The walls of the subterranean corridors began to shudder, but not from Bael's power. It was the rhythmic vibration of the Silver Lining engine, beginning to pump high-pressure steam into the very foundations of Isfellan. The hiss of steam vied with the roar of the insects shrouding William.
Harold struggled to his feet, blood trickling from his temple. Before him, William was no longer treading the ground; his body hovered inches above, encircled by a vortex of flies now forming impossible geometric patterns.
"Do you hear that, Harold?" William laughed, his voice fracturing into three distinct tones. "Your beloved wife... she chose to burn this house down rather than let me have it. Pure Vaine logic. So... efficient."
"Anne did what had to be done," Harold growled, gripping his sword until his knuckles turned white. "And I will do my part."
In the control room above, Caine's hands shook as he gripped the final detonator lever. "Anne, the circuits are nearly at capacity. If we don't pull it in thirty seconds, the steam pressure will explode uncontrollably and bring down the entire fortress, not just the dungeon!"
Anne Marie Vain stood rigid, her eyes fixed on the pressure monitors. Her face was as cold as ice, yet her own heartbeat felt like a hammer striking her chest. She could see through the surveillance circuits that Harold was still within the blast zone.
"Wait," Anne whispered.
"Anne! We're going to lose everything!" Caine shouted.
"I said WAIT!"
Back underground, Harold didn't strike at William. Instead, he lunged toward the unconscious Rainnes. With one swift motion, he slung the girl over his shoulder.
"You think you can run?" William waved his hand, and the storm of flies shot like black bullets toward Harold's back.
However, before the insects could touch him, a burst of silver light erupted from the necklace Rainnes wore—a failsafe Anne had installed without anyone's knowledge. The light formed a momentary frequency shield, incinerating Bael's flies into ash in an instant.
Harold seized the opening. He didn't run for the exit stairs; instead, he bolted toward the Main Ventilation Shaft connected directly to Caine's steam system.
"Caine! NOW!" Harold bellowed into his communication device.
In the control room, Anne saw a green signal flare on the radar. Harold had reached the safety zone behind the ventilation's airtight doors.
"PULL!" Anne commanded.
Caine pulled the lever.
BOOM!
The explosion was not the red of fire, but a blinding silver-white. Concentrated anti-resonance energy erupted from the steam pipes, obliterating William's cell and the entire subterranean structure of Isfellan in one massive shockwave.
Bael's shriek, torn from William's throat, was so deafening that glass shattered throughout the fortress. The shadow of the three heads appeared to be ripped apart by the silver light before finally being buried under thousands of tons of collapsing rock and iron.
Silence.
Only the sound of the snow falling peacefully outside the fortress remained.
Anne and Caine sprinted toward the main ventilation hatch in the inner courtyard. Minutes later, the heavy iron door hissed open with a cloud of hot steam. Harold emerged, his body covered in ash and soot, still carrying a waking Rainnes.
Harold looked at Anne. He wasn't angry that she had nearly blown him up. Instead, he gave a slight nod—an acknowledgment of her courage to make the hardest decision.
"William?" Caine asked, catching his breath.
Harold glanced back at the ruins billowing with silver smoke. "The structure is completely leveled. If he's still human, there's no way he survived."
But Rainnes, who had just opened her eyes, stared at the wreckage with profound horror. In her vision, the golden-yellow frequency had not vanished. Instead, it had shattered into millions of tiny specks that were now crawling into the Isfellan soil, heading toward the darkest depths of the mines.
"He isn't dead," Rainnes whispered, her voice barely audible. "He's just... merged with this place."