They returned before sunrise.
Paul led, silent as ever, cloaked in focus. Kaela walked a step behind, eyes dancing over every glyph along the wall like reading poetry in a dead language.
They passed through the veiled chamber. This time, Kaela stepped forward to the puzzle door.
"Start the timer if you're keeping one," she said.
Three turns. Pause. Five sigils aligned. A faint hum echoed.
Paul watched with arms crossed, more impressed than he wanted to admit.
By the sixth movement, the rings began to glow with a soft pulse, unlocking one by one.
With a low grind, the ancient door split open, revealing a staircase coiling downward into something darker… something older.
"Let's go," she said, hiding the small smile on her lips when she caught Paul watching her.
---
Inside the Lower Vaults
This was no longer a dungeon.
This was a tomb forgotten by time, echoing with the breaths of a civilization long vanished. Sculptures of winged beings lined the walls. Strange flora pulsed with dim light.
The traps here weren't mechanical—they were psychic. Whispers clawed at their minds. Kaela stumbled once, nearly plunging into a cursed pit, only to have Paul grab her wrist and pull her close.
"You alright?" he asked, holding her steadier than she expected.
Her heart raced. "Yeah... yeah, thanks."
He let go quickly, eyes already scanning ahead, but she lingered on the feeling of his hand a second too long.
Focus, Kaela. He's not yours to reach for.
---
Deeper Still – The Guardian Chamber
At the bottom lay the vault: a crystal obelisk embedded with the second fragment. Floating around it was a beast unlike any Paul had fought before—an Aetherbound Seraphim, once a protector, now corrupted.
It sensed them.
Screamed.
Then attacked.
Kaela created a barrier while Paul darted in, blades and spells flying. But this monster didn't obey the same rules. Every strike phased through its shifting body. Arcane fire barely scorched it.
Kaela dove left, rolled behind rubble, and activated a runic trap—blasting the creature back temporarily.
Paul was impressed again.
But just as they prepared to regroup, the Seraphim snapped its body toward Kaela, hurling a spear of searing light.
She was too slow.
"Kaela!"
He moved instinctively—too far to reach her, too late to shield her—
And then it happened.
Time slowed.
A different energy rose from within Paul—one Luna never granted. It wasn't darkness.
It was grief.
It was love.
It was will.
A glowing white sigil flared on his chest. Wings of ghostly flame burst from his back. His voice was not his own when he roared:
"Sanctum Break!"
A blinding shockwave radiated outward, deflecting the spear mid-air. The ground cracked. The creature howled in fear.
Kaela stared at him, stunned—not by the magic, but by what she saw in his eyes. For the first time… they weren't empty.
They were burning.
He didn't even look back. He stepped forward, raised a hand—and summoned chains of holy light that bound the Seraphim mid-air.
"Stay away from her," he growled.
And with a final incantation—raw, ancient, unknown even to Luna—he shattered the beast into particles.
---
After the Battle
The chamber was silent.
Kaela sat against the wall, catching her breath. Paul stood over the fragment, hand shaking slightly as he took it. No words.
She looked at him. Something inside her shifted. He would give everything for those he loves… and yet chooses to carry the weight alone.
"I thought I was going to die," she said softly.
"You won't. Not while I'm here," he replied.
She looked down. "I know I'm just helping with puzzles… but if you ever need—"
"I don't."
The cold edge returned to his voice.
But Kaela didn't flinch. Instead, she smiled a little. "Right. Lone wolf. I get it."
He glanced at her—just for a second—and she thought maybe, just maybe, she saw something warm behind his eyes.
Even wolves get tired of howling alone.