The road to the capital seemed endless.
After the confrontation with the inquisitors, Celestine, Leonhardt, Seris, Lyra, and the Guardian continued for hours without stopping. The freed prisoners had taken different paths, spreading throughout the nearby villages. Staying together would have been far too dangerous.
Now, only five people walked along the ancient imperial road.
The sky remained covered with dark clouds.
Celestine walked at the front.
Her hand remained close to the hilt of her sword.
Since the moment they had left the ritual site, the Void had not said another word.
That bothered her.
Very much.
— You're quiet — Leonhardt commented.
Celestine continued looking at the road.
— I'm thinking.
— About what Valerian said?
— That too.
Leonhardt moved closer.
— Do you believe him?
— Not completely.
— Then why are you worried?
Celestine stopped.
— Because he said something I already knew.
Leonhardt frowned.
— What?
— That there is someone who knows the origin of the Void.
She looked at Lyra, who was walking a few meters behind them.
— And now we have a girl carrying a fragment of the Abyss.
Leonhardt remained silent.
Seris approached.
— There's something you need to know.
Celestine turned around.
— What?
Seris took a deep breath.
— The capital is different.
— Different how?
— When I left three days ago, there were thousands of soldiers in the streets. The entrances were being watched. The inquisitors were arresting anyone suspected of having contact with forbidden magic.
Celestine narrowed her eyes.
— This doesn't seem like an operation against me alone.
— It isn't.
Seris pointed north.
— They're preparing the entire city for something.
The Guardian finally spoke:
— The seal.
Everyone looked at him.
— What's happening to the seal? — Lyra asked.
The Guardian became serious.
— It's weakening.
Celestine felt a shiver.
— How much?
— Enough for the Abyss to already influence small parts of the world.
Lyra placed a hand over her neck.
The black mark glowed for an instant.
She closed her eyes.
— He's awake.
Celestine approached her.
— What are you feeling?
Lyra answered with difficulty:
— Hunger.
Silence fell over the group.
— Hunger for what? — Leonhardt asked.
Lyra looked at Celestine.
— You.
The Void finally reacted.
A pressure ran through Celestine's body.
She placed a hand over her chest.
— Why?
Lyra shook her head.
— I don't know.
Celestine closed her eyes.
Inside her consciousness, she found the Void.
This time, it didn't seem distant.
It seemed to be waiting.
Do you know what he wants?
Yes.
Then tell me.
There was a pause.
He wants what's inside you.
Celestine felt her heart race.
The Void?
The answer came immediately.
No.
Your soul.
Celestine opened her eyes.
The world seemed different.
— He doesn't want the Void — she said.
Leonhardt approached.
— Then what does he want?
— My soul.
Seris stood motionless.
— That doesn't make sense.
The Guardian answered:
— It does.
Everyone looked at him.
— Celestine isn't merely a bearer. The connection between her soul and Elyndra created something that has never existed before.
Celestine frowned.
— What?
— A soul capable of touching both the Void and the physical world simultaneously without being destroyed.
Seris turned pale.
— Then she can cross the seal.
— Yes.
Celestine breathed slowly.
Now she understood.
The Abyss didn't need to destroy the seal.
It didn't need to open a passage by itself.
It needed her.
— So I'm the key — she murmured.
The Guardian shook his head.
— No.
— What?
— You are the door.
The wind passed along the road.
Celestine remained motionless.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Then Leonhardt placed a hand on her shoulder.
— Whatever you are, you won't face this alone.
Celestine looked at him.
A small smile appeared on her face.
— Thank you.
Seris crossed her arms.
— I don't want to interrupt this moment, but we have another problem.
— What?
She pointed ahead.
A massive bridge crossed a river.
On the other side, dozens of soldiers were stationed.
Imperial banners fluttered in the wind.
Leonhardt placed a hand on his sword.
— Looks like they were expecting us.
Celestine observed the formation.
— No.
Seris looked at her.
— No?
— They're not waiting for us.
Celestine sensed the Void.
Something was wrong.
The soldiers weren't in combat positions.
They were forming a corridor.
As if they were waiting for someone to pass through.
Then a man appeared in the center of the bridge.
He wore black armor and carried a white sword.
The soldiers immediately knelt.
Seris turned pale.
— It can't be.
Celestine looked at her.
— Who is he?
Seris answered in a low voice:
— The supreme commander of the inquisitors.
The man slowly walked toward them.
— Seris Valtor.
Seris clenched her teeth.
— Commander.
He then looked at Celestine.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
He simply observed her.
Then he smiled.
— Finally.
Celestine didn't draw her sword.
— You were waiting for me?
— For a long time.
— Who are you?
The man answered:
— Aldren Vael.
He stopped a few meters away from her.
— And I've been sent to offer you a choice.
Leonhardt laughed.
— After all this?
Aldren ignored him.
— Celestine d'Arnoir, you can continue to the capital and discover the truth on your own.
He raised his hand.
The gates of the bridge began to open.
— Or you can accept my protection.
Celestine narrowed her eyes.
— Protection from whom?
Aldren looked at Lyra.
Then at the sky.
— From that which is awakening.
Lyra began to tremble.
The mark on her neck glowed intensely.
Aldren noticed.
— Too late.
Celestine drew her sword.
— Explain.
Aldren didn't move.
— The seal beneath the capital has begun to fail.
The Void stirred.
— How much time?
The commander looked directly at her.
— Three days.
Celestine remained silent.
Three days.
It was little.
Far too little.
Aldren turned around.
— If you want to survive, come with me.
He began crossing the bridge.
Celestine remained standing still.
Leonhardt looked at her.
— Don't trust him.
— I know.
— Then why are you thinking about it?
Celestine looked at the capital.
Far beyond the bridge, the enormous city rose on the horizon.
Tall towers.
Walls.
Palaces.
And beneath all of it, something that should never awaken.
She sheathed her sword.
— Because maybe he's our enemy.
She paused.
— Or maybe he's the only person who knows how to enter the capital without being killed before we reach the center.
Seris slowly nodded.
— Then what do we do?
Celestine began walking.
— We find out the truth.
Lyra followed her.
Leonhardt came right behind.
Seris hesitated for only a moment before following.
The Guardian remained last.
When he crossed the bridge, he looked down.
For an instant, he saw a shadow moving beneath the water.
Something enormous.
Something that shouldn't have been there.
The Guardian turned pale.
— No...
Celestine heard him.
She turned around.
— What is it?
He looked at her.
— Nothing.
But beneath the bridge, two black eyes opened in the darkness of the river.
And an ancient voice traveled through the water.
Bearer.
Celestine stopped.
The Void inside her answered.
Don't look back.
She obeyed.
And continued walking toward the capital.
Unaware that, at that exact moment, someone inside the imperial palace was also watching her arrival.
A woman stood before a window.
Silver hair.
Golden eyes.
A calm smile.
She held an ancient photograph of Elyndra.
— You've finally returned — she murmured.
Then she turned toward the door.
— Prepare everything.
The entire capital was about to change.