The journey to the Ash Mountains was long and arduous. The land grew increasingly barren as they ascended: withered trees, rocks black as coal, thin smoke rising from the ground.
"This place…" Elias muttered, covering his mouth with a cloth, "seems cursed."
Duncan didn't answer. But he, too, could feel the difference. The air was heavier, almost poisonous. Even his Divine Fire was reacting: an unstable flame that crackled as if ready to rebel.
After three days of walking, they reached the Keepers' monastery. It was carved into the rock, a huge black iron door surrounded by statues depicting hooded men with upturned torches.
From the gate came guttural chants and the beating of drums.
"Rituals…" Elias whispered, clutching the crucifix around his neck. "They use faith as a mask. But I sense only darkness."
Duncan observed. Guards in dark armor patrolled the entrance. No one entered without a sign of recognition.
"We can't break through," he said. "We need a way to infiltrate."
As if fate had listened, a procession of pilgrims appeared along the path. Men and women covered in cloaks, carrying offerings: baskets, torches, small chests.
"We will follow them," Duncan decided. "With our hoods down, no one will notice us."
They mingled with the group and, unsuspecting the guards, crossed the threshold of the monastery.
Inside, the atmosphere was suffocating. Corridors lit by greenish fires, the smell of incense and blood, monotonous chants echoing off the stone walls.
Then they saw it: in the center of the main hall, suspended on an obsidian altar, a fragment of a meteorite. The size of a fist, it glowed with a bluish, almost living light.
Duncan's eyes lit up.
"There it is..." he whispered. "The heart of the stars."
Elias stared at him fearfully. "Duncan, the Keepers will never let him go. To them, this is not just an object... it is a god."
As if to confirm his words, a group of monks entered the room, led by a tall, hooded man.
His face was hidden, but the voice that echoed in the silence shook the air:
"Whoever dares approach the gift of Heaven... will be offered to the flames of the night."
The torches lit in unison. And for the first time, Duncan understood that taking that meteorite would mean facing not just men... but a dark power that challenged his own divine flame.