The door didn't just close—it sealed.
Ribbons of black metal coiled across its surface like snakes, clicking into place until there wasn't even a seam left. Elma tried the handle, but the shard's hum told her what she already knew: they weren't leaving until the tower was done with them.
Calista's blade stayed raised, her back against Elma's as her eyes scanned the murals. The painted figures weren't static anymore. Their heads turned slowly, their glowing eyes following the two women as they moved.
"Elma," Calista murmured, voice tight. "This place feels… alive."
Elma swallowed hard. "It is."
The shard glimmered faintly on the pedestal, pulsing like a heartbeat. Every pulse sent a ripple through the chamber's runes, like the entire tower was breathing.
Then the first chain fell.
It clattered to the floor with a sound that made Elma's bones ache, and one of the painted figures stepped out of the wall, its body made of smoke and silver light. The chains that had bound it now dragged along the floor, sparking against the stone.
"Elma," Calista said again, sharper this time.
"I see it."
The guardian's face was hidden behind a blank, featureless mask. It moved silently, gliding toward them as more chains rattled loose, more figures pulling themselves from the walls.
Six of them.
Each one carried no weapon, but the chains in their hands whipped through the air with an audible hiss.
"Guess we fight," Elma muttered.
Calista smirked tightly. "I was hoping you'd say that."
The first guardian struck, its chain snapping forward like a serpent. Elma dodged, the shard's hum sharpening to a warning note. She ducked low, sweeping her leg under the guardian's, but it didn't fall—it floated, twisting midair before lashing at her again.
Calista moved like water, sliding past a strike and burying her dagger in a guardian's chest. The blade sank in like smoke, no blood, no reaction.
"Not working!" she snapped.
"Try harder!"
The shard pulsed violently, and instinct took over. Elma raised her hand, and a flash of white light burst from her palm, catching the nearest guardian in the chest. It let out a soundless scream, its mask cracking like porcelain before it dissolved into mist.
"One down," Elma breathed.
"Five to go," Calista said grimly.
The guardians closed in, their movements perfectly in sync, chains weaving patterns in the air like a net. Elma felt the shard's whispers sharpening into words now, guiding her movements: Strike left. Duck. Burn.
She followed instinct, blasting another guardian as Calista spun, her dagger glowing faintly now as if the shard's power was bleeding into her weapon. Together, they moved in a deadly rhythm—Elma's bursts of light breaking through their defenses, Calista's precision strikes finishing them off.
But the tower wasn't done.
As the last guardian dissolved, the pedestal in the center split open with a deafening crack. The floor trembled, runes flaring so bright they left spots in Elma's vision.
From the pedestal rose a massive figure—taller than any man, its body formed of solid black metal, like armor forged around nothingness. Its head was crowned with jagged spikes, and in its hands was a chain forged from molten gold.
Elma's breath hitched.
"The Warden," she whispered. She didn't know how she knew its name, but the shard thrummed in agreement.
The Warden moved with terrifying speed, slamming its chain into the floor. The impact shattered stone, sending a shockwave that knocked Elma and Calista off their feet.
"Elma!" Calista scrambled up first, grabbing Elma's wrist and pulling her behind a fallen pillar as the chain lashed out again, carving a deep groove into the wall.
Elma's veins glowed, power crackling at her fingertips. "We can't outrun it."
Calista glanced at her, eyes sharp. "Then we kill it."
The shard's voice surged, louder now, a single command ringing in Elma's skull: Unleash me.
Elma hesitated, heart pounding. She didn't know what "unleash" meant—but she knew it wouldn't be safe.
The Warden swung again, the golden chain slicing through stone like paper. Dust filled the air, making it hard to see. Calista coughed, covering her mouth, but she didn't back down.
"Elma!" she shouted. "Now or never!"
Elma closed her eyes, pressed a hand to the shard, and whispered, "Fine. Take it."
The tower erupted in light.
The shard's power exploded outward, a shockwave tearing through the chamber. The murals cracked and shattered, the chains binding the guardians snapping like dry twigs. The Warden staggered, its golden chain disintegrating midair as the light burned through its body.
Elma felt like her veins were on fire, like the shard had replaced her blood. Her scream echoed with another voice layered over hers, deep and ancient, shaking the walls.
"The vessel is chosen. The throne will fall."
The Warden dissolved into black mist, leaving only a cracked crown-shaped sigil glowing on the floor where it had stood.
Elma collapsed to her knees, gasping. The shard's light dimmed, but its hum remained, steady and strong.
Calista was at her side instantly, hands cupping her face. "Elma! Talk to me!"
"I'm fine," Elma rasped, though her body trembled uncontrollably. "We… won."
Calista glanced around. The murals were gone. The chains were gone. The tower was silent.
No—not silent. The shard's voice whispered softly, almost soothing now: The second seal is broken.
Calista helped Elma to her feet, her grip firm and protective. "We need to move. Nitron will have felt that."
Elma nodded weakly, her gaze flicking to the glowing crown sigil. "Take it."
Calista knelt, pressing her hand against the sigil. It flared once, then faded, leaving a faint mark burned into her palm.
"That's new," she muttered.
"Everything's new," Elma said softly, her voice steadying.
The door unlocked with a loud click, swinging open to reveal the manor's empty hallways. But the air felt different now—charged, like a storm waiting to break.
As they stepped out of the tower, Calista glanced at Elma. "You're glowing again."
Elma smirked faintly despite herself. "Get used to it."
[Quest Updated: Thronebreaker]
Status: Progressing
Objective: Survive Nitron's Wrath
New Item: Crown Sigil – Shadow Hall's Key