They reached the tower by late afternoon.
It loomed in the distance long before they arrived, rising from the earth like a jagged tooth against the sky. From afar, it looked like any other mage's stronghold—cylindrical, dark stone, windowless save for a few slits near the top.
Vell was the first to speak.
"Now this," he murmured, stepping ahead of the group, "is real craftsmanship." His fingers brushed the rough stonework, lingering like someone savoring a fine sculpture. "Old-world masonry. You don't see this kind of detail anymore." He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "And the warding… very nice."
"What is the matter, dark mage?" the knight asked.
Vell knocked on the stone, listening. "Protection spells woven straight into the foundation. Subtle. Layered. Not just barriers, but something that could keep out normal folk." He tapped the door next. "And this? This isn't just a normal door."
The knight shifted, more battle-ready than before. "What do you mean?"
"It means that the good wizard Griffonage wasn't just playing with trinkets. This is deliberate magic—someone who really didn't want uninvited guests."
The squire frowned. "Then how do we get inside?"
Vell smirked and turned to Sonder. "That's her job."
Sonder looked to Vell. She didn't know how to lift wards.
The squire looked a bit concerned. "What are you going to do? Tear it down?"
Vell chuckled. "Kind of. Wards are like locks. They keep out the weak and the cautious." His smirk widened. "And we're neither. I'm sorry to do this, but we're going to use a lot of force."
He turned to Sonder. "I'll show you how to lift wards, Sonder. I never thought you, so it's my responsibility as master to show you." He then motioned to the door. "Go on, touch it."
Sonder hesitated, then stepped forward. The moment her fingers grazed the stone, Vell called to her.
"Wait."
Vell hummed, studying the unbroken surface. "Might be touch-activated. Maybe it'll just melt your hands off."
The knight tensed. "And you were about to let her—"
Vell waved him off. "Relax. That's why I stopped her." He looked back at Sonder. "Stand next to me instead."
She stepped beside him.
"Alright. Change of plans. Blast it open. Mana bolts should do the trick. Think of it as practice. After all, with how much you've trained since Limerence, this should be easy."
Sonder nodded. She could do this.
"Good. Now, use these hand signs." He moved his fingers deliberately, showing her the pattern. "And hit it with everything you've got, Blackbird."
Sonder locked her gaze onto the tower entrance. She inhaled deeply, feeling the magic coil within her, gathering at her golden bands and fingertips.
Then she struck.
A bolt of raw mana shot forward, slamming against the entrance. The impact rippled outward, shaking the air itself.
The door held.
Vell let out a low whistle. "Not bad."
"It didn't work," the knight said.
"Oh, it's working," Vell assured.
Sonder narrowed her eyes. The surface of the tower was shimmering now, the runes protecting it flickering in and out of visibility.
She fired again.
The second bolt struck harder, shaking loose an unseen layer of magic. The air around the tower shimmered like heat rising from stone.
There was a loud crack, and the enchantments shattered all at once, like a hammer meeting glass. A pulse of broken magic rippled outward.
The door flickered.
Then—
It wasn't a door at all.
Where the entrance had been, there was only darkness. A void, deep and yawning, filled with a hum that wasn't sound so much as absence.
The tower walls didn't open into a chamber or a staircase.
They opened into somewhere else entirely.
The knight took a slow step back. "What… is this?"
"Now this is interesting," Vell said, looking intently at the tower.
The squire swallowed hard. "The tower—"
—Isn't real," Vell finished for him. "Not like you thought. This isn't a tower. It's a doorway." He gestured to the swirling void. "Griffonage never built a stronghold—he built an entrance. And whatever he's up to, it's happening somewhere on the other side."
The knight's face darkened, and he tightened his grip on his sword. "Then where does that lead?"
"No idea." Vell clapped Sonder on the shoulder. "Guess we're about to find out, aren't we?"