The Lantern District's golden glow faded behind them as Kael, Rylan, and Ayesha slipped into the city's forgotten veins. Here, the moonlight barely touched the ground, and the air was thick with the scent of rain and old secrets.
Kael's hand tightened around the dagger, its runes pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Shadows curled at the edge of his vision, and the faint outline of monstrous eyes seemed to linger above the rooftops, watching, waiting.
Ayesha led them through a maze of crumbling alleys. "There's a place ahead—a shrine to the old gods. The Guild's light doesn't reach there. We can rest, but not for long."
Rylan staggered, his breath shallow. Kael steadied him, feeling the weight of the coin in his pocket—the same crescent coin that had marked his path from the beginning. He remembered the Veilwalker's warning: Trust no one. Not even me.
They reached a narrow archway, overgrown with ivy. A crescent moon was carved into the stone above it, half-buried in moss. Inside, the shrine was little more than a circle of broken columns and a weathered altar, but the air shimmered with old magic.
Kael placed the coin on the altar. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the shadows deepened, and a whisper filled the air—a voice both ancient and familiar.
You carry the blade of silence and storm. You bear the price of shadows. What do you seek, Kael Veyen?
Kael hesitated, then spoke aloud. "I seek the truth. I seek to end the curse my father began."
The shadows thickened, swirling around the dagger. Visions flashed before Kael's eyes: his father standing at this very altar, the dagger whole and blazing, the city behind him teetering on the edge of ruin. The coin glowed, casting silver light across the runes.
Ayesha and Rylan watched in silence as Kael knelt, the dagger and coin before him. The voice grew clearer, echoing from the stones.
To break the curse, you must unite the blade and the coin. But beware—the one who pays the price may never return.
Kael swallowed, feeling the storm within him surge. He pressed the coin to the dagger's hilt. Lightning arced between them, and the runes blazed with power.
Rylan gasped as the shadows recoiled, revealing a hidden passage beneath the altar. Ayesha stepped forward, her eyes wide with awe and fear.
"This is it," she whispered. "The path your father sealed. The heart of the city's secret."
Kael nodded, his resolve hardening. "We go together. Whatever waits below, we face it as one."
As they descended into the darkness, the monstrous eyes above the city faded into mist, but their presence lingered—a silent promise that every oath, every coin, and every shadow carried its own price.