The hidden stairwell was steep and narrow, cut straight into the bedrock beneath the ruined church. Cold air curled around them like fingers dragging against skin. The further they went, the heavier the air became—thick with damp, dust, and something else.
Aether felt it first.
The pressure. Like something was watching them from the dark.
He didn't stop. Couldn't.
Behind him, Selene lit a small lantern. Shadows danced along the stone walls, revealing murals half-erased by time. Faded gold leaf clung to the shapes of angels and beasts. Lena moved silently at the front, her steps light, blades drawn.
Darius muttered, "Why do all ancient relics have to be buried in creepy death tunnels?"
"Because the people who built them didn't want them found," Selene said flatly.
Viktor grunted. "Or they died before they could come back."
They reached the bottom.
A vast chamber opened before them—circular, supported by cracked columns. The ground was tiled with obsidian, slick with moisture. In the center of the room stood a pedestal of black stone.
On it rested the Eye.
It floated inches above the pedestal, spinning slowly. Unlike the last one, this one wasn't cracked or dormant. It pulsed with deep crimson light.
Alive.
"It's already awake," Aether said, stepping closer.
The Eye flared. The chamber rumbled.
Lena reached for her blades.
Aether raised a hand. "Don't. It's not attacking. Not yet."
He approached slowly.
The closer he got, the louder the whispers became. Not words. Just sounds. Voices from nowhere.
Then something spoke.
"He returns."
Aether froze. His vision blurred. The world tilted.
And then he was somewhere else.
---
In the Memory of Ashes
He stood in a different chamber—this one unbroken, golden, clean. Statues lined the walls. People in robes bowed before the Eye, which now floated like a star, bright and silent.
A man stood at the altar.
Tall. Broad shoulders. White armor etched with fire patterns. His eyes glowed like suns.
The Herald.
Aether recognized him. The god-killer. The one who tore the skies open.
The Herald turned.
He looked at Aether. As if he saw through time.
"You failed to stop me then."
Aether tried to move. He couldn't.
"Will you try again, little shadow?"
The world shattered like glass.
---
Back in the Catacombs
Aether gasped.
Selene was shaking him. "Hey! Are you okay?!"
He looked around.
He was back. The others stared, tense. Viktor held his staff tight, ready to cast. Lena had a dagger in hand. Darius looked pale.
"You blacked out," Selene said.
"No," Aether said slowly. "The Eye showed me something."
"What did you see?" Viktor asked.
"The Herald. In the past. The Eye holds memories… like fragments of time."
Lena stepped forward. "So it's alive?"
"It's connected. Not just to the Herald. To everything. Time, space… power."
Suddenly, the Eye pulsed.
The entire chamber shook. Cracks split the walls. Water began dripping from the ceiling.
"It's destabilizing!" Viktor shouted.
"Can we destroy it?!" Selene asked.
Aether nodded. "Yes. But we need to do it together."
He pulled out the relic dagger he took from the first Eye. It pulsed in sync with this one.
"Form a circle," he commanded.
They moved fast.
Aether placed the dagger in the center of the pedestal. He and the others placed their hands on the floor, forming a ring of Aura. Viktor channeled wards. Selene focused her energy. Lena closed her eyes, whispering words from her clan's rites.
The Eye screamed.
Not aloud—but inside their minds.
Flashes of fire. Corpses. War. The end of all things.
Aether gritted his teeth.
Then—
The light shattered.
The Eye cracked, pulsed one last time—then imploded, vanishing in a burst of red mist.
Silence returned.
Then the walls groaned.
"…Run," Aether muttered.
The whole chamber began to collapse.
They ran back the way they came, through dust and falling stone. Aether grabbed Lena when a beam dropped beside her. Viktor shielded Darius from debris. Selene pulled ahead, clearing the path.
They burst out of the church just as the floor behind them caved in.
The church collapsed into itself, leaving only a crater behind.
---
Nightfall
They made camp just outside the city ruins. None of them spoke for a while. The fire crackled, quiet in the cold air.
Aether sat apart, thinking.
Selene walked over. "You okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Just… tired."
She sat beside him. "You saw more than you said, didn't you?"
Aether hesitated. "The Herald knows I'm changing things. He looked at me. Through the Eye. That means he's awake, or close to it."
Selene was silent for a while.
Then she said, "You said… this has all happened before. Right?"
He nodded.
"So… back then, were we…?"
She didn't finish the sentence. Didn't need to.
Aether looked at her. Her face was calm, but her eyes flickered with something else.
"You died," he said quietly. "Back then. You died protecting me. I never got the chance to… to tell you everything."
Selene looked away.
He added, "But this time… I won't let that happen."
She looked at him again. Her expression softened.
"…Then I guess I'll stay close," she said.
And for the first time in days, Aether smiled.
---
Elsewhere – Unknown Location
A room of red glass. Floating orbs hovered in the air, each showing visions—cities, armies, fire.
The Herald stood before them, cloak swirling like smoke.
Beside him stood a woman in white armor. Her eyes were empty. Her voice was flat.
"The second Eye has been destroyed."
The Herald didn't move.
"And the traitor?" he asked.
"Alive. Gaining allies."
"…Good."
The Herald turned.
"Let him run. Let him gather strength."
He raised a hand. Fire danced across his fingers.
"When the time comes, I want to burn it all down at once."
And in the flames, a face appeared.
Aether.