The Sentinels walked forward, their eyes locked onto Celeste. Each one moved slow, their divine enchantments allowing to block attacks that would have shattered normal stone.
Dain dodged another strike "We can't keep this up forever!"
Arianne, still clutching her satchel. "Wait—the ward! If we break it, the temple's magic might collapse,"
Celeste's looked to the divine markings on the door.
She sprinted toward the seal, ignoring everything around her. As the Sentinels closed in, she placed both hands on the inscriptions, pouring Aether into them.
The resistance was immediate. The energy pushed back against her, trying to repel. But Celeste forced her power deeper, unraveling it layer by layer.
The Sentinels sensed the disruption.
They charged.
Dain threw himself into their path, slashing at their legs to slow them down. Arianne chanted under her breath, conjuring protective Aether spells. But they wouldn't hold for long.
Celeste pushed harder, sweat beading on her forehead. The divine script flickered, the seal's resistance weakening—
Then, with a final pulse of energy, the markings shattered.
A shockwave of raw Aether burst from the temple's entrance, going through the battlefield. The Sentinels froze, their cores flickering—then, one by one, they crumbled, reduced to fractured stone.
Silence.
Celeste staggered back, breathing hard. The seal was broken. The entrance to the temple was open.
Whatever was in there is now within their reach.