The papal war room beneath the Cathedral of the Eternal Light was smaller than the grand nave above, but far more dangerous.
Thick stone walls blocked every sound from the city streets. No footsteps, no distant bells, no screams from the latest monster attack reached inside.
A long obsidian table took up most of the space, its surface cold and black. Pale blue orbs floated above it, giving off light without shadows.
Maps of the empire covered the table, red ink marking every spot where a Sky Dungeon monster had broken through and killed.
Reports of burned villages, lines of refugees on the roads, and shattered army units lay scattered like trash.
Aiden sat at the head in white papal robes. The fabric was clean and heavy, but it did nothing to hide the thick silver fractures running across his neck, jaw, and upper chest. The black lines pulsed slowly, as if something inside him was breathing.
