The mountain was screaming.
Qaritas had heard mountains make noises before.
He'd heard them crack.
Collapse.
Explode.
Once, he'd watched an entire mountain range attempt to crawl away from something buried beneath it.
That had been an unpleasant afternoon.
But this—
This was different.
Because mountains weren't supposed to sound like someone trying very hard not to cry.
THUM.
The ground trembled.
CLINK.
Something metallic scraped beneath the ancient temple.
Then—
KRRRRRRNNNNG.
A sound so terrible that Qaritas felt it in his teeth.
He stood before the sealed doorway.
Beside him, Ylaris had gone completely still.
Kysena held the surviving elemental ember within a sphere of moonlight.
Xheavend stared toward the stone.
Blood slipped from beneath her mismatched eyes.
And the Book—
the grotesque, floating, thoroughly unpleasant Book—
had opened to a single page.
ALTEST.
The letters pulsed.
Qaritas stared.
Then slowly looked toward the mountain.
"...Well."
Nobody answered.
He swallowed.
"I was hoping the missing fire god would be somewhere considerably less volcanic."
Another tremor.
Dust fell from the temple ceiling.
Ylaris placed his palm against the doorway.
Golden light spread through the ancient symbols.
Fire.
Earth.
Air.
Water.
The fire symbol flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
a voice.
"...Leave..."
Qaritas went still.
It was the same voice they'd heard before.
Weak.
Exhausted.
Buried beneath an impossible weight.
"...Please..."
Xheavend stepped closer.
"Altest?"
Silence.
Then—
"...Don't..."
The mountain shook.
"...open..."
A pause.
"...the seal."
Qaritas stared at the doorway.
Then at Ylaris.
Then back.
"...That's unfortunate."
Ylaris's expression darkened.
"What?"
Qaritas gestured toward the enormous sealed entrance.
"Because opening suspicious doors is becoming something of a personal tradition."
"Qaritas."
"What?"
"Be serious."
Qaritas looked toward the mountain.
The black-glass slopes.
The crimson cracks.
The enormous volcanic scars.
Then—
his smile disappeared.
"I am."
The first problem was the door.
The second problem was the mountain.
The third problem—
was that something beneath the mountain appeared to be listening.
Qaritas disliked all three.
Ylaris examined the ancient symbols.
His golden eyes moved across the inscriptions.
Kysena approached.
"Can you read them?"
"Some."
Qaritas leaned closer.
"Some?"
Ylaris nodded.
"The writing predates the modern kingdoms."
"Wonderful."
"These seals were created through the combined authority of the four elemental domains."
Qaritas glanced toward the symbols.
"Altest, Arthan, Ariyion, and Akaizu."
"Yes."
Kysena frowned.
"Then how did Altest become trapped inside?"
Ylaris didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
he placed both hands against the doorway.
Golden light spread across the stone.
The symbols illuminated.
Fire.
Earth.
Air.
Water.
Then—
the light stopped.
A fifth symbol emerged beneath them.
A circle.
Crossed by several interlocking lines.
Qaritas frowned.
"...That wasn't there before."
"No."
Ylaris's voice became cold.
Kysena leaned closer.
"What is it?"
Ylaris studied the symbol.
Then—
"A secondary binding."
Qaritas blinked.
"Meaning?"
"Someone altered the original seal."
Silence.
Qaritas looked toward the mountain.
Then—
"Let me guess."
He sighed.
"Chains."
Ylaris nodded.
"Yes."
Qaritas closed his eyes.
"Of course."
The Book floated closer.
Its pages turned.
Ink rearranged itself.
ORIGINAL SEAL: ACTIVE.
Another line appeared.
FOREIGN BINDING: ACTIVE.
Then—
BREACH RISK: CRITICAL.
Qaritas stared.
"...Oh."
He looked toward Ylaris.
"That's considerably more information than it usually gives us."
The Book's purple eyes blinked.
Qaritas narrowed his eyes.
"Don't look pleased with yourself."
A page turned.
DO NOT BREAK THE SEAL.
Qaritas stared.
Then slowly—
looked toward the mountain.
"...Right."
For once—
he agreed with the Book.
Which was deeply concerning.
They entered through a maintenance passage beneath the eastern wall.
Not the sealed doorway.
Ylaris found it after studying the temple's foundation.
A narrow stairwell descended into the mountain.
Its entrance had been buried beneath several feet of volcanic glass.
Ylaris melted the obstruction carefully.
Kysena cooled the surrounding stone.
Qaritas removed the fragments.
And Xheavend—
stood beside the entrance.
Listening.
Not to the mountain.
Not to the chains.
To something else.
"Xhea?"
She looked toward him.
"What?"
"Are the spirits still here?"
Her expression changed.
"Some."
Qaritas glanced toward the ruined city behind them.
The black-glass figures.
The dead streets.
The collapsed furnace.
"What are they doing?"
Xheavend looked down the stairwell.
"They're watching."
Qaritas frowned.
"Us?"
She shook her head.
"The mountain."
Silence.
He swallowed.
"Are they still afraid?"
"Yes."
Another pause.
"But..."
Qaritas waited.
Xheavend's mismatched eyes softened.
"Some of them are waiting."
"For what?"
She looked toward the darkness.
Then whispered—
"For him."
The stairs descended farther than Qaritas appreciated.
Which was impressive.
Considering his recent experiences with impossible architecture.
The walls were black stone.
Ancient golden inscriptions glimmered beneath layers of ash.
Crimson veins pulsed through the rock.
And everywhere—
chains.
Not physical chains.
Not yet.
Their shapes had been carved into the walls.
Thousands of them.
Some represented binding.
Others protection.
Others sacrifice.
Qaritas recognized enough of the symbols to understand that the temple hadn't originally been a prison.
It had been something else.
Something older.
A place where four elemental authorities worked together to contain forces beneath the world.
Ylaris led.
His golden flame illuminated the passage.
Kysena followed, carrying the surviving elemental ember.
Xheavend walked beside Qaritas.
The Book floated behind them.
For several minutes—
nobody spoke.
Then—
Qaritas noticed something.
"...Ylaris."
The Sun Ascendant looked back.
"What?"
"Why is the wall sweating?"
Silence.
Ylaris turned.
A thick black substance seeped from a crack.
It rolled slowly down the stone.
Not water.
Not ordinary magma.
Something darker.
He approached.
Touched it with a small golden flame.
The substance hissed.
Then—
contracted.
Qaritas stared.
"...That is not reassuring."
Ylaris's expression darkened.
"Volcanic mud."
Qaritas blinked.
"That's mud?"
"Mixed with mineral ash and elemental heat."
Qaritas looked at the substance.
It moved.
Slowly.
Almost deliberately.
"...Why does it look angry?"
Kysena approached.
Her moonlight illuminated the wall.
The black mud contained tiny crystalline fragments.
Some glowed crimson.
Others—
were completely dark.
Kysena frowned.
"Those fragments..."
Ylaris nodded.
"Elemental residue."
Qaritas looked toward them.
"From the Pyrathi?"
"Possibly."
Kysena's expression changed.
"Qaritas."
He turned.
She held the protected ember closer.
The tiny flame trembled violently.
Then—
leaned toward the black mud.
As though recognizing something.
Qaritas stared.
"...Oh."
The ember flickered.
A whisper escaped it.
"...Don't..."
Kysena went still.
The flame trembled.
"...touch..."
The mud shifted.
And something beneath its surface—
opened an eye.
Qaritas screamed.
Not heroically.
Not impressively.
Just—
"WHAT THE—"
He stumbled backward.
Ylaris raised his hand.
Golden fire struck the wall.
The black mud recoiled.
The eye vanished.
Silence.
Qaritas stared.
His heart hammered.
Then—
"...I hate mud."
Xheavend blinked.
Kysena looked toward the wall.
Ylaris lowered his hand.
Qaritas pointed.
"I HAVE DECIDED."
The Book opened.
NOTED.
Qaritas turned toward it.
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS."
A purple eye blinked.
Xheavend covered her mouth.
Her shoulders shook.
Qaritas stared at her.
"...You're laughing."
She shook her head.
"No."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"Your shoulders are moving."
She laughed.
Qaritas sighed.
"Wonderful."
Then—
the wall moved again.
Not the mud.
The stone.
Something enormous shifted behind it.
THUM.
The mountain's heartbeat.
Kysena's expression became serious.
"Whatever that substance is, it's connected to the chamber below."
Ylaris nodded.
"And it isn't natural."
Qaritas looked toward the black mud.
The eye.
The crystalline fragments.
Then—
"Can we avoid touching it?"
Ylaris nodded.
"That would be wise."
"Excellent."
Qaritas looked down the stairs.
"Finally, a plan I support."
The passage opened into a cavern.
And Qaritas—
stopped breathing.
Because beneath Ashenwatch—
beneath the black-glass city—
beneath the enormous volcanic mountain—
was an entire world.
Not metaphorically.
Not poetically.
An actual underground landscape.
Colossal pillars of obsidian rose from an ocean of glowing magma.
Rivers of black volcanic mud wound between enormous crystalline formations.
Ancient bridges stretched across chasms.
Golden symbols floated above broken platforms.
And far below—
a vast circular structure rotated around a pit.
Four enormous elemental rings.
Fire.
Earth.
Air.
Water.
Three were dark.
The fourth—
burned.
Weakly.
Crimson.
Gold.
White.
Qaritas stared.
"...Oh."
Ylaris stood beside him.
His expression had gone pale.
Kysena whispered—
"That's..."
"A containment chamber," Ylaris answered.
Qaritas looked toward the enormous rings.
"Containment for what?"
Ylaris didn't answer.
Instead—
he stared toward the center.
Qaritas followed his gaze.
And saw—
the chains.
Real ones.
Not carvings.
Not symbols.
Enormous black chains stretched from the cavern walls toward the center of the chamber.
Some were thicker than ancient trees.
Others resembled rivers of interlocking metal.
They crossed the pit.
Wrapped around the central structure.
And disappeared beneath an enormous mass of volcanic mud.
The mud rose and fell.
Slowly.
Like breathing.
THUM.
The entire cavern trembled.
Qaritas swallowed.
"...Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
Ylaris said nothing.
Kysena's eyes widened.
Xheavend stepped forward.
Her expression changed.
"He's there."
Qaritas looked toward her.
"Altest?"
She nodded.
Then—
pointed toward the center.
"Inside."
They crossed the first bridge.
The heat increased immediately.
Qaritas felt it through his clothing.
Through his skin.
Through the very air.
Ylaris raised one hand.
Golden fire formed a protective veil around them.
The heat softened.
Not vanished.
But manageable.
Kysena added a layer of moonlight.
The two powers intertwined.
Warmth and coolness.
Solar fire and lunar restoration.
Qaritas exhaled.
"...Thank you."
Ylaris nodded.
Kysena smiled.
"Try not to fall."
Qaritas looked over the bridge.
Far below—
magma rolled through the darkness.
He stared.
"...That seems like an unreasonable request."
They continued.
Halfway across—
the Book opened.
Ink spread across its pages.
CONTAINMENT STABILITY: 11%.
Qaritas stopped.
"...Eleven?"
Ylaris turned.
Kysena's expression darkened.
The Book turned another page.
PRIMARY ANCHOR: ALTEST.
Another.
FOREIGN CHAINS: DRAINING ANCHOR.
Silence.
Qaritas looked toward the central pit.
Then—
"Oh."
He understood.
Not everything.
Not yet.
But enough.
Altest wasn't simply trapped.
He was holding something.
Something beneath the mountain.
And the chains—
were stealing from him.
Qaritas looked toward Ylaris.
"Can we remove them?"
Ylaris studied the enormous bindings.
"Not without understanding how they're attached."
"Why?"
"Because they may have been woven into the original seal."
Qaritas looked toward the Book.
DO NOT BREAK THE SEAL.
He swallowed.
"Right."
Then—
a voice.
Weak.
Distant.
"...Who..."
Everyone stopped.
The voice came from the pit.
"...is..."
A pause.
"...there?"
Ylaris stepped forward.
His golden eyes widened.
"Altest?"
Silence.
Then—
"...Ylaris?"
The Sun Ascendant froze.
Qaritas stared.
The voice changed.
Not stronger.
But—
disbelieving.
"...Little sun?"
Ylaris inhaled sharply.
For one heartbeat—
he looked nothing like the composed Ascendant Qaritas had traveled with.
He looked younger.
Almost startled.
"Altest."
A pause.
"It's me."
The cavern trembled.
Then—
a sound.
A laugh.
Weak.
Broken.
But real.
"...You..."
A strained breath.
"...got taller."
Qaritas blinked.
Then slowly looked at Ylaris.
"...Little sun?"
Ylaris closed his eyes.
"Not now."
Qaritas stared.
"...Oh, I'm absolutely bringing that up later."
They reached the central platform.
Up close—
the chains were worse.
Much worse.
They didn't merely wrap around the volcanic mass.
They pierced it.
Enormous black links disappeared into the mud.
Each carried a faint violet glow.
The color pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
stopped.
Qaritas frowned.
"...That's strange."
The enormous chains hung motionless.
The magma below continued glowing.
But its surface had become perfectly still.
No bubbles.
No movement.
Not even a ripple.
Qaritas looked toward Ylaris.
"...Is that normal?"
Ylaris didn't answer.
He was staring at the chains.
The violet light had begun moving.
Not along the metal.
Through it.
Thin threads of golden fire traveled from somewhere beneath the volcanic mud into the black links.
One after another.
As though something were being emptied.
Kysena's expression changed.
"They're taking his fire."
The chains drew another thread.
Then another.
Qaritas felt his stomach tighten.
Because whatever was beneath the mud—
wasn't fighting.
It was enduring.
Then—
something moved.
An enormous hand pressed against the edge of the pit.
At first—
Qaritas thought it was another rock formation.
Ylaris raised both hands.
Golden light spread across the platform.
Kysena steadied the surviving ember.
Xheavend approached the edge.
Then—
"Altest?"
The mud shifted.
A shape emerged.
At first—
Qaritas thought it was another rock formation.
Then—
he saw the hand.
Enormous.
Blackened.
Cracked.
Fingers partially fused into volcanic stone.
A hand larger than Qaritas's entire body.
It pressed against the edge of the pit.
Then—
another.
Slowly—
something rose.
Not fully.
Only enough for Qaritas to understand what had been buried.
A man.
A colossal man.
His body was formed from living fire and hardened charcoal.
Molten cracks spread across his shoulders.
His skin shifted between deep black and the colors of flame.
Red.
Orange.
Yellow.
Blue.
But those colors—
were dying.
His hair resembled a crown of burning fire.
His eyes glowed like exhausted furnaces.
Ancient golden ornaments hung from his body.
Fragments of ceremonial armor clung to his shoulders.
And around his chest—
the chains.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Piercing through volcanic stone.
Wrapped around his arms.
His throat.
His ribs.
His waist.
And disappearing beneath the mud.
Qaritas stared.
"...Altest."
The enormous figure looked toward him.
His eyes narrowed.
Then—
"...You..."
His voice rumbled through the cavern.
"...aren't..."
A pause.
"...from here."
Qaritas blinked.
"Technically."
Altest's gaze moved toward Xheavend.
Then—
Kysena.
Then—
Ylaris.
For a moment—
Ylaris said nothing.
He simply stared at the enormous figure before him.
The broken armor.
The dying flames.
The chains buried so deeply in Altest's body that some had disappeared beneath his skin.
Then—
"...You remember?"
Altest's exhausted eyes shifted toward him.
"...What?"
Ylaris swallowed.
"The first time you taught me to hold a flame."
Silence.
Altest blinked.
Then—
something almost resembling a smile crossed his face.
"...You..."
A strained breath.
"...set the curtains on fire."
Qaritas slowly turned.
"...Curtains?"
Ylaris closed his eyes.
"Not now."
Altest gave a weak laugh.
"...Three times."
Qaritas stared.
"THREE?"
"They were ceremonial curtains," Ylaris muttered.
"...Very..."
Altest paused.
"...expensive."
Qaritas placed a hand against his chest.
"This is the greatest conversation I've ever witnessed."
But Ylaris wasn't smiling.
He was looking at Altest's hands.
Hands that had once guided his own.
Hands that had taught him how to shape fire without destroying everything around him.
Now—
they could barely move.
Ylaris stepped closer.
"...You told me fire wasn't meant only to destroy."
Altest's expression softened.
"...No."
His voice trembled.
"...It keeps..."
A pause.
"...people warm."
Silence.
Ylaris looked toward the dying flames beneath Altest's skin.
Then whispered—
"And you've been keeping them warm all this time."
For a moment—
Altest couldn't answer.
His eyes closed.
And somewhere beneath the volcanic stone—
a single golden flame brightened.
Just once.
Altest tried to straighten.
The chains tightened.
His body convulsed.
A terrible sound escaped him.
Not a scream.
Something worse.
The sound of someone who had screamed so many times that the act had become exhausting.
Kysena immediately stepped forward.
"Don't move."
Altest looked toward her.
His expression softened.
"...Moon child."
Kysena's eyes widened.
"You recognize me?"
A weak smile.
"...Hard..."
He swallowed.
"...to forget..."
A pause.
"...those eyes."
Kysena's expression trembled.
Then—
she raised both hands.
Moonlight flowed toward his chest.
The chains reacted immediately.
Violet light flared.
The moonlight fractured.
Kysena gasped.
Ylaris caught her.
Qaritas stepped forward.
"Kysena!"
She steadied herself.
"I'm alright."
Altest shook his head.
"...Don't..."
His voice strained.
"...waste..."
Kysena looked up.
"Your strength?"
He nodded.
"...It takes..."
A pause.
"...everything."
Silence.
Qaritas looked toward the chains.
Then—
"That's what they're doing."
Altest's eyes shifted toward him.
Qaritas continued.
"Draining you."
A weak laugh.
"...Clever..."
Qaritas frowned.
"Thank you?"
Altest's expression darkened.
"...Not..."
A pause.
"...a compliment."
Qaritas sighed.
"Wonderful."
The explanation came slowly.
Not because Altest refused.
Because speaking hurt him.
Every word cost something.
Every movement pulled against the chains.
Every breath caused the enormous volcanic mass beneath him to shift.
So they listened.
Carefully.
Patiently.
And piece by piece—
the truth emerged.
Ashenwatch had not been destroyed by an ordinary eruption.
Nor had Altest arrived after the catastrophe.
He had been there before it.
Years earlier—
the mountain's ancient containment system began failing.
The volcanic arteries beneath Vharos had shifted.
Pressure built beneath the settlement.
The fire well became unstable.
And something older than the city began stirring beneath the earth.
Altest came to stabilize it.
At first—
he believed the problem was natural.
A failure of the old elemental channels.
A dangerous but manageable imbalance.
He contacted his brothers.
Arthan.
Ariyion.
Akaizu.
They attempted to reinforce the system from their respective domains.
But before they could complete the work—
something interfered.
Not a volcanic disturbance.
Not a natural failure.
Something deliberate.
Altest's voice weakened.
"...The channels..."
He swallowed.
"...were changed."
Ylaris frowned.
"Changed how?"
Altest looked toward the enormous rings.
"...Redirected."
Kysena's expression darkened.
"Someone altered the elemental flow."
Altest nodded.
"...Yes."
Qaritas looked toward the chains.
"And you stayed."
Altest's eyes shifted toward him.
"...Had to."
"Why?"
A long silence.
Then—
"...People."
Qaritas swallowed.
Altest continued.
"...Thousands."
He looked toward the ceiling.
Toward the city above.
"...Couldn't..."
A strained breath.
"...let it rise."
Qaritas looked toward the enormous mass beneath him.
Something was contained there.
Something that had nearly destroyed Ashenwatch.
Something Altest had chosen to hold back.
He hadn't been imprisoned at first.
He had entered the seal willingly.
He had become its living anchor.
A god holding a mountain together.
To save his people.
Qaritas stared.
Then—
"What happened?"
Altest's expression changed.
The fire in his eyes darkened.
"...Someone..."
A pause.
"...came."
Silence.
Ylaris stepped closer.
"Who?"
Altest's enormous fingers tightened.
The chains scraped.
"...Wore..."
He swallowed.
"...a familiar face."
Qaritas went still.
Xheavend's mismatched eyes narrowed.
Kysena looked toward them.
And Qaritas—
already knew.
"The Guard."
Altest's eyes widened.
"...You..."
His voice trembled.
"...know it?"
Qaritas nodded.
"Unfortunately."
The Guard had not arrived as a monster.
Of course it hadn't.
That would have been too convenient.
It came wearing the face of someone Altest trusted.
Someone who knew the old seals.
Someone who understood the elemental channels.
Someone who could approach without raising suspicion.
Altest had been exhausted.
The mountain was unstable.
The people of Ashenwatch were evacuating.
And the creature offered help.
Qaritas felt sick.
Because he could imagine it.
The gentle voice.
The familiar smile.
The reassuring words.
The same false kindness it had worn as Seralyne.
Altest continued.
"...It said..."
A pause.
"...my brothers..."
His voice weakened.
"...were coming."
Ylaris's expression darkened.
Qaritas swallowed.
"And you believed it."
Altest closed his eyes.
"...Yes."
Silence.
The Guard entered the temple.
It examined the containment system.
Then—
offered to reinforce the seal.
Altest agreed.
Not because he was foolish.
Because the mountain was failing.
Because the city was in danger.
Because he needed help.
And the creature used that need.
It altered the binding.
Introduced foreign chains.
Connected them to Altest's elemental core.
And began draining him.
Not all at once.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Just enough to weaken him without breaking the containment entirely.
Qaritas looked toward the violet light.
The chains pulsed.
Every few seconds—
they drew another thread of fire from Altest's body.
He watched one.
Then another.
Then another.
"...Oh."
His voice became cold.
"It turned you into a battery."
Altest laughed weakly.
"...Crude..."
A pause.
"...description."
Qaritas stared.
"Accurate?"
Altest closed his eyes.
"...Unfortunately."
The worst part came afterward.
Not the chains.
Not the pain.
The city.
Qaritas asked what happened to Ashenwatch.
Altest went silent.
For so long—
Qaritas wondered whether he'd fallen unconscious.
Then—
the enormous fire Ascendant opened his eyes.
And whispered—
"...I failed."
Silence.
Ylaris stepped forward.
"No."
Altest shook his head.
"...They..."
His voice cracked.
"...trusted me."
Kysena's expression softened.
"Altest—"
"...I heard..."
He swallowed.
"...them."
His eyes lowered.
"...The children."
Qaritas felt his chest tighten.
Altest continued.
"...The bells."
A pause.
"...The prayers."
His enormous fingers shifted against the stone.
"...There was..."
He struggled to breathe.
"...a little boy."
Silence.
Ylaris looked up.
Altest stared toward the cavern ceiling.
"...Every morning..."
A pause.
"...he brought flowers."
Qaritas frowned.
"To your temple?"
Altest nodded.
"...Yellow ones."
His eyes dimmed.
"...Said they..."
A strained breath.
"...looked like fire."
Nobody spoke.
"...When the bells rang..."
His voice cracked.
"...I heard him."
Xheavend lowered her eyes.
Altest tried to continue.
But the words wouldn't come.
Finally—
"...I couldn't..."
His enormous hand trembled.
"...reach him."
The chains tightened.
A terrible sound escaped him.
Ylaris raised both hands.
Golden light steadied the platform.
Kysena added moonlight.
Xheavend stepped forward.
Her expression had changed.
Not anger.
Not pity.
Something quieter.
Something that understood.
"Altest."
The enormous Ascendant looked toward her.
She spoke softly.
"You didn't abandon them."
Silence.
Altest stared.
Xheavend continued.
"You stayed."
His eyes trembled.
"You held the mountain."
A pause.
"Even after the chains were put on you."
Altest looked away.
"...Not..."
His voice broke.
"...enough."
Xheavend's eyes filled.
"Maybe not."
Qaritas looked at her.
She continued.
"But that doesn't mean you abandoned them."
Silence.
The enormous Ascendant stared at her.
Then—
his shoulders shook.
Not from the chains.
Not from the mountain.
From grief.
And Qaritas realized—
Altest had been trapped here for years.
Unable to move.
Unable to leave.
Unable to save the people above.
Forced to listen as Ashenwatch died.
And every moment since—
he had blamed himself.
Kysena examined the bindings while Ylaris studied the original seal.
Qaritas remained near Altest.
Xheavend stood beside him.
The Book floated overhead.
Its purple eyes watched the chains.
Qaritas looked toward the enormous Ascendant.
"Can I ask something?"
Altest's eyes shifted toward him.
"...You..."
A weak breath.
"...already are."
Qaritas smiled.
"Excellent. I like efficiency."
Altest's mouth twitched.
Qaritas gestured toward the black mud.
"What exactly are you holding?"
Silence.
Altest looked down.
Toward the enormous mass beneath his body.
"...Pressure."
Qaritas frowned.
"Volcanic?"
"...More."
A pause.
"...Than volcanic."
Ylaris turned.
"What do you mean?"
Altest's expression darkened.
"...The old..."
He swallowed.
"...fire arteries."
Kysena looked up.
"Connected beneath the continent?"
Altest nodded.
"...All..."
His voice strained.
"...of them."
Qaritas felt his stomach drop.
"All?"
Altest closed his eyes.
"...If..."
A pause.
"...this breaks..."
The mountain trembled.
"...Vharos..."
Silence.
Qaritas swallowed.
"How much of Vharos?"
Altest opened his eyes.
"...Enough."
That was not an answer Qaritas appreciated.
At all.
He looked toward Ylaris.
"Can we stabilize it?"
Ylaris studied the enormous rings.
"The original system was designed for four elemental authorities."
Qaritas nodded.
"Fire, earth, air, water."
"Yes."
"And only fire is active."
Ylaris looked toward Altest.
"Yes."
Qaritas sighed.
"Wonderful."
Kysena approached.
"The foreign chains are connected to the same structure."
Ylaris nodded.
"If we remove them incorrectly, the containment could collapse."
Qaritas looked toward the Book.
Its pages turned.
FOREIGN BINDING: ACTIVE.
PRIMARY ANCHOR: ALTEST.
CONTAINMENT STABILITY: 9%.
Qaritas stared.
"...Nine?"
The Book remained still.
"IT WAS ELEVEN."
Another page turned.
DECLINING.
Qaritas looked toward the ceiling.
"THANK YOU. I HADN'T NOTICED."
They needed a plan.
A real one.
Not Qaritas's usual strategy of improvising until reality became too exhausted to object.
Which—
admittedly—
had worked surprisingly often.
But this time—
there were too many lives involved.
Too much pressure beneath the mountain.
Too many elemental channels connected to the seal.
And one exhausted Ascendant who had spent years holding back a catastrophe.
Ylaris studied the original inscriptions.
Kysena examined the foreign chains.
Xheavend listened to the dead.
And Qaritas—
looked for something everyone else had missed.
Because he had learned something from the Guard.
Something unpleasant.
The creature liked pretending to help.
Liked turning trust into weakness.
Liked using people as tools.
But it also liked leaving things behind.
Evidence.
Fragments.
Discarded skin.
Unfinished work.
And Qaritas—
had a very strong suspicion—
that the Guard hadn't come to Ashenwatch merely to imprison Altest.
He approached the nearest chain.
Not touching.
Just examining.
The black metal was smooth.
Almost organic.
Violet light pulsed beneath its surface.
And along each link—
tiny symbols had been carved.
Qaritas narrowed his eyes.
"...Oh."
He leaned closer.
The symbols weren't random.
They formed repeating patterns.
Not words.
Measurements.
Intervals.
Marks.
Qaritas felt something cold settle in his stomach.
"Ylaris."
The Sun Ascendant approached.
"What?"
Qaritas pointed.
"Look."
Ylaris studied the markings.
His expression changed.
"...Those aren't binding inscriptions."
Qaritas nodded.
"No."
Kysena approached.
"What are they?"
Qaritas swallowed.
"Measurements."
Silence.
Xheavend looked toward the chain.
"Measurements of what?"
Qaritas stared at the violet glow.
Then slowly—
looked toward Altest.
"How much power he has left."
They found the recording mechanism beneath the western anchor.
A small black crystal.
Embedded within the chain.
Almost invisible.
Ylaris carefully exposed it.
Kysena shielded the surrounding bindings.
Qaritas leaned closer.
The crystal pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
a projection appeared.
Not an image.
Not a face.
A series of numbers.
Symbols.
Intervals.
Energy fluctuations.
Records of Altest's elemental output.
His resistance.
His weakening core.
And—
a countdown.
Qaritas stared.
"...Oh."
Ylaris's expression hardened.
Kysena whispered—
"Someone has been monitoring him."
Xheavend looked toward the crystal.
"From outside?"
Ylaris nodded.
"Possibly."
Qaritas studied the readings.
Then—
his stomach dropped.
Because one line—
was different.
Not a measurement.
A destination.
A transfer.
A name.
Written in symbols he recognized from Solvayne's ledger.
CHAINMAKER.
Silence.
Qaritas looked toward Xheavend.
Her face had gone pale.
Ylaris stepped closer.
"Qaritas?"
He pointed toward the projection.
"The Chainmaker."
Kysena's expression changed.
"Eirisa."
Qaritas nodded.
The black crystal pulsed.
Then—
another line appeared.
SUBJECT: ALTEST.
STATUS: CONTAINED.
RESISTANCE: DECLINING.
NEXT ASSESSMENT: PENDING.
Qaritas stared.
Then slowly—
his expression hardened.
"...You have got to be kidding me."
Altest watched them.
His enormous eyes followed the projection.
The chains continued draining him.
The mountain continued trembling.
And beneath the volcanic mud—
something enormous remained contained.
Qaritas approached.
"Altest."
The fire Ascendant looked toward him.
"...Yes?"
Qaritas swallowed.
"Did the Guard ever mention someone called the Chainmaker?"
Silence.
Altest's expression changed.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
Terrible recognition.
"...Yes."
Qaritas felt his chest tighten.
"What did it say?"
Altest closed his eyes.
For a long moment—
he didn't answer.
Then—
"...She..."
His voice weakened.
"...came."
Silence.
Xheavend went completely still.
Ylaris stepped forward.
"Here?"
Altest nodded.
"...Once."
Qaritas swallowed.
"What did she do?"
The enormous Ascendant looked toward the chains.
His expression darkened.
"...Nothing."
Qaritas frowned.
"Nothing?"
Altest's eyes shifted toward him.
"...Watched."
Silence.
"...Measured."
The chains pulsed.
"...Smiled."
Qaritas felt something ugly twist inside him.
Then—
Altest whispered—
"She came to measure how long I could survive."
The words remained in the cavern.
Heavy.
Cold.
Horrifying.
Qaritas stared at the chains.
Then at the black crystal.
Then toward the enormous Ascendant trapped beneath the mountain.
Eirisa hadn't come to free him.
Hadn't come to kill him.
Hadn't even come to interrogate him.
She'd come to measure his suffering.
To calculate his endurance.
To determine how long an Ascendant could be drained before the seal failed.
And somewhere—
someone was waiting for the answer.
Qaritas looked toward Xheavend.
She hadn't moved.
Her mismatched eyes were fixed on the crystal.
Blood slipped down her cheeks.
He approached.
"Xhea."
She didn't answer.
"Xheavend."
Her lips parted.
"...I remember her."
Qaritas swallowed.
"I know."
She shook her head.
"No."
Her voice trembled.
"I remember what she said."
Silence.
The mountain's heartbeat sounded.
THUM.
Xheavend looked toward the chains.
"She asked Yzer what he was keeping."
Qaritas went still.
"During your abduction?"
She nodded.
"She couldn't see me."
Her fingers tightened.
"But she knew someone was there."
Qaritas waited.
Xheavend continued.
"She called me an invisible slave."
Silence.
"And Yzer..."
Her voice broke.
"He laughed."
Qaritas felt something cold move through him.
Xheavend stared toward the enormous chains.
Then whispered—
"She knew."
Qaritas frowned.
"Knew what?"
Xheavend looked at him.
"That he was taking someone."
A pause.
"She knew I was a child."
Silence.
Qaritas looked toward the black crystal.
The measurements.
The countdown.
The name.
CHAINMAKER.
Then—
his expression hardened.
"Well."
Ylaris turned.
"Qaritas?"
He looked toward Altest.
Then toward the enormous mountain.
Then back at the chains.
"I think we've found our next problem."
Kysena's eyes narrowed.
"Our next problem?"
Qaritas nodded.
"Eirisa."
The Book floated closer.
Its pages turned.
Ink spread across the parchment.
FOUR.
Another page.
ONE FOUND.
Then—
THREE REMAIN.
Qaritas stared.
His stomach tightened.
Three brothers.
Arthan.
Ariyion.
Akaizu.
Somewhere on Lamentis.
Missing.
Possibly trapped.
Possibly hunted.
And one of them—
Altest—
was being drained beneath a dead city while a Fragment recorded how long he could survive.
Qaritas looked toward Ylaris.
"We need to find the others."
Ylaris nodded.
"Yes."
Kysena looked toward Altest.
"And we need to keep him alive."
Xheavend stepped forward.
Her mismatched eyes glowed.
One red.
One pink.
"And we need to stop the chains."
Qaritas looked toward the enormous bindings.
Then—
the mountain went silent.
Completely.
Qaritas noticed immediately.
Something was missing.
The heartbeat.
For one terrible moment—
he waited.
Then—
THUM.
One final beat.
And nothing followed.
He looked toward Altest.
The enormous Ascendant's eyes were open.
His flames had dimmed.
And the golden fire flowing through the elemental rings—
was slowing.
The enormous Ascendant's eyes were open.
His flames had dimmed.
And the golden fire flowing through the elemental rings—
was slowing.
Ylaris went still.
"...No."
Qaritas turned.
"What?"
"The containment."
Ylaris raised both hands.
Golden fire surged toward the nearest ring.
But the ring didn't respond.
Kysena's moonlight spread across the platform.
The symbols flickered.
Then vanished.
Qaritas stared.
"...Why aren't they working?"
Altest's enormous fingers dug into the volcanic stone.
A single thread of fire escaped his chest.
The chains swallowed it.
And for one terrible moment—
the entire cavern seemed to inhale.
The Book opened.
CONTAINMENT STABILITY: 8%.
Then—
7%.
Qaritas stared.
"...Oh, COME ON."
The chains pulsed.
Violet light flooded the cavern.
And somewhere—
far beyond Ashenwatch—
something answered.
Not from the mountain.
Not from the city.
From the chains themselves.
A voice.
Female.
Soft.
Amused.
"...Seven percent?"
Silence.
Qaritas froze.
Xheavend went completely still.
Ylaris's golden eyes narrowed.
Kysena's moonlight brightened.
The voice laughed.
A beautiful sound.
Gentle.
Almost affectionate.
Then—
"Oh, Altest."
A pause.
"You've lasted longer than I expected."
The black crystal flared.
Violet light spilled across the chains.
And for one terrible moment—
three dying stars appeared within the darkness.
Qaritas stopped breathing.
Eirisa.
The Chainmaker.
Her voice softened.
"Shall we see how much longer you can endure?"