The sound of snapping chains echoed through the underground sanctum long after the final link shattered.

Nobody moved or breathed.

The ancient gate continued opening slowly while silver light leaked through the widening crack like liquid pouring from another world.

Mason stared at it blankly.

"...No."

The gate ignored him.

Rude.

Stone groaned beneath their feet as the fractured prison strained against something far older than the palace built above it. Dust drifted through the air in thick waves while broken scripture pillars flickered unevenly around the chamber.

Several guards backed away instinctively.

One of the younger priests outright dropped his sealing tablet and whispered, "We are dead."

Honestly fair assessment.

Seraphine immediately pointed her spear toward the gate. "Reinforce the lower bindings now!"

"WITH WHAT?!" Saleem shouted.

"Anything!"

Excellent leadership energy.

The prisoner behind the gate watched the panic calmly.

Too calmly.

Its golden eyes remained fixed on Mason while silver condemnation markings moved slowly across pale skin like living script.

Athlian’s fear pressed hard against Mason’s thoughts.

’The seal should not react this way.’

"Well unfortunately reality keeps making terrible decisions lately."

’Listen to me carefully.’

Her voice had changed.

Not playful.

Not sarcastic.

’If the gate opens fully... do not let it touch us.’

"That sentence emotionally implies impossible failure conditions."

Before she could answer, the prison doors groaned wider.

A pulse of silver light exploded outward.

The entire sanctum shook violently.

Mason staggered hard.

Draca caught him immediately.

Again.

At this point the man practically existed to stop him from hitting the floor.

"You need to move back," Draca said.

"Yes. Deeply agree. Excellent suggestion."

Draca guided him farther from the gate while keeping one hand on the hilt of his sword.

Protective instinct undefeated.

’You relax when he takes control of situations.’ Athlian muttered.

"I relax when competent people do things."

’You trust him completely.’

"...Could we maybe survive first before unpacking my emotional disasters?"

Unfortunately Athlian sounded quieter now.

’You already are.’

Rude.

Assura suddenly slammed one hand against the fractured floor.

Crimson symbols burst outward across the sanctum in enormous circles.

Reality twisted.

The opening gate slowed slightly.

Only slightly.

Interesting.

Or horrifying.

Possibly both.

The prisoner tilted its head faintly.

"You weaken."

Assura’s expression remained unreadable.

"So do your chains."

The prisoner smiled. "That was inevitable."

Zereth moved closer toward the gate carefully while shadows spread beneath his feet like dark water.

Mason immediately pointed at him.

"Respectfully, why are we approaching the nightmare prison?"

"Because it is reacting strangely."

"That is not comforting."

Zereth ignored him.

Typical.

The silver-eyed immortal studied the widening fracture silently for several long moments.

Then his expression shifted slightly.

’He knows those markings.’ Athlian said.

"Yes because apparently every immortal in this kingdom attended the same suspicious trauma convention."

Before anyone could continue, another pulse erupted from the gate.

This time the silver light struck directly across the chamber walls.

Ancient carvings hidden beneath the stone suddenly ignited.

Symbols.

Thousands of them.

The guards recoiled immediately.

Saleem looked moments away from spiritual collapse again.

"What are those?!"

Seraphine’s expression darkened.

"...Original scripture."

Mason blinked rapidly. "Why does that sound significantly worse than regular scripture?"

Nobody answered.

The glowing symbols spread across the sanctum walls like veins.

Then slowly...

The carvings began moving.

Not literally.

Shifting.

Changing.

Mason stared harder.

The symbols no longer resembled writing.

They looked like memories.

Images flickered briefly across the walls.

Golden towers.

Winged figures.

Endless white skies split apart by silver fractures.

Then chains.

Always chains.

Athlian recoiled violently inside him. ’Stop looking.’

"I would love to stop experiencing things."

But he couldn’t look away.

The images kept changing.

A battlefield appeared briefly.

Gods kneeling.

Something burning above them.

Then suddenly...

A familiar figure. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Athlian.

Not exactly the Athlian he knew.

Different clothes.

Different expression.

Older somehow.

She stood beneath shattered heavens while silver chains wrapped around her wrists.

And beside her, another figure.

Tall.

Dark-haired.

Face obscured.

The vision vanished instantly.

Mason’s stomach dropped.

Athlian sounded shaken.

’You were not supposed to see that.’

"Well unfortunately the apocalypse keeps spoiling lore early."

Draca noticed his expression immediately.

"What did you see?"

Oops.

Mason’s brain entered emergency survival mode.

"Trauma probably."

"That is not an explanation my goddess."

"It is emotionally accurate."

Despite the situation, Draca exhaled quietly through his nose.

Almost a laugh.

Dangerously attractive behavior.

Athlian noticed immediately.

’Again.’

"Please stop monitoring my feelings like a suspicious therapist."

The prisoner suddenly stepped forward.

Not fully through the gate.

But closer.

Silver chains tightened around its arms instantly.

The sanctum trembled.

Several guards shouted.

Seraphine raised her spear immediately.

The prisoner ignored everyone except Mason.

"The bridge remembers."

Mason rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"I am begging every ancient being in existence to use normal words."

Unexpectedly, the prisoner’s smile widened slightly.

"He truly sounds nothing like you."

Athlian froze.

So did Mason.

Tiny silence spread through the chamber.

Dangerous silence.

Zereth noticed immediately.

Of course he did.

The silver-eyed immortal’s gaze sharpened carefully.

"What does that mean?"

The prisoner looked toward him slowly.

"You search for answers already standing beside you."

Absolutely not.

Mason immediately raised one finger.

" Maybe mysterious prison entities should mind their business."

Seraphine stepped closer toward Mason now.

"The creature keeps speaking to you specifically."

"Unfortunately yes."

"Why?"

Excellent question.

Would also love the answer.

Athlian remained silent inside him.

Too silent.

Before the conversation could become more dangerous, the walls of the sanctum suddenly shook again.

This time from above.

Heavy impacts thundered through the palace foundations.

Distant screaming followed.

Seraphine cursed sharply.

"The upper districts are collapsing."

A wounded soldier stumbled down the broken stairway moments later.

Blood covered one side of his armor.

"Commander!"

Draca turned instantly.

"The eastern temple quarter is rioting!"

Wonderful.

Political collapse had entered the chat.

The soldier struggled to breathe.

"People saw the fractures in the sky. The outer temples are blaming the palace. Some priests are saying the goddess angered Heaven."

Silence hit the chamber.

Mason blinked slowly.

"...Wow. Religious politics really wastes no time."

Seraphine looked furious.

"Who started those accusations?"

"The Tribunal priests."

Assura’s expression darkened immediately.

Zereth spoke quietly.

"They moved faster than expected."

Athlian’s fear twisted sharply.

’They are preparing the capital.’

"For what?" Mason asked internally.

A pause.

’Judgment.’

That felt aggressively unpleasant.

Draca stepped toward the wounded soldier.

"How many districts are unstable?"

"At least four."

"Casualties?"

The soldier hesitated.

"...Unknown."

The room grew heavier after that.

Even Mason stopped joking briefly.

Because suddenly the catastrophe felt real in a different way.

Not cosmic.

Human.

People above them were terrified.

Fighting.

Dying.

All while he stood underground listening to immortal riddles.

Athlian felt his mood shift.

’You pity them.’

"They’re civilians."

’Gods rarely think that way.’

"Well I’m not exactly succeeding at the whole god thing."

Silence followed his words.

’I am glad.’

The honesty caught him off guard.

Again.

Before he could respond, Zereth suddenly approached one of the glowing walls.

His shadows curled around the ancient carvings carefully.

Then his expression changed.

Assura noticed immediately.

"What did you find?"

Zereth remained silent briefly.

"These carvings were altered." he responded quietly.

Seraphine frowned. "Altered by who?"

"The Tribunal."

The chamber went still.

Mason blinked. "...Okay that feels politically important."

"The original scripture was partially erased," Zereth continued.

His silver gaze moved slowly across the walls.

"Entire sections were rewritten."

Athlian stiffened inside Mason.

’Impossible.’

"You keep saying that and reality keeps disagreeing."

Assura’s expression had become dangerously calm now.

The kind of calm that usually preceded violence.

"Show me."

Zereth touched one of the glowing carvings lightly.

The symbol shifted instantly.

Silver light distorted.

And suddenly hidden text appeared beneath the surface.

Ancient writing spread across the wall.

Different.

Older.

The prisoner behind the gate laughed softly.

"There. The forgotten truth."

Seraphine stared at the revealed symbols.

Her expression slowly changed from confusion... to disbelief.

"That cannot be correct."

Mason looked toward the wall.

Unfortunately the writing meant absolutely nothing to him.

"Would anyone like to emotionally explain the horrifying revelation?"

Nobody answered immediately.

Which meant yes.

Definitely horrifying.

Finally Zereth spoke.

"The original scripture does not describe the chained beings as enemies."

Silence.

Saleem made a strangled sound.

Seraphine looked genuinely disturbed now.

"That is heresy."

"No," Zereth corrected quietly.

His silver eyes remained fixed on the hidden carvings.

"It is history."

Athlian’s emotions twisted painfully beneath Mason’s thoughts.

Mason lowered his voice internally.

"You knew."

A long pause.

’Parts of it.’

"Not helpful."

The prisoner watched Mason carefully.

"She hid the truth even from herself."

Draca’s attention sharpened immediately.

Mason immediately stepped forward before anyone could connect things further.

"Okay. Wonderful ancient conspiracies aside, can we focus on the prison gate actively opening?"

Reasonable survival priorities.

Assura finally moved again.

The crimson symbols around him flared brighter.

"The gate must be forced shut before sunrise."

Seraphine looked toward the fractured doorway.

"With half the seals destroyed?"

"It can still be done."

"And if it cannot?"

Assura didn’t answer.

Wonderful.

The prisoner’s smile returned slowly. "You are running out of time."

As if proving the point, the gate groaned wider.

Another inch.

Then another.

Silver light flooded across the sanctum floor.

And suddenly every glowing carving on the walls changed again.

This time forming a single massive symbol.

A circle broken down the center.

Athlian went completely silent.

Mason felt her fear slam through him hard enough to make his chest hurt.

"You know that symbol."

No answer.

’The Tribunal is already here.’ she responded but barely audible.

Before Mason could ask what that meant, a new voice echoed through the sanctum.

Cold, calm and completely unfamiliar.

"By decree of Heaven... the fracture will now be judged."