Lilith located the Exit Portal—a disc of aqua-green energy that had opened at the far end of the chamber, marking the end of the Focus.
She marched toward it.
Just before stepping into the glowing barrier, Lilith stopped.
Still facing away from the wounded group, she opened her mouth and spoke.
"How do I get to the Academy?"
Her voice was dry, low, and utterly emotionless.
The group remained silent for several seconds.
Finally, Lúcio, the archer, found his voice. He cleared his throat, the words leaving him hoarse and hurried.
"Head where the sun sets," he said. "The Academy isn't far from there."
His tone carried fear—but also a clear trace of awe.
"Thank you," Lilith replied, her tone as flat as before.
Before she could step into the portal, Mari—the mage—dropped to her knees, bowing her head to the ground.
"I don't know what you are," she said softly, "but… thank you for saving us."
Lilith didn't turn. But beneath the shadow of her hood, a faint smile—one of quiet satisfaction—crossed her lips.
Without another word, she stepped into the aqua-green portal and vanished.
The figure of the stranger vanished into the aqua-green disc of energy, which sealed shut instantly.
Dimensional pressure washed over her—but this time, there was no violent fall.
When Lilith emerged from the portal, she found herself back where she had first landed on the Firm Earth, before being pulled into the Blue Rift: an open plain.
The gray, arid soil of the Scarred Lands was still there, yet no longer under a fetid subterranean dome.
Above her, the sky stretched wide and blue. To the east, green mountains rose, contrasting beautifully with the barren foreground. It was, in truth, a vast and beautiful sight—one that made her draw in a deep breath of clean air.
She wasted no time. With the sun low and setting on the horizon to the west, she began marching decisively in the opposite direction. Her destination was clear: the Central Arcana Academy, to the east.
Lilith walked at a brisk pace, her long dark cloak swaying lightly in the wind of the open plain.
That was when Malus finally echoed in her mind—not as a whisper, but as a cold strike of warning.
"You should be careful, Lilith. You shouldn't use your Luminar powers so freely."
Lilith frowned beneath her hood but didn't slow her steps. She knew the General was right. The explosion of Pure Aether—white and radiant—had been a beacon. Light was the anomaly here, and its exposure would make her a target.
"What do you suggest, then?" she asked mentally, her tone dry.
Malus answered with his usual tactical irony, his voice sharper now.
"Simple. We won't hide the power—we'll repaint it. The problem is that Light stands alone, while the Void is common. Not seen as demonic, but rather necromantic… or ancient magic."
The General's tone shifted, turning instructive.
"You have my essence as a filter. When you draw on your strength, force the Aether to blend with what remains of me. Don't try to suppress the Light—just change its hue. Instead of blinding white, make it purple. In their world, purple and black mark the Ancient Arts and Necromancy—accepted disciplines in the Sultanate, studied at the A.A.C. Your attacks will carry the energy signature of Draconia."
A faint chill ran along Lilith's arm. It wasn't the use of Shadow for destruction, but as passive camouflage. The pure Aether would now be tinted—appearing as Ancient Magic to anyone who sensed it.
"Understood," she replied.
Lilith kept walking toward the setting sun, now bound by a new rule: her Light would remain hidden—disguised as the Purple Magic of the Void.
As she get farther from the arid Scarland, on the horizon, a smear of gray and blue began to swell. Before long, she caught sight of a great city glimmering in the distance, its vast basalt walls tinted in shades of deep blue, as if they absorbed the dying light of the setting sun.
Even from afar, she could make out the runic letters etched above the main gate: ERNAS.
The city was colossal, sprawling for miles, with towers of glass and stone that climbed toward the heavens.
"Alright," Lilith thought, taking in the sight. "From what I've gathered, the academy lies somewhere inside that enormous city."