"By Zhalyr's light! What the hell happened here?"
The voice was deep, authoritative, and it cut through the fog in Raziel's head.
'Shit! Reinforcements,' he thought immediately. 'Or worse... witnesses.'
"Captain Thorne!" Odessa's voice, usually so firm, was now trembling with pure relief. "Thank the Goddess you are here!"
A group of paladins, with their armor shining under the residual magic light, surrounded them.
Kiera stood up with difficulty. "It was intense, Captain. The power... it was too much."
"Report, paladins!" Captain Thorne demanded, his eyes hard as steel sweeping over the group.
"What were you doing down here? This area is forbidden!"
Odessa took a step forward, standing firm even though she looked exhausted.
"Sir, we were investigating a threat against the Church, since we had reasons to believe Sister Seraphina was involved in necromancy."
"Necromancy?" Thorne interrupted her, narrowing his eyes.
"That is a very serious accusation, Paladin. What proof do you have? And why without backup? Do you have any idea how reckless that was?"
Kiera intervened, her voice regaining firmness. "Captain, with all respect, we had no choice, we had to act, because if not-"
"If you hadn't acted," Thorne growled, "we wouldn't be in the middle of a profaned holy place. Do you have any idea of the damage? The sanctity of this place..."
He shook his head, his rage was obvious. "Explain yourselves. Now."
While Odessa began her story, Raziel ignored the ringing in his ears.
The bureaucratic debate didn't matter.
Only one thing mattered.
"Wait," he interrupted, his voice stronger than he expected. "Where is Seraphina? Did anyone see her leave?"
An icy silence fell over the group. Kiera's face turned pale. "By the Goddess... she couldn't have escaped..."
Captain Thorne's voice cracked like a whip. "Search the area! Find her! If that woman escaped, we have to find her before this gets out of control!"
The paladins mobilized.
Kiera shook her head, frustrated. "We underestimated her, the power she is using... it is beyond what we have seen."
Lucian was still huddled in a corner, eyes wide open.
"What... what was she?" he whispered.
Captain Thorne returned, his face like a mask of fury.
"Nothing," he growled. "She's gone. Disappeared."
This was a problem.
"Sir," one of the paladins called out, "we found something."
He was holding a small, elegant-looking book.
Its cover had strange symbols, identical to the ones Raziel had seen in the vision.
Thorne snatched the book from him, his eyes narrowing while he flipped through the pages. "This is... bad, we have to take this to the High Inquisitor. Immediately."
'The High Inquisitor,' Raziel's mind screamed in silence. 'Not this soon.'
Odessa stepped forward, placing herself like a shield between Captain Thorne and the boys.
"Captain Thorne," she said, "I take full responsibility for these novices since they are under my protection."
Thorne's eyes locked onto her. "Paladin Odessa, you know that bringing uninitiated civilians here is a grave violation of protocol, you could be disciplined for this."
Kiera stood next to Odessa, a united front.
Odessa didn't waver. "Sir, these novices helped discover this threat, they acted with bravery facing a danger they couldn't understand and were crucial."
"Couldn't understand?" Thorne's voice was sharp. "Then, why were they here? What happened in this chamber? I want a full report."
Odessa took a deep breath. "Sir, they stumbled upon this by accident, Lucian is my cousin and Raziel is his friend, I was showing them the city when we felt the disturbance, they are innocent and know nothing about what really happened here."
Lucian tried to speak, but a look from Odessa silenced him instantly.
"You expect me to believe that two novices were simply around here during one of the biggest heresy events in years?" Thorne's skepticism was almost an insult. "Do I look like an idiot to you, Paladin?"
Kiera intervened. "Captain, I saw what happened and these young men were terrified, they are victims, not a threat."
Thorne looked at them all, stopping a second too long on Raziel. His eyes seemed to dig into his soul.
'He is analyzing me, he knows something doesn't add up with me.'
Finally, Thorne sighed. "Fine. For now, I will accept your explanation. But there will be a full investigation."
He turned to the other paladins. "Secure this place. Check every inch."
Then, he focused on Odessa again.
"You will submit a full report. Do not omit anything and as for these novices..." he looked sideways at Raziel and Lucian, "keep them under strict surveillance. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain," Odessa said, the relief barely perceptible in her voice.
When Thorne walked away, she turned to Raziel and Lucian. "Listen to me, you cannot speak about what happened to anyone. Understood? Not a single word."
Both nodded.
Kiera approached, looking grim. "We bought you time, but this isn't over. Not even close. If Seraphina is still out there, and now the Inquisitors will be watching. We have to be very careful."
***
Odessa guided them out of the crypt.
The bright sunlight and the noise of the city were a contrast to the darkness they had just left.
"Okay, someone has to explain this," Lucian said as soon as they were on the street. "What just happened down there?"
Odessa raised a hand. "Not here. To a safe place."
She took them to a quiet alley, her voice low and serious.
"Listen, what you got into is dangerous. The Inquisitors... they won't understand, they will think you are dangerous and won't hesitate to act."
Lucian's eyes opened wide. "Dangerous? But we didn't do anything! We were just there!"
Raziel, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"Lucian, don't you see it? Seraphina, the Necromancers, the Church... everything is connected to something bigger and we are trapped right in the middle."
Lucian looked at him, incredulous and furious. "And how do you know all that, Raziel? What is it that you are not telling us?"
Raziel hesitated, looking for the right words.
"And what was that power you used back there?" Lucian pressed. "Don't think I didn't see it."
Raziel faced him, his blue eyes darker than normal. "Lucian. I have already seen how this ends and if you don't listen to me, I will see it again."
He paused, his voice lowering, loaded with a weight Lucian couldn't comprehend. "Believe me you don't want to know what happens."
Lucian scoffed, but it was a fragile defense. "What? What are you talking about? You're sounding like a crazy person!"
Odessa got between them. "Enough! Lucian, you have to understand how serious this is, trust me and trust Raziel. We are all together in this."
Lucian looked defeated and looked at Raziel, frustrated. "Fine. But you better explain everything to me, I'm sick of knowing nothing."
Raziel nodded. "I will, Lucian, but first, Seraphina is still out there, and the Inquisitors are going to start asking questions, we have to be ready."