Chapter 142: Through Fire and Fog

Deadroot Caverns – Lower Sanctum

Kael’s knees buckled with every step, but Mira kept him upright. The walls of the sanctum pulsed with cursed heat. The deeper they went, the more it felt like walking inside a living creature. Veins of red and black flickered along the stone, humming with the gate’s energy. The gate’s presence wasn’t just physical—it was psychic, invasive. Every breath felt like inhaling smoke and memories not their own.

“We don’t have long,” Mira whispered. “He’ll notice I broke the wards.”

“How far to the exit?” Kael rasped.

“Three levels up. Two locked wards. One blood seal.”

“Easy, then.”

She gave a faint smirk. “Still cocky, even half-dead.”

The sanctum groaned around them, like it had a voice buried deep in its walls. Mira led them through an old stairwell carved from obsidian, hidden behind a crumbled wall that hadn’t been used in years. She’d memorized the passage in silence while serving Darian, always planning—always watching.

As they reached the second floor, a burst of red light exploded in the chamber below.

“He knows,” Kael whispered.

“He suspected,” Mira corrected. “Now he’s certain.”

Sanctum – Split Corridor

They reached a junction—one path led upward toward the temple exit, the other deeper into the sanctum’s heart.

Footsteps echoed from the left corridor. Too heavy to be human. A corrupted guardian—mutated beyond recognition—lumbered into view. It had once been a wolf, now twisted with bone armor, blind eyes glowing red.

Mira cursed under her breath. “Go. I’ll distract it.”

Kael shook his head. “Not this time.”

The creature lunged. Kael shifted mid-step, his body warping into his battle form—fur shadowed, claws extended. He collided with the guardian midair, driving it into the wall. It fought back with feral strength, throwing Kael against a pillar.

Mira rushed in, slicing across its spine. The beast screamed, flailing wildly. She ducked under a claw, rolled, and came up with her silver dagger poised. She drove it into the beast’s underbelly, right into the pulsing black core beneath the skin.

The guardian convulsed, roared, and then collapsed into ash.

Kael staggered, bruised but breathing. “That was new.”

“They’re stronger now,” Mira muttered, wiping blood from her face. “He’s accelerating the merge.”

Forest of Hollow Winds – Edge of the Dead Zone

Selene stood with Elias and Lyra at the edge of the cursed lands. The trees here had no leaves. No birds. Just silence and whispers. A suffocating fog hovered inches above the ground, glowing faintly red.

The medallion at Selene’s collarbone glowed, each pulse syncing with her heartbeat. The deeper they moved into the forest, the louder her visions became.

She saw Naelira’s face, heard the last words of a woman she barely remembered but had always known. Her mother’s memories were awakening inside her, guiding her.

“They’re moving,” she said. “Kael and Mira. They're escaping.”

“Together?” Lyra asked, raising a brow.

Selene nodded. “He’s wounded. She’s helping him.”

Theron stepped from the shadows. He looked different—his posture more assured, his aura muted. “Then now is the time. While Darian’s distracted.”

Elias looked at Selene. “How do you want to do this?”

“We move under the fog line,” she said. “Circle the ravine. The medallion will guide us.”

Lyra checked her weapons, tying a bloodstained ribbon around her wrist. “We’ll have one shot to take him down before he completes the merge.”

Selene turned toward the darkening sky. “Then let’s not miss.”

Sanctum – Outer Halls

Mira and Kael reached the final warded gate. Mira smeared her blood across the sigil, whispering the ancient release chant. The lock hissed, the stone parting with a reluctant groan.

Cold air rushed in. They were close.

Kael stumbled toward the edge, catching the scent of pine and moonlight. Freedom.

But behind them, the sanctum screamed.

The gate pulsed.

“He knows,” Mira whispered. “He’s coming.”

Kael looked back. “Then we run.”

They fled into the forest, the sanctum behind them cracking with magical backlash.

At the Forest Edge

Selene halted as the medallion surged. Her hand flew to her chest.

“What is it?” Elias asked.

“Something’s changed. The sanctum… it’s destabilizing.”

Theron tensed. “Then Darian’s losing control.”

“Or forcing it,” Selene said. “Either way, we’re out of time.”

She looked toward the mountains in the distance—where the sanctum was hidden beneath centuries of warded stone.

“Let’s end this,” she whispered.

And they vanished into the fog.