STRANGER
"You came. Thought you'd wait longer."
RIO
"I don't move until it matters."
The stranger tilts their head — something between approval and calculation.
STRANGER
"Good. You'll need that instinct. Might be the only thing that keeps you alive."
Rio says nothing — still as steel beneath his robe, obsidian mask catching no light.
The stranger gestures behind them — to a corroded sewer gate half-buried in moss and rubble. Faint carvings of forgotten scripture run along the stone.
STRANGER
"Beneath the cathedral… there's a vault. Not on any pilgrim's map. A prison built from Soel and sanctified scripture."
RIO
"Criminals?"
STRANGER
"Once. Not anymore. Quorix repurposed it."
They take a step closer. Their voice lowers.
STRANGER (cont'd)
"They call it sanctified confinement. But it's a farm. A harvest ground. Some are unstable by birth. Others… were cut from something far worse."
Rio's gaze sharpens behind the mask. The stranger nods, like they expected that reaction.
STRANGER
"The Shadow Walker. I know you've heard the name."
Rio doesn't respond — but his silence speaks enough.
STRANGER (cont'd)
"He broke into the cathedral. Killed the high priest. That was loud enough. But what matters is what he took."
A pause.
STRANGER (soft)
"The forbidden fruit. The offerings. Gone."
Rio finally speaks.
RIO
"Why tell me?"
The stranger leans off the wall. Their mirrored veil flashes with a hint of streetlight, like a blink that isn't quite human. Their voice drops again — nearly reverent. Nearly afraid.
STRANGER
"Because he didn't run. Didn't hide. He left his mark."
"He spilled priest-blood on consecrated ground. Took what was never meant to be touched."
(Pause)
"The god's not furious because of blasphemy."
They step closer. A breath away.
STRANGER (cont'd)
"He's afraid."
Silence swells between them. The kind that weighs more than words.
Then:
STRANGER
"Whoever this is… they're not looking to escape."
RIO
"What do they want?"
The stranger turns, walking toward the dark mouth of the sewer gate.
without turning
"To make a statement. One loud enough to crack stone. Loud enough the gods can't ignore it."
They vanish into shadow before Rio can ask more — leaving only dust, damp air, and the scent of rust behind.
Rio stares at the gate.
Then steps forward.
Toward the underground.
Toward the place with no sky.
BOOOOOOONG.
The second bell tolls — signaling the second sacrifice.