The ruins of Grayhold grew darker the deeper they went, the oppressive air thick with the faint hum of the Black Sun's influence. The narrow corridors were lined with broken stone and etched with symbols that pulsed faintly, their jagged lines almost seeming alive.
Kaela stayed close to Veiss, her small figure barely a shadow in the gloom. Lyris led the way this time, her movements confident despite the growing sense of unease that clung to the air.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Veiss asked, his voice low.
Lyris didn't turn. "Answers," she said simply.
Veiss frowned. "You're stalling."
Lyris paused, her gaze flicking over her shoulder. "You're the one who wanted to come here. If you don't trust me, feel free to take your cursed girl and wander off into the dark."
The words hung in the air like a challenge, and Veiss's hand instinctively tightened around Umbraclaw's hilt.
"Enough," he growled. "Just keep moving."
Lyris smirked faintly and turned, her twin blades glinting faintly as she moved deeper into the corridor.
The path opened into a large chamber, its walls lined with shattered cages. Bones littered the floor, some human, others twisted and unrecognizable. Veiss crouched, examining the remains.
"Experiments," Lyris said, her voice quiet.
"What kind of experiments?" Veiss asked.
Lyris hesitated, her gaze lingering on one of the cages. "The cult likes to push boundaries. Merging flesh and shadow. Harnessing the power of the Black Sun."
Kaela wandered toward a pile of bones, her small hands trembling as she reached for a shattered skull.
"Don't touch that," Veiss barked, his voice sharp.
Kaela froze, her wide eyes darting to him before she stepped back.
Lyris's expression softened slightly as she watched the girl. "You don't have to be so hard on her, you know."
"She doesn't need your pity," Veiss snapped.
Lyris raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. She turned her attention to a rusted door at the far end of the chamber. "This way."
The next corridor was narrower, the walls lined with more sigils that seemed to pulse with a sickly light. Veiss's skin crawled as they passed, the faint whispers of the Black Sun growing louder in his mind.
"Do you hear that?" he asked, his voice tense.
Lyris glanced at him. "Hear what?"
Veiss shook his head, his grip tightening on Umbraclaw. The whispers were faint but insistent, sliding into his thoughts like poison.
She is the vessel. The Harbinger.
"Veiss?" Lyris's voice snapped him back to reality.
He looked up to see her standing in front of another heavy door, this one marked with a jagged sigil carved deep into the wood.
"This is it," she said.
"What's behind it?" Veiss asked, his voice cautious.
"Answers," Lyris replied.
Before Veiss could respond, she pushed the door open, revealing a small chamber beyond. In the center of the room stood a black obelisk, its surface smooth and polished like obsidian. Symbols crawled across its surface, shifting and writhing as though alive.
Kaela stepped forward, her gaze locked on the obelisk.
"What is that?" she whispered.
"Something you shouldn't touch," Veiss said, stepping in front of her.
"It's a conduit," Lyris said, her voice filled with a strange reverence. "A direct link to the Black Sun's power."
Veiss's jaw tightened. "You knew this was here."
Lyris shrugged, her gaze still fixed on the obelisk. "Of course I did. That's why I brought you here."
Veiss's instincts screamed at him. He stepped back, his grip on Umbraclaw tightening.
"What are you playing at?" he demanded.
Lyris turned to face him, her expression unreadable. "I'm sorry, Veiss. But I have my own mission to complete."
Before Veiss could react, Lyris moved. She was fast—faster than he had expected. Her twin blades flashed, slashing at the supports of the door. The heavy wooden frame collapsed, sealing the chamber behind her.
"Damn it!" Veiss roared, slamming his fist against the fallen door.
Kaela clung to his cloak, her small frame trembling. "What's happening?" she asked, her voice filled with fear.
Veiss turned to her, his expression grim. "She's buying herself time. And she's leaving us to die."
The sound came then—a low, guttural growl that echoed through the chamber. Veiss turned, his eye narrowing as shapes began to emerge from the shadows.
Shadow-beasts.
The first one lunged, its claws raking through the air. Veiss met it head-on, his blade carving through its chest in a single brutal strike. Black ichor sprayed across the room, but the creature didn't go down easily.
A second beast charged from the side, its glowing eyes locked on Kaela.
"Get down!" Veiss barked, shoving her to the ground as he intercepted the creature. His blade tore through its neck, severing its head in a spray of gore.
More shadows stirred, their shapes twisting and multiplying as they poured into the chamber. Veiss fought like a man possessed, his blade a whirlwind of destruction.
But for every beast he killed, two more seemed to take its place.
Kaela crouched behind him, her small hands covering her ears as the roars and screams filled the air.
"We're not getting out of this," Veiss muttered, his breath ragged.
The whispers of Umbraclaw grew louder, urging him on.
"Let me guide you," the blade murmured. "Let me give you the strength to save her."
Veiss gritted his teeth, his grip tightening. "Not yet," he growled.
The beasts closed in, their glowing eyes burning like embers in the dark.
"Kaela," Veiss said, his voice low. "Stay close."
The girl nodded, her wide eyes filled with terror.
The fight wasn't over yet.