They grabbed whatever they could, essence crystals, preserved blood, weapons, anything small enough to carry while running.
Five minutes became three. Urgency stripped away sentiment. Thaddeus shoved Celeste's pendant deeper into his pocket and nothing else. The portrait, the documents, the physical remnants of House Crimsonveil, all abandoned.
They fled through the cave system's rear exit, a narrow passage that required crawling in places, that scraped skin and tore clothing, that forced them to abandon even the few possessions they'd tried to carry.
Behind them, distant but drawing closer, shouts.
As they emerged outside...
The sky had gone black with clouds so thick and heavy they blocked all light. Rain fell in sheets that reduced visibility to meters.
Thunder crashed overhead, making the mountain itself tremble. Lightning split the darkness in irregular bursts, revealing landscape in frozen moments, jagged rocks, steep drops, paths that barely qualified as paths.
