The ruins beyond the collapsed gate felt like they had been waiting—not just for the team, but for him. The air was thick with ancient mana, unmoving and timeless. Kaen walked in silence, leading the way as Lirien, Zian, Mira, and the others followed close behind.
Their boots echoed along stone steps worn by time, descending into a forgotten sanctuary. But this wasn't an ordinary ruin. The deeper they went, the older the architecture became. Symbols etched into the walls predated every known race. Even Zian, with all her divine memory, couldn't read them.
And then, they reached it.
A vast underground hall opened before them—lit only by the ambient glow of floating white motes. At the center stood a massive obsidian statue clad in black armor, bound in shimmering white chains that pulsed with holy energy. Runes danced across the floor, ancient and alive.
Zian felt her knees weaken. The aura was familiar—but it wasn't divine. It was before the divine. Before the angels. Before light.
Kaen stepped forward. The others remained frozen, uncertain.
"This place…" he said quietly, "was once our home."
Zian turned sharply. "What do you mean?"
Kaen walked slowly to the center, reaching out to the statue. "She made this hall for me. For us. The first pact-holder... the one who loved me before time itself took shape."
He closed his eyes. For a flicker of a moment, memory returned in waves. A hand holding his. Laughter echoing in a space where nothing existed yet. A kiss shared under the skyless void.
"She sealed this place, outside the reach of the angels. They never knew. Only she and I did."
The others stood in stunned silence. Even Lirien didn't speak.
"This wasn't just a shrine," Kaen continued. "It was our sanctuary. Our silence."
The white chains shimmered again, reacting to his presence. Not in rejection—but in recognition.
He turned back to the group. "This isn't just a ruin. It's a message. A memory left for me. And now… it's time I bring it back."
As he raised his hand, the black statue shimmered—and the ground trembled.
The darkness awakened.