Kutti kept following Nameless in the city. It was truly a bustling city. Everyone was involved in doing something regardless of their race, caste, creed, or gender. The city was named Darfarrows only because the dwarves settled there before everyone, but they were very tolerant of all races. Trade of commodities had boomed here. She even saw quite a few strange folks who had facial features similar to elves or dwarves plying their trade. There were a lot of human merchants as well. Everyone was trying their best to get any potential customer to buy their goods and wares. Kutti kept following Nameless through the cacophony of streets, and after some time, they were standing in front of a huge, square-shaped building that read: "The Four Square." The establishment had a picturesque garden where flowers of different kinds bloomed. The aroma brought a certain amount of peace and tranquility to her mind. Nameless, a boy barely fourteen years old, went inside the establishment, followed by Kutti, who was only nine.
The reception area had an exquisitely dressed man standing behind an elegantly decorated wooden desk. The desk had a bell-like mechanism set up, which, when rung, attendants would appear to help the customers. Nameless directly went to the man at the desk and asked: "How are you doing, dotman?"
The man behind the desk, whose face was almost perfectly round and wore spectacles that magnified his eyes, broke into a wide, relieved smile. "Nameless! You're finally here. I was beginning to worry. The connection has been erratic since the border silence." He glanced quickly at Kutti, his smile faltering slightly, then returned his gaze to Nameless. "I'm well, thank you. Though busy. Very, very busy. The Hour of Alignment is fast approaching—it falls upon the third bell since sunset."
"Good." Nameless rested a gloved hand on the wooden counter. "This is Kutti. She's with me. Room. Meal. Now."
The receptionist, or 'dotman,' quickly reached for a hidden panel beneath the desk. "Sound-dampening chamber… understood. And a meal. But, Nameless, you must attend to the ritual immediately. The Central Order sent an urgent decree five hours ago. The protections are fading. The omens are showing a near-certain breach unless the Rune-Activation is achieved simultaneously with the Great Conflict now brewing in the East."
Kutti, having absorbed a conversation filled with completely foreign terms, could not contain her curiosity. "What in the world is a 'dotman,' and what are you talking about?" she whispered to Nameless.
Nameless simply took the room card from the desk and began walking away.
Dotman, seeing Kutti's confusion and Nameless's silence, leaned closer to the girl. "These are grave tidings, child. We speak of the coming storm. The Otherkin and the Rakshasas are ancient enemies—monsters from a world beyond this one. The Rakshasas are generals among them. They are securing every path to the Great Wards that protect our city." He lowered his voice, his eyes wide. "The key shaped artifact you carry, Kutti, is a piece of the prophecy that foretells our salvation. Henna was one of the enemy's blood, trying to seize that key—the key that will awaken the one who saves us all."
Kutti was very surprised to hear Dotman speak about the artifact which she had resisted giving to Henna , but before she could ask anything, Nameless stopped and looked back, nodding curtly at the Dotman. "Give me the Catalyst. Now."
Dotman quickly produced a small, smooth metal card. "Here. Room access. And please, the Catalyst Stone needs to be placed on the Quad-Core Pedestal before the third bell, or the city will fall to the Otherkin." He paused, looking genuinely fearful. "Nameless, you must prepare the device. The enemy is using the chaos of the Great Conflict in the East to throw a massive magical counter-force against us. It is coming to Darfarrows."
Nameless took the card. "I know the enemy strikes where we are weakest. Proceed." He took Kutti's arm and led her toward a door marked with an intricate, unrecognizable symbol. As they walked, Kutti was silent, clutching her bag tightly. She reached a hand inside and touched the cold, intricate edges of her key-shaped artifact, knowing now that its importance was greater than she could have imagined. She was still too wary to mention it to Nameless.
They entered a corridor that seemed to hum with silent, unseen energy. The air was colder here. Nameless spoke, his voice low and urgent. "You heard the Dotman. You are in danger. With the key or without it, you are safe only here, and only with me. Understand this."
They reached a final door. Nameless placed the metal card in a slot, and the door hissed open, revealing a sparse but functional room. In the center was a square metal table—the Quad-Core Pedestal—with four glowing points. On a side table, a hot, steaming meal was already waiting.
"Eat," Nameless commanded. "I will begin the preparations."
He walked over to a small, hidden wall panel, which opened to reveal a secure compartment. From it, Nameless retrieved an object—a dull, grey, perfectly smooth river stone, slightly warm to the touch. It was clearly the Catalyst Stone the Dotman had mentioned, and Nameless now held it confidently. Kutti watched, her eyes wide, but she said nothing about the key in her bag.
Nameless placed the grey stone onto the center of the Quad-Core Pedestal. All four points immediately began to glow a pulsing, vivid green.
"The Rune-Activation has begun," Nameless murmured, his focus intense. "We now await the Great Conflict in the East to complete the final link."
Outside the door, the Dotman's voice, amplified by his spectacles and urgent, echoed down the corridor: "Nameless! The Great Conflict is intensifying! Its raw power is being directed right at us! If the Rune-Activation is attempted at the same moment, the energy will be too much! The Quad-Core Pedestal will shatter, and the defense wards will be broken! We must stop the surge!"
Nameless's eyes narrowed as he saw the green light on the pedestal turn a blinding red. He now had until the third bell to prevent a disaster far greater than just a simple ritual. The enemy was using a conflict hundreds of miles away to break their local wards.