Trinity follows close behind Symone, her feet pressing against cracked stone and the remnants of rusted chains. The entrance to the old processing facility lies ahead like the mouth of a petrified beast, the metal doors barely clinging to the hinges with sharp, jagged edges. Thick fog smoothly twists through the broken archway, curling like snakes around their legs as they move on inside.
"This place was abandoned before your time," Symone says, her voice low and even. "Most don't even know it still exists. Your mother tried to reform it during hers but…it didn't work."
"You knew my mother too? Well, since you have close ties to Amlith, I suppose you would."
"Honestly Trinity, I'd say I only knew of her, rather than her as an individual. So I'm sorry, but let me tell you now, I don't have much information to give you. Amlith probably knew her best."
"Yeah…that makes sense." She turns her lips down slightly but then she recovers. "I won't ask."
Trinity looks around. There's a large reception desk in the center, useless clutter littering the surface. Behind it, the path splits into two sides; to the left and the right. Looking down both, they can see the length of the walls are lined with cells that haven't been touched in years. Some hang open, others remain sealed with brittle clasps and deformed locks. The floor beneath them creaks with every step, but the real weight comes from the air itself. It presses against Trinity's chest, thick with the residue of forgotten souls. It's honestly difficult to endure, but she does so.
"Why bring me here?" she asks, her hand brushing across the dusty surface. "It's…desolate."
"You want powerful soldiers," Symone answers. "You'll find more here than anywhere else."
They pass beneath a wide, vaulted arch that bears a weathered inscription: We sort the lost to find the worthy. Beyond it is a large central chamber, circular in design, with a domed ceiling made of glass so thick with grime it filters the light into a permanent twilight. At the room's center stands a raised platform with nine stone podiums, each engraved with one of the elemental sigils.
"This was the core of Limbo's judgment system," Symone says, stepping onto the platform. "Living souls that entered Limbo spawned here and then were duly sorted into an element class."
Trinity studies the runes. "Flame, Mist, Terra, Spirit, Chaos, Frost, Storm, Flora, Wind…right?"
Symone gives a nod, folding her arms. "When a soul arrived, they were greeted by a sole administrator. That being registered their name, their soul's nature, and most importantly, their sins. This allowed them to be sorted into risk assessment subclasses. Those being Stable, Mild and High risk. Stable risk could quickly acclimate into society. Mild risk had to undergo a correctional program until they could be classified as Stable. High risk classes would need to go through a much more intensive behavioral program to reach stability, but most never managed."
Trinity's eyes narrow. "Transient souls were processed differently from the Living souls, right?"
"Exactly. Transients were humans with tainted souls. Some could be redeemed. Others—like suicides—were already locked out of redemption. Most were classified as Stable but were forced to live at the bottom class in Limbo. They never amounted to much, honestly. Living Souls however, they were rarer. They were offspring of the damned or of the divine who had fallen. They were often the truly dangerous ones, mainly because they had affinity for magic powers."
"How do they relate to the Death Knights? If I recall what Amlith told me, they're similar."
"Yes, all Death Knights are Living souls, but not all Living souls are Death Knights. Knights are chosen from the Living soul class," Symone confirms. "Or from the High Risk ranks. They were given power…some willingly, some not. The 'Kiss of Death' was used to that end, back when it meant something sacred. It was an honor that was bestowed only by the Death Sinner Queen."
Trinity steps away from the platform, letting her eyes scan the shadowed corridors that splinter off into deeper chambers. The more she looks, the more she senses them. Faint souls flickering like candlelight, forgotten and silent. "None of this was ever fully explained to me," she says.
Symone shrugs. "The system collapsed long before your ascension. The administrator vanished. Processing halted. Without judgment, the prisoners rotted and became husks of their true selves."
A door creaks open somewhere beyond the far hallway. Trinity's body tenses, hand hovering near Shiori's amulet. However, as though sensing her heightened defenses, the unsettling aura subsides. "You think I can turn them into Death Knights?" she asks, keeping her eyes forward.
"I know you can," Symone replies. "You've already done it, twice. It's an instinct all your own."
"Twice? I changed Sinae, I know, but are you suggesting I also converted Seleyna? How could I have changed her? I've never kissed her. She'd kill me if I tried. So she changed another way."
Symone only shrugs, abstaining from confirming or denying her words. "Can you sense them?"
Trinity walks to the edge of the platform and kneels beside a broken sigil carved into the stone. It is half-covered in dried moss, but she recognizes the mark of Spirit beneath. She brushes the surface clean. She repeats this motion eight times more, until the platform is mostly clear again.
"This place should have never been abandoned." She stands and stares at each pillar closely. "I can feel the souls of many, so many souls, both Transient and Living drifting in this place. They are clearly lost with no place to go. They are truly stuck in-between life and death. Suffering.
Symone doesn't respond right away. When she finally does, her voice is quiet. "Limbo gave up on itself. The lower circles stopped caring. The Masters forgot their purpose. The only ones still fighting for their redemption now... are us. It's all up to you Trinity. Only you can free them all."
Trinity rises slowly. "Yes, that's become clear now. So I'll reclaim this place and liberate them."
Footsteps echo in the corridor behind them. Slow. Scurried. Faint. Symone tilts her head slightly, listening. "They've sensed you Trinity," she says. "Your power stirred them from their slumber."
Trinity closes her eyes, focusing on the threads of energy surrounding the chamber. Dozens of souls. Maybe more. None are whole. Their auras are fractured…some dangerously thin, others burning like coals beneath ash. One in particular burns differently. Controlled. Sharp. Watchful. She opens her eyes. "I'll speak to them myself. I'll seek out those who are still reaching for life."
Symone nods and steps back towards the entrance. "You know where to find me," she says. "But do be careful Trinity. Even the silent bite. You can't be killed but you can be hurt in other ways."
Trinity nods to her and then waits until she's alone. She steps forward down the nearest corridor. Her footsteps fall into silence almost immediately, swallowed by the weight of the dreary place. Suddenly, the air shifts. She is not alone anymore. But that's exactly what she came here for. To find the broken. To test the forgotten, and to decide who among them deserves a second chance.
She takes a few more steps, but then she immediately feels it. She twists and braces herself just as she gets tackled by what feels like an ice wall, but she soon realizes it's a real person as they grip her ankles hard, her feet getting frozen to the ground by the second. Soon it's at her waist. A pair of toned arms reaches down and holds an ice spear against her throat. "If you want to live, you'll tell me who you are and why you've disturbed my sanctuary. Ten seconds…starting now."