. One chanted in a guttural tongue. The words twisted the air into razor-sharp shards. They hurtled toward Valentine like invisible knives. She threw up her hands on pure instinct. A barrier of silver light snapped into existence. The shards shattered against it in explosions of dark mist. Pain lanced through her arms from the effort. She held. Gritted her teeth. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

"You think you can fight us?" the first Watcher sneered. He rose to his feet and summoned a whip of shadow. It lashed out at Eryx. Eryx dodged. Rolled to the side as the whip cracked against the floor. It carved a deep gash into the stone. He countered with a blast of sigil-fire. A bolt of pure energy grazed the Watcher's shoulder. It scorched the cloak and elicited a hiss of pain.

The third Watcher circled Valentine. His fractured mask leered. "Your power is wild. Unformed. It will consume you before it saves you." He hurled a binding spell. Chains of darkness snaked toward her. She sidestepped. One tendril caught her ankle. Yanked her off balance. She hit the ground hard. The impact jarred her bones. She rolled away. Channeled her anger into a surge that shattered the chain. Springing up, she unleashed a wave of silver force straight at him. It slammed him back into a pillar. The stone buckled. Chunks fell as he slumped. Momentarily stunned.

Eryx was locked in a brutal dance with the other two. His movements blurred with precision and power. He parried a shadow blade with a shield of light. Drove his knee into one's gut. Followed with an uppercut that sent the Watcher reeling. But they were relentless. Immortal guardians. Or close to it. One recovered and slashed at him with claws extended from beneath his cloak. Drew a line of blood across Eryx's arm. Eryx grunted. Pain flashed in his eyes. He twisted. Slammed a sigil into the Watcher's chest. It exploded in a burst of light. Hurled him across the room.

Valentine's breaths came in heaving gasps. Her body ached from the raw output of power. She could feel it draining her. Like fire eating through dry tinder. But she couldn't stop. Not now. The Watchers regrouped. Their chants rose in unison. Wove a net of darkness that began to close in on the chamber. Dimmed the sanctuary's light.

"We can't win this," Eryx shouted over the chaos. Blood dripped from his wound. "We have to go!"

The lead Watcher laughed again. The sound echoed like breaking glass. "Run, guardian. It changes nothing. The Convergence will be undone."

Valentine nodded. Her fury tempered by exhaustion. Eryx slapped his palm against the floor. Ignited a hidden transport sigil that flared beneath them. The binding net snapped shut just as the world twisted around them in a vortex of light and shadow.

Valentine's scream tore from her throat as reality shredded and reformed. Senses exploded in a maelstrom of cold wind and blinding glare. They crashed onto hard ground. Stone mixed with damp dirt. The sharp tang of ancient earth filling her lungs.