The Church changed without warning. Raizō felt it first. The corridors pushed back now, not hard, but enough to notice. Mana that had once flowed quietly around them pressed against their movement, reacting to every step as if the walls themselves were awake. Seris slowed, her breath catching for just a moment before she forced it steady.

  “We can’t stay here,” she said quietly. “Something’s wrong.”

  They moved faster. Not running yet, but no longer careful. The space tightened around them. Doors closed sooner. Corridors narrowed just enough to keep them close. The scripture along the walls faintly glowed, reacting to motion instead of presence.

  Order Knights stepped into view. Four of them filled the corridor from wall to wall. Shields were raised. Blades were ready. One of them already held a small glowing seal in his hand. Raizō moved the moment the light appeared, but the knight did not freeze or slow. The glow flashed once. Raizō felt it register. He stepped in fast, striking at the knight's arm to knock the seal away instead of trying to take him down. The hit landed, but the Knight turned with it, lifting his shield in time to block the next strike. The seal slipped from his hand and hit the floor, still glowing.

  Another knight stepped in at once, blade sweeping low to force Raizō back. Raizō shifted and blocked, boots scraping stone as he gave ground under steady pressure. They were trying to keep him there. To Raizō’s right, Taren brought his spear up and drove it forward. The point struck a shield and forced the knight back a step. Taren moved with it, pushing again, keeping distance between them and stopping the Knight from closing in. The knight knocked the spear aside, but the line wavered. Seris slipped through the opening that formed, moving fast and low. She struck at the fourth knight’s side, aiming where protection gave way. He twisted away just enough to avoid the blade, but the move pulled him out of place and crowded the corridor even more.

  The knights adjusted. The first knight kicked the glowing seal farther down the corridor and drew his blade. The one facing Raizō pressed harder, forcing him back step by step. Another knight pushed into Taren’s space, shield forward, trying to crowd him and take away his reach. The corridor felt smaller by the second. Raizō changed what he was doing. Instead of pushing forward, he struck low as the first knight shifted his weight. The blow landed hard. The knight’s leg gave out and he dropped to one knee, shield scraping stone as he fell.

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  The line broke. Taren acted at once. He drove the spear forward again, this time past the shield, the point biting deep enough to stop the knight cold. The man cried out and stumbled back, losing his footing. Seris did not slow. She stepped in close to the last knight and drove her blade into his side. He stiffened, then collapsed without a sound. One knight was still standing. He did not retreat. He picked up the seal and pressed it fully. The glow burned steady in his palm. Raizō crossed the last step and struck him down a heartbeat later, driving him into the wall and then the floor. Silence followed. They were too late again. They’re position was flagged yet again. The glow faded. Raizō felt the space change at once, cold and exact, like something important had just been decided.

  “Move,” he said, breath tight. “Now.”

  They ran. Footsteps echoed behind them, then ahead of them. Corridors shifted as they passed, stone sliding into place with calm purpose. The Church was not chasing them. It was changing the space around them. Another group appeared at an intersection, forcing them to turn. A pressure wave rolled through the floor, just enough to steal breath and balance.

  “Don’t stop,” Seris shouted.

  They didn’t. They rounded a corner and the world split. Stone dropped between them with brutal speed. Scripture flared white for a heartbeat, then went dark. The corridor sealed cleanly, exact and final. Taren was thrown back by the sudden change, stumbling into the new passage as Order Knights surged in behind him. Raizō turned.

  “Taren!”

  The wall closed. Raizō struck it once, pain shooting up his arm. On the other side, Taren staggered upright. The pressure did not ease. It grew stronger, pushing him forward, giving him no time to breathe. Raizō pressed his palm to the stone.

  “Run,” he shouted. “Don’t stop. Just run.”

  There was no reply. The pressure surged again, forcing Raizō back. Another corridor sealed behind them, cutting off retreat. Seris grabbed his arm.

  “We can’t stay here.”

  Raizō tore himself away and moved. They ran again, faster now, no longer choosing their pace. The Church reacted at once, closing routes, opening others, never letting them slow. Somewhere else, Taren ran through unfamiliar corridors, driven forward by pressure that refused to let him stop. Elsewhere, Shizume moved unseen, paths sealing behind her as fast as she adjusted, the Church reshaping space faster than she could read it. None of them understood what the Church was doing yet. Only that stopping meant dying. And the Church had all the time in the world.