🔥 Chapter 25 — Infiltrating the Hub
The eastern hub loomed ahead, a jagged fortress of stone etched with faintly glowing runes. The pulse of magical energy was strong, but layered and uneven—indicating wards, traps, and magical sentinels designed to detect intruders.
Rhyne crouched behind a boulder, whispering, "Kael, this isn't like the plateau. The defenses are subtle… almost invisible. One wrong move and we trigger alarms across the borderlands."
Kael's eyes glowed blue-white as he let the Ember extend, threads of fire probing the hidden layers of magic. "The Ember can sense the flow and the distortions. Follow my lead, and we can avoid detection. But we need to move carefully—this hub isn't meant to be infiltrated."
They slipped between shadows and warded stones, Kael using the Ember to disable minor traps and highlight magical currents. Every step was measured; every pulse of the hub's energy was noted.
From the shadows, faint green arcs of energy flickered—magical sentinels patrolling the inner defenses. Kael's flames flared, spiraling into ethereal whips to silently redirect the sentinels away from their path.
Rhyne whispered, impressed, "The Ember is guiding us like a map… it's incredible."
Kael focused, feeling the hum of the hub grow stronger. "We're approaching the core. That's where the energy is concentrated—the nexus controlling this sector. Once we understand it, we can disrupt it and weaken the King's eastern forces."
They entered the inner chamber: a vast space filled with swirling magical currents and stone pedestals, each radiating faint power. At the center floated a dark crystal, smaller than the northern plateau's, but still radiating corruption.
Kael's flames spiraled around him protectively. "This crystal… it's amplifying energy to the eastern borderlands. If we can destabilize it, we can cripple the King's next wave before it reaches us."
Rhyne gritted his teeth. "Then we do it. But quietly—no alarms, no reinforcements. We can't afford a direct battle yet."
Kael nodded, Ember flaring in controlled arcs. "Understood. Let's disrupt it from within and turn their own energy against them."
The chamber trembled faintly, and Kael took a deep breath. The next strike would determine whether the eastern hub became a turning point—or a deadly trap.