The sanctum walls still vibrated with the remnants of Caelus's presence.
Haruto stood motionless, the Nullblade humming softly in his grip. Across the chamber, Serenya was already inspecting the place where the War Priest had disappeared, her fingers tracing the cracks in the stone with quiet intensity.
"He left willingly," she muttered. "That wasn't a defeat—it was a message."
Haruto frowned. "Then why flee?"
Serenya glanced back at him. "Because he saw something he didn't expect. You."
Haruto didn't know how to respond to that. The room smelled of burnt incense and iron. Somewhere deep in the walls, hidden gears and old enchantments ticked faintly—like a forgotten clock winding down.
The fortress had gone quiet. Outside, the battle had ended. The resistance had won.
Lucien entered the sanctum, blood staining one side of his armor. His face was unreadable as he took in the cracked sigils and the still-glowing embers of divine flame.
"So," he said after a long pause, "the War Priest escaped."
Haruto nodded. "Barely."
Lucien didn't seem surprised. "Then we don't have much time."
He approached them both and unrolled a scroll taken from a leather tube. Inside was a map—ancient, faded, and written in symbols that pulsed faintly in response to the Nullblade.
Serenya's eyes widened. "This is… a Leybound Pathway. They haven't existed since before the Age of Silence."
"Correct," Lucien said. "The priest's escape wasn't random. He used a folded corridor—a divine shortcut between realms."
Haruto looked between them. "You're saying he teleported?"
"Not quite," Serenya replied. "He slipped between layers of reality. The kind of travel only gods—or their servants—can access."
Lucien stabbed a gloved finger at a glowing sigil. "There's one entrance left. Deep beneath the ruins of Ashveil, a city buried by the first war. If we want to chase him… we have to go underground."
Haruto exhaled slowly. He could feel it now—the journey wasn't going to get easier. The world was widening, and so was the weight on his shoulders.
Serenya looked up from the map. "We leave at sunrise."