The temple stood in silence.
Broken arches loomed overhead, vines weaving through cracks in the stone, as if time itself had tried to stitch the place shut. The air was thick with dust and forgotten prayers. A single shaft of sunlight fell through a hole in the roof, illuminating an ancient mural on the far wall.
Riven stepped forward, the echo of his boots the only sound. Kaela walked beside him, her flame-red hair tied back now, but sweat still clung to her neck. Lyss followed silently behind, arms folded, eyes watchful.
It had taken them three days to reach the temple—three days of forests that whispered, rivers that froze when Kaela touched them, and arguments that nearly ended with someone pushing someone else off a cliff.
Now, for once, they were quiet.
Kaela raised a hand to the mural. Her fingers hovered an inch above the stone.
"It's him," she whispered.
The mural depicted a figure wrapped in ash-colored robes, a burning crown on his head, one hand holding a sword that dripped with flame, the other outstretched to a group of kneeling races: humans, succubi, elves, and more.
Riven stepped closer. The face was faded, but familiar.
"Is that me?"
Kaela didn't answer.
Lyss muttered, "Or someone who looked a lot like you before everything fell apart."
They explored in silence, winding through long halls with crumbling columns and shattered stained glass. Symbols of the Ashen Lords were etched everywhere—the same crest that burned on Riven's chest.
Eventually, they came to a side chamber. A pool sat in the center, its surface perfectly still. Steam drifted from it.
"It's warm," Kaela said, testing the water with her fingers. "Geothermal spring. Might be safe."
Lyss raised a brow. "A bath in a ruin. How romantic."
Kaela rolled her eyes. "Better than smelling like roasted troll meat."
Riven turned. "You two can go ahead. I'll check the hallways."
Kaela shot him a sideways glance. "Or you're just scared we'll kill each other naked."
"That too," he admitted.
He left, and the girls slipped behind the stone outcroppings to undress.
---
Kaela stepped into the water first, sighing as heat sank into her bones. Her flame-kissed skin shimmered faintly in the mist, and her body curved in all the right ways—muscle wrapped in firelight.
Lyss entered slower, cautious, her scarred arms gliding into the water. Her beauty was quieter—silver-blonde hair piled atop her head, long legs folded beneath the water, a thin crescent scar just above her collarbone.
For a moment, they didn't speak.
Then:
"You like him," Kaela said.
Lyss met her gaze. "You don't?"
Kaela laughed. "I liked him before I even met him. I dreamed of his voice. I saw his name in fire."
"I was told to kill him," Lyss said. "And now I can't."
They sat in silence. Steam drifted. The air thickened.
Kaela tilted her head. "Would you fight me for him?"
"Would you let me win?"
"Not a chance."
They smiled, dangerously close to friends and rivals both.
A sound echoed from the hallway. They turned.
Riven stepped into view, eyes wide as he realized the steam hadn't hidden much.
"Oh… sorry, I—"
"Stay," Kaela said.
"What?"
Lyss leaned back. "You might learn something."
"Or die from nosebleed," Kaela added.
He turned red, but sat on the steps.
They spoke for hours. About the Ashen Lords. About the war. About the dreams they couldn't shake.
Kaela leaned against the pool's edge, arms folded. "You ever think you were someone else before all this?"
"All the time," Riven said.
Then he heard it again.
The voice.
"Below. The truth waits below."
He stood suddenly.
"There's a door," he said. "Under the pool."
The girls looked at each other.
Together, they dove.
---
The water parted, revealing a hidden staircase descending into darkness.
And beneath it all—a sealed door, pulsing with succubus runes.
A whisper echoed from beyond.
"Don't leave me here again.. Master."