The torches flickered low inside the ruins' cavernous chamber, their flames barely enough to banish the thick, looming dark.

  Most of the light clustered near the tunnel entrances, leaving the rest of the space cloaked in shadows.

  David sat on the cold stone, his back against Sophie’s, She was tending to a group of children, gently wiping faces and murmuring comforts.

  He scanned the faces around him.

  Janni was off to the side, surrounded by people trying to pry apart the mangled metal of her breastplate. She was awake now, teeth clenched, enduring it all with sparse grunts.

  David felt a glimmer of satisfaction. Dragging her out hadn’t been in vain.

  Then the crowd shifted.

  Someone was pushing through, muttered complaints following in her wake.

  Viera emerged from the gloom, her clothes torn and streaked with dried blood. “There you are,” she said, catching sight of him. Her gaze lingered on his bandaged arm. “Are you alright? We still have work to do.”

  David didn’t answer. He knew what she really meant. Don’t collapse before I get what I need from you.

  Her voice, her face, her concern—it was all a performance. He understood that now.

  He decided to reply in kind.

  He looked up, eyes wide with fake hope. “Did… Did Mister Hiveo make it back yet?”

  Viera’s breath caught. For a moment, something cracked in her expression.

  “They found his body,” she said softly.

  David’s head fell, shoulders trembling. Fake tears started flowing. Or were they fake? They came much too easily.

  “B–but…” he whispered. “He said he’d hold the golem off…”

  Viera placed a hand on his shoulder.

  He could feel the slight tremble of her fingers. Hiveo’s death must have been hard for her.

  Shit happens. You had this coming.

  She didn’t linger long.

  “Come on,” she said. “There’s more we need to check. Dolen’s coming with us.”

  Sophie flinched behind him, but David squeezed her hand before she could speak up.

  He stood up without a word, glanced back at Sophie, then followed after Viera.

  They walked in silence, deeper into the ruins.

  The tunnels grew narrower and colder. David closed his eyes as they walked past the first ornate door. Anything to forget that sight; The head rolling on the damp floor. The frozen eyes…

  He shook his head and sped up his steps.

  Soon they reached the second sealed door. Now, with Dolen flanking them and the golems dispatched, it felt safe. Uncomfortable, heavy with grief, but safe.

  What followed blurred into a mechanical routine. David translated. Viera and Dolen hovered around. Sketching when needed, but mostly keeping watch.

  The second tunnel bore signs of a very different culture.

  The carvings were more understated, with very little magical effects.

  Weird. Judging by the texts on the walls, he was sure that tribe had a strong affinity for magic.

  David flinched in surprise as he found a massive map, much larger than before. It covered the area from behind Ki-Elico, all the way past where Grainwick used to be.

  Some locations were clearly marked, but there was little description as to what they signified.

  “Could you–?” He turned to Viera.

  She stopped pacing around, looked at the carving, then nodded.

  “Give me something to write on,” She nudged Dolen.

  The man sighed and turned his head slightly. A horizontal barrier appeared in front of her, slanted like a university desk.

  Viera grabbed some paper, a pencil, and began sketching.

  David stood befuddled for just a second, the abstractness of the scene making him forget all about the horrors he had just endured.

  Briefly. If it works…

  He blinked a few times, then moved on. Fingers tracing a different inscription.

  A ritual? Filled with dense descriptions of some unknown word that repeated over and over.

  Whatever that was, it could be bound within objects.

  Sounds magicky… enough. He pulled out his own paper and started writing it down.

  But the deeper he got into the descriptions, the more he got an uncanny feeling reading it. It felt deeply alchemical in nature, like something he could find in Aura’s notes.

  I wonder if I could use it?

  He quickly finished the copy—A messy version, omitting fodder words and barely legible. He took a sneak peak just to make sure neither Viera nor Dolen were watching his hands, then folded the page and hid it in his satchel.

  He started writing a cleaner version for Viera.

  “Anything interesting?” She called out to him, done with sketching the map.

  “Some ritual.” He said, his voice level.

  She gave him a distracted nod, then returned to pacing around.

  Was she so stressed about Hiveo? Or their losses?

  They moved further down until suddenly, they reached the end of the tunnel. The wall was covered with a massive bas-relief, spanning nearly the entire wall.

  A giant fox standing in front of a cave.

  Nine tails swirled like a storm behind it.

  David froze.

  “What is it?” Viera asked.

  That monster again. The ancient one. But he didn’t want to share that encounter with them.

  He forced himself to speak. “Maybe one of the monster kings?”

  Viera frowned and knocked against the wall. Hollow.

  “Dolen,” she called.

  The mage stepped forward, placing a hand on the stone. “It’s sealed with a ward. If we try to break it, it’ll bury us.”

  David stepped closer. There was writing beneath the carving—stylized and winding. He read aloud, stumbling through the phrasing.

  Greet me, my kin.

  “A riddle?” Viera murmured.

  Dolen rolled his eyes. “It’d be faster to remove the ward than play guessing games.”

  David stared at the text. When he encountered the smaller fox in the forest, it communicated by sending visions. Maybe…?

  “Try illusion magic.”

  Viera turned, surprised. “Why?” But she quickly shook her head. “None can do. The ring’s damaged anyway.”

  “I can try something,” Dolen offered.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  He raised a hand. An incredibly detailed magic circle flared to life, but it was wildly different from what he was used to.

  He could tell its capacity was tiny… And yet, Dolen’s face was strained with effort and he took a while to complete it.

  Was illusion so difficult? But those foxes did it so seamlessly.

  Light shimmered against the carving. The fox twitched. Then it moved.

  It roared silently, turned, and padded aside— fully revealing the cave entrance carved into the wall.

  David walked up, curious and apprehensive in equal measure. He touched the carving and his hand went straight through it.

  They stepped in carefully.

  A chamber lay beyond. There were no ornamentations within.

  Only dozens of simple pedestals.

  They were long empty, aside from two. Atop them stood crystals the size of apples.

  “That’s it?” Viera plucked them up and handed them to Dolen. “I’m done with this place.”

  She stepped out of the hidden chamber without looking back.

  “Let’s go,” her voice reached David and Dolen through the wall. “The sun will be rising soon.”

  David sighed as he followed her past pages upon pages of ancient history.

  Knowledge that would forever be lost to time, for no one cared about it.

  Even he had bigger issues on his mind at that point.

  David’s breath grew laboured as he struggled up the stairs outside, his exhaustion catching up to him. Every step out of the earth felt like shedding the weight of a hundred lifetimes.

  All that happened, would remain buried there. He was already starting to forget about it.

  By the time they left the ruins, dawn was approaching, with crimson rays of light painted the blue forest in magenta.

  The air was suffocating with burnt flesh and spilt blood.

  Surprisingly, there weren’t many casualties outside of the initial fighting with the golems.

  He thought back to the battle for grainwick and how desperate it felt back then.

  A powerful mage, a massive illusion and an artifact wielding knight could make all the difference.

  Viera and Dolen moved ahead of the others, having a heated discussion about something.

  The remaining rebel soldiers—those not too wounded to stand—hauled anything they could move from the ruins outside. There were baskets brimming with shattered marble and enchanted weapons.

  Where are they moving them? No way they can bring those into the city.

  Janni, still pale and bruised, stayed behind to rest with the others. Cero was with her, the frostfire sword still at his side.

  David walked quietly among the refugees as they approached the city.

  They reached the outskirts just as the gates opened and golden light bathed the world.

  With no announcement, life lurched back into motion.

  The night’s horror was quickly buried beneath the morning’s bustle.

  People streamed out to chop wood and forage, while academy mages began restoring the burnt battlefield.

  His mind couldn’t come to terms with it all yet.

  The ancient people created sprawling civilizations… Then what are these half-mindless beasts that attack us on sight?

  Viera’s anxious voice brought him back to the present. "We go in now,” she said to Dolen and Cero.

  They had already changed their clothes to look like typical commoners coming back from the forest.

  David hesitated. The secret passage lingered in his mind like a final card to play.

  He could tell them. Lead them back through. But if Hiveo had never shared it with them, how could David know it?

  He could just as well admit his crime and kill himself again.

  Do they even deserve my help after all they have done?

  David turned to Viera. “I’m going to find Sophie.”

  She gave him a distracted nod, already half-turned toward the gate. “Fine.”

  He peeled away, weaving through the crowd until he found Sophie, slowly walking toward the gates. She was constantly looking around, glancing at the refugee children left behind in the field.

  She lit up when she saw him.

  “Don’t go yet,” he said quietly.

  Sophie frowned. “What? Why?”

  “Trust me.” He paused. “Viera was terribly stressed, I think there’s some trouble coming.”

  He looked toward the city.

  The undercover rebel leaders stood at the gates, speaking to a group of guards.

  David couldn’t hear the words, but the posture was clear—dismissive on one side, defiant on the other.

  Then it changed.

  More soldiers approached. Voices raised.

  A flash erupted—a burst of light and force David instantly recognized as one of Dolen’s spells.

  “Shit,” he muttered.

  The gates erupted in shouting. Viera and the others ran for the trees, barely visible barriers stopping arrows from reaching their backs.

  David’s stomach twisted. He could still run after them. Bring them to the passage.

  They were getting farther away with each second.

  But he stood still.

  His eyes tracked the sword strapped to Cero’s back. The frostfire blade.

  His fingers clenched.

  They ran away, and the artifact was lost with them.

  “Come on,” he said, pulling Sophie along.

  “Marco, what’s happening?” She refused to budge. “Viera’s in trouble—what about you? Are you... are we safe?”

  “I don’t know. I hope so.”

  “You hope so?” She stared at him.

  “Please, just trust me for now. I’ll tell you everything later.”

  After her reluctant nod, He led Sophie along the city’s outer wall, keeping low until they reached the hidden entrance.

  It opened with the same etched phrase he saw in Hiveo’s memory.

  As they entered the dark tunnel, David prayed.

  Please, let it be all over.

  David’s heart thundered as he walked through the mossy tunnel.

  The golems clearly came from some noble. Did the city already know about them?

  What if the passage was discovered? Were there soldiers waiting on the other side for them?

  But no such thing happened.

  Inside, the city was basked in golden glow, but it felt different than they remembered.

  “What was that tunnel? And why is it so empty here?”

  “Please just give me more time. Once we’re safe, I’ll explain everything.”

  “Aren’t we sa–” Sophie paused mid word and sighed. “Let’s just go.”

  It’s too empty. We aren’t safe until we’re behind our own doors.

  They rushed home as fast as David’s injuries allowed him.

  They were almost back when they stopped by one of the squares.

  Peeking from behind a corner, they saw throngs of people.

  Lined up, with hundreds of guards walking around, questioning and making lists.

  “Let’s go around. We need to get home.” David was already moving until Sophie stopped him.

  “Wait! I can see Bert in the crowd! What’s happening here?”

  David’s heart dropped.

  An ambush to hold the rebels at the ruins with a list of citizens being created at the same time? He didn’t need to think long about it.

  But if Aura and Bert were already here, they had no choice but to join them.

  “Sophie, please listen to me. We might be in real trouble because we were outside of the city.”

  “What? Why?” Her eyes searched his face in confusion.

  “My job, the one with Viera… It might be the cause of all this.”

  “It’s okay. I did nothing wrong and you were with me the whole time.” She looked him straight in the eyes.

  David’s breath caught. What?

  “I’m not letting you go to jail. Not before you tell me everything.” She rustled his hair and turned around to walk into the square.

  David stifled his surprise and quickly followed after her.

  They were immediately spotted by the guards. Few of them started walking their way from different directions.

  Sophie took a look at all of them, then turned toward a particular group.

  David had no plan. Not even an inkling of how to get out of this one… But Sophie clearly saw a way. He followed behind her, ready to adapt to whatever approach she wanted to take.

  They reached a group of three guards, with others returning to their duties.

  “Who are you? Why are you not with your families?” One of the guards asked, his tone harsh.

  “I stayed too long with the kids, the gates closed on us. We barely survived.” She looked up from under her eyelashes. “Can we go to our parents?”

  The man only shrugged, “Well, tough luck. You’ll argue your case in jail.”

  “Come on,” another guard interjected, his voice familiar. “You know her, no? The crazy girl who feeds the refugees? That’s all she does.”

  What’s happening?

  David finally recognized the guard. It was Hito.

  “Rules are rules. If not for the attack, their family would be behind bars already,” The first guard didn’t relent.

  Hito shrugged and placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Lare, this isn’t who the lord wanted to find, and the jails will be full anyway.”

  Lare grumbled, but relented. “Fine. Make sure to add them to the list.”

  Hito winked at Sophie and she flashed him a small smile as the group moved on.

  Was he… trying to flirt with her?

  The situation got out of his control, yet Sophie handled it flawlessly.

  He had a lot to think about as they made their way through the crowd.

  Aura burst into tears at the sight of them—bloodied, dirty, whole. “What happened to you two?”

  As they hugged, Sophie recounted her story of the night, cleverly omitting anything that dealt with the rebels or the ruins.

  You never know who’s listening.

  The following minutes weighed heavy on David’s mind.

  He still couldn’t fully believe it.

  Surely, guards would change their mind and jail them. Everything could still fall apart.

  But it didn’t.

  Lare came by to write their names on a list and gave them permission to return home.

  As they returned inside, David saw the procession.

  A line of detained families. Mothers. Fathers. Crying children.

  Among them: Viera’s two daughters and the barkeep of Mason’s retreat.

  He didn’t know why exactly they were being taken away, but he could wager a guess.

  They were being led through the streets under armed escort, headed toward the holding cells.

  Right. Viera didn’t make it back to the city. I couldn’t do anything about it.

  He looked away, nodding to himself.

  They’re just gonna question them and let them go.

  The door to the streets shut behind them.

  Inside, it was warm.

  Quiet.

  Safe.

  They walked to their room, happy to be reunited. But David stayed silent. He was too tired for conversation.

  Finally able to breathe, he collapsed onto the bed as Aura’s concerned questions washed over him.

  His secrets were intact.

  He could finally join the academy.

  Everyone important survived.

  He drifted away, too tired to participate in the reunion.