The remnants of the Ardent Veil's stronghold lay before them—once proud walls now cracked and blackened by time and battle. Kaien's footsteps echoed hollow as he stepped inside, the Abyss swirling faintly around his blade.
"Stay alert," Kaien warned Iria and Solryn. "Alteron's influence will be strongest here."
The air was thick with silence, broken only by distant echoes of prayers twisted into curses.
As they moved deeper, a chilling voice filled the chamber.
"Welcome, seekers of truth," it purred, smooth and cold.
From the shadows emerged Alteron himself, eyes burning with an unnatural light—not his own, but something darker.
"You seek to unravel the lies, but the heart of the Veil beats stronger than ever. The Commandment of Love's power flows through me now."
Kaien tightened his grip. "You're a puppet of a corrupted power. But love twisted into control is no love at all."
Alteron's smile was cruel. "Love is power. And power demands sacrifice."
With a swift motion, he raised a hand, and a surge of corrupted energy exploded outward.
Iria's flames flared to life, Solryn's frost spread across the floor, but Kaien's abyssal blade cut through the darkness like a beacon of truth.
The battle had begun.