The True Origin
The aftermath of the attack left the temple in shambles. Mothers cried until their voices gave out, fathers stared in silence, and children clung to the bodies of those they had lost.
The Bound who survived were badly hurt. Some limped through the halls, their clothes torn and soaked with blood. Others were carried in, pale and barely breathing. The infirmary was full. Beds were taken, the floors were crowded with the wounded. The air smelled of blood and herbs, making it really hard to breathe.
As I walked through the infirmary, my heart searched for one person alone. I moved from bed to bed, room to room, hoping that he had not been counted amongst the dead.
Then I saw him.
Doya lay on the bed. His body was covered in wounds and burns. The strips of linen they had wrapped all over him were stained dark with blood. The sight of him broke me. I did not remember walking closer, only that I was suddenly there, standing at his side.
Tears burned my eyes.
"Doya?" I whispered with trembling hands as I brought them to his face.
"Please, you must leave the room so we can treat him," one of the healers said.
I did not move.
"No," I begged, my voice cracking. "Please, save him. Do something. Use a healing spell."
Even as the words left my mouth, I knew the truth. This was beyond simple healing and quick spells. His injuries were too deep.
"You have to leave now," the healer said again, firmer this time.
Some hands closed around my arms, pulling me away from him.
I forced myself to breathe. I had to pull myself together. Then I decided to go in search of Kumbuye.
I moved through the Temple, my eyes scanning every corner. My steps slowed when I passed the stables, the familiar smell of hay and leather reaching me. Bali was kept here, along with some other horses.
How had I forgotten about her during the attack? I began to walk faster towards her.
The moment I saw her, relief flooded me. I slipped inside the stall and wrapped my arms around her neck, pressing my face against her warm side.
"It's alright," I whispered.
She neighed softly, nudging me. I stayed there a moment longer to calm down, then I pulled away and continued.
Kumbuye was nowhere in sight. He was not among the wounded in the infirmary, and I'd been walking for a while but still hadn't seen him. My thoughts spiralled as I made my way toward the Sanctum Grounds, hoping he had returned to the room reserved for him.
When I arrived at the Sanctum, I couldn't believe my eyes. The grounds were untouched. There was no blood, no broken stone. The Forsaken had not reached this place.
If they never entered the Sanctum, why did the Ascend and High Bound hide in the vault?
The question followed me as I reached his door.
I pushed it open.
Kumbuye sat on the edge of his bed. One arm was wrapped in white cloth stained with dried blood. He wasn't wearing anything on his upper body, only his hose. He looked up and met my eyes.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his eyes trailing me.
"Yes. H-how about you?" I asked, stepping into his room.
His mouth twitched, "I'm alive... I suppose that counts for something." He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I was worried. I looked everywhere for you."
"I'm glad you're alright," was all I said. I couldn't tell him that I had hidden in a vault somewhere.
"Have you seen Doya?" He asked.
My face fell, "he's in the infirmary."
"Oh..."
My thoughts drifted to the compass. To the key. I hoped they were still where I had kept them.
I left Kumbuye's room and made my way back to my own. When I reached my door, I froze. It was slightly open.
I pushed it wider.
Giselle was inside.
She stood with her back to me, rifling through my things. My drawers had been pulled out, the coffer by the foot of my bed had also been opened.
"Giselle," I called.
She flinched, turning to meet my gaze. Fear flashed across her face.
"What are you doing?" I snapped.
She hesitated, then forced a small smile. "I... I was looking for you."
I stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind me. Giselle's eyes flicked to it, then back to me.
"You were looking for me," I said slowly. "In my drawers?"
She followed my gaze, then laughed. "I did not mean to upset you." She straightened, brushing her hands against her dress. "You always were suspicious of me," she said. "Even before everything."
"That is because you never tell the truth," I spat.
Her eyes darkened. "Careful, Dana."
I crossed the room, stopping beside the drawer where my things lay disturbed. My heart sank when I noticed it.
The small golden box. It was open. And when I stepped closer to look inside, the key was gone.
I turned to her. "Where is it?"
She tilted her head. "Where is what?"
"Do not play with me Giselle," I snapped. "You were searching for something specific. You found it. Where is it?"
Her lips parted, then curved into a thin smile. "You keep dangerous things, Dana. Things you do not understand."
Rage flared hot inside me. "What is wrong with you?"
Giselle's gaze hardened. "People are dead," she stepped closer. "And this is only the beginning."
My pulse thundered in my ears. "Give it back."
For a moment, she only stared at me. Then she slipped a hand into her sleeve and revealed the key, resting it on her palm.
"I only want answers," she said quietly. "And so do you."
I lunged forward and tore it from her hand.
"You should not be here." I growled.
She leaned forward when she said, "Neither should you."
She brushed past me, her shoulder grazing mine as she reached the door. It opened, then she paused.
"Be careful, Dana," she said without turning. "Some doors do not close once opened."
Then she was gone.
I stood alone in the wreck of my room.
Giselle was not just broken.
She was dangerous.
I did not stay long enough for the thought to trouble me. Unanswered questions pushed me forward. I left my room and walked through the corridors to the fourth floor.
When I got to Ascend Kaelric's quarters. I knocked once.
"Come in," his voice answered.
He was standing near the window, his hands clasped behind his back. The scent of incense filled the room.
"The King of the West has returned to his castle," he said before I could speak. "He left the moment we were alerted that the temple was secured."
"You all hid," I said, ignoring what he had just told me. "The Ascend. The High Bound. You hid while the Forsaken slaughtered people outside. You are strong enough to face them, so why did you not fight? And why leave the Sanctum Grounds when they were not even touched?"
Kaelric turned to face me. "We were not hiding," he said. "We were preserving the heart of the Sanctum."
He stepped away from the window, moving toward my direction.
"All seven Ascend are vital to keeping this temple standing. Our duty is not to enter battle. That burden falls on the Bound."
The words struck me.
"That is not fair," I said quietly. Images of blood soaked stone and broken bodies filled my mind. "Many of the Bound died for you."
"I know," he replied. "And their sacrifice is not forgotten."
I clenched my hands at my sides.
"The Sanctum Grounds were evacuated because no blood is allowed to be spilled here," he continued. "It is sacred ground. A place for prayers, rituals, and celebration. Once blood stains it, the balance is broken."
I just stood there, staring at him. These people were unbelievable.
"Now your duty begins in full," he continued. "Your power has returned, even if it is weak and unstable. It exists within you again. That is enough."
I swallowed.
"You must begin your search for the Cranium," he said. "This attack has made one thing clear. Balshak has grown impatient. He wants to be released, and he wants it soon."
Fear crept into my bones.
Something had been burning in my chest since the attack, a question I could not ignore.
"How were the Forsaken taking orders while Balshak was trapped inside his fortress?" I asked. "And the ones who were on Earth, how were they following him if they couldn't reach him? How was all of this coordinated from so far away with Balshak in captivity?" I blurted out the questions, confusion swimming in my head.
Kaelric sighed, drawing out a chair for me and gesturing me to sit. I walked over there and sat on the chair.
"Balshak possesses a forbidden art," he said slowly. "Mind thralling. He can bend another's will and speak within their thoughts. Anyone who gives in to darkness becomes vulnerable to him. For centuries, he has used this power to recruit followers, promising them strength, power, and to some, immortality."
My heart clenched. "How many people have heard his voice and thought it was their own?" I whispered.
Kaelric did not answer.
"For you to succeed," he said instead, "you must understand the true origin of the Cranium. A truth known only to the Ascend and a few High Bound we trust."
He drew a slow breath.
"Many centuries ago, Balshak was an apprentice to Anthos, bearer of the twin forces of creation and destruction."
I listened carefully.
"Balshak was gifted with knowledge and the ability to hear minds, but he lacked the strength to wield the kind of power Anthos possessed. Envy took root where patience should have lived. In secret, he searched for a way to claim what he could not inherit. Eventually, he uncovered a spell meant to neutralise his master, not to kill him, but to strip him of his power."
My stomach turned.
"Anthos discovered the plot," Kaelric continued. "Knowing his power could not be destroyed without unmaking the world, he forged a final spell. One of preservation. He poured the totality of his power into a Cranium, sealing it beyond Balshak's reach."
I felt a strange pull in my chest.
"The Cranium was not lifeless," he continued. "It chose guardians, granting them strength and endurance, binding their lives to its survival. Thus, began the first of the Sanctum Bound. Koliasis."
The name echoed in my mind.
"Denied and enraged, Balshak turned his will toward the Cranium," he went on. "Through centuries, guardians have come and gone, but the Cranium endured, protected by those sworn not to a god, but to a seal."
I felt chills when he finished. Goosebumps took over my whole body. I now understood why people had died for it. But hearing this didn't make me feel any better. This was now my burden to carry.
"This is why you must find the Cranium, Dana," Kaelric concluded.
I was speechless. The only words I could manage were, "Where is Anthos? Is he... dead?"
Kaelric sighed. "We don't know anything about the true location of Anthos. We don't know if he's dead or alive. All we know is what I have told you. Beyond that... nothing."
My head spun, questions tumbling over each other. Was I cut out for the quest before me?