The heart of the fortress pulsed with divine energy.
Haruto and Serenya stood before the sanctum doors—massive things of blackened steel carved with celestial sigils. Every symbol radiated a gentle heat, and the very air trembled with the pressure of a presence neither mortal nor machine.
Serenya pressed her palm to the seal. "Holy wards," she muttered. "Tier-Five Divine Architecture. It's not just protected—it's watching."
Before Haruto could ask what she meant, the doors opened of their own accord.
Inside, the sanctum was lit only by pale blue fire flickering along a ring of braziers. At its center stood a man clad in white and crimson robes, his face veiled by a golden mask. He carried no weapon, yet Haruto felt more threatened by him than any soldier on the field.
"Welcome, heretics," the man said, his voice echoing unnaturally. "The gods foresaw your defiance."
Serenya raised her staff, but Haruto stepped forward, the Nullblade at his side.
"You're the war priest?" he asked.
"I am High Deliverant Caelus, voice of the Thirteenth Deity," the man replied. "And you—exiled one—you carry a blade that should not exist."
Haruto's grip tightened. "Then maybe it belongs with someone who shouldn't exist."
The priest's voice dropped an octave. "Arrogant child."
He raised a hand, and the air behind him twisted. From nothingness, a burning halo formed, spinning slowly, its edges inscribed with verses in a forgotten language.
"Your soul has not been judged," Caelus intoned. "Let the gods see your worth—or your corruption."
He stepped forward, arms outstretched.
Suddenly, the sanctum shifted. Haruto blinked—and found himself standing in a void. The floor beneath him cracked like glass with every step, and whispers clawed at the edges of his mind.
"You are a false hero," the voice of Caelus thundered, not from the man, but from everywhere. "You were cast out for a reason."
Haruto clutched the Nullblade tightly. "I don't remember my past. But I'll carve a future for myself. Even if I have to fight your gods to get it."
The blade ignited in his hand—no flame, no light, just pure defiance. He slashed forward.
The illusion shattered like a mirror, and Haruto was back in the sanctum—facing Caelus, whose mask had cracked down the center.
"You've seen only the first layer of truth," Caelus rasped, blood trickling from his nose. "You will wish you had remained forgotten."
With a blinding flash, he vanished, leaving only the hiss of scorched stone behind.