The temple corridors were vast, silent, lined with ivory columns and hanging censers. Kai and Kazan walked slowly, draped in long white hooded robes identical to those worn by the Sanctuary priests.
At every junction, Kai closed his eyes for a few seconds."Two people... to the right."They changed direction."Another patrol... turn back."Not a single person crossed their path. Thanks to Kai's detection skill, they slipped precisely through the corridors, opening doors, bypassing groups, passing through sealed rooms.
Eventually, they stopped before a spiral staircase. Huge. Descending into the bowels of the temple. A long silence followed.
"We're going down," Kazan whispered.
The staircase felt endless. Minutes of descent. The air grew heavier. More humid.
When they finally stepped onto the last landing, a piercing shriek shattered the silence.
Kai jumped, his hand instinctively going to his bow.
"What was that?" he whispered.
The room before them was gigantic—a subterranean hall reeking of musk and metal. Cages of all sizes filled the space. The farther they walked, the larger the cages became… and so did their contents.
Creatures. Monstrous. Incomprehensible. Imprisoned.
In one of them, a massive beast stirred—something like a deformed ferret. Over four meters long, its muscular body resembled a prehistoric weasel crossed with a forgotten predator. On its back, a saddle. A leather saddle, oval-shaped and worn. It stared at them with four black eyes.
Kai froze. Fascinated."What the hell are these monsters...?"
"This is the creature vault," Kazan explained calmly. "They keep here everything the Church deems useful. Beasts they can't kill… or not yet. Some have rare skins used for rituals, others secrete fluids essential for enchantments. Sometimes, it's just their existence that fuels forbidden glyphs."
Kai looked away from the monstrous ferret.
"Come on, that's not what we're here for. Is anyone here?" Kazan asked.
Kai closed his eyes for a moment, searching."The presence of all these creatures is disrupting my senses... but I'd say no. We're alone."
"Perfect."
They finally removed their white robes, which had restricted their movements from the start. Freed, they moved faster through the vault, passing cage after cage.
They passed a creature with a serpentine body covered in white feathers, bearing two vertically aligned mouths. In another cage, a black, fog-like entity floated—no legs, no arms, but dozens of glowing eyes swirled in its formless mass.
Eventually, they reached an immense empty chamber—strangely lit by sunlight despite the depth.
At its center, a chasm.
A gaping hole, black, so deep even the light failed to reveal the bottom. A narrow bridge of white brick spanned the void, leading to a large ancient door. Massive. Bound in chains.
Kazan approached. He stood silently for a few seconds."It's just like I remember…" he murmured.
Then he motioned for Kai to follow.
They walked across the narrow white-iron bridge. Not a word. Just the echo of their metallic steps.
"So the place where the Heart of Aethril was sealed is behind that door?" Kai asked, staring ahead.
Kazan replied,"Yes. Behind that door lie several ancient artifacts. Relics the king and the high priest have hidden from the world—including the Heart of Aethril. But what surprises me is..."
He stopped abruptly.
His head snapped upward."WATCH OUT!!"
He shoved Kai back with all his strength.
A massive weight crashed down where they had stood moments before.
The ground cracked. Dust exploded.
A man stood there.
He stood nearly two and a half meters tall. Bald. A thick white beard almost entirely covered the lower half of his face. His white robe hung loosely on him, draped in such a way that half of his right shoulder was bare, revealing a muscular, scarred arm. Around his neck hung a necklace resembling a rosary—dark wooden beads interspersed with golden links, ending in the symbol of a radiant golden crown. In one hand, he held an old book. His other hand was embedded in the ground at the point of impact.
A twisted smile curled on his lips.
He slowly raised his head toward them… and pulled his hand free from the ground.