Some days have passed since Darian, Liro and Vane went to Skar-Zhul, Alerya was always hoping that everything was alright.
This evening sky over Therya was painted a dull red, the light seeping into the broken streets of the underground city. Reconstruction continued endlessly, hammers striking stone, torches burning late into the night, but the shadows between the buildings felt heavier than usual.
Lara moved quickly through the narrow alleys, her white cloak brushing against the uneven walls. Her heart was uneasy. She had been in the hospital earlier, tending to the wounded, when she noticed something that made her blood run cold: one of the elderly patients had disappeared without a trace.
The man had been too weak to walk even a few steps. There was no way he had simply wandered off. And yet his bed was empty. No attendants had seen him leave, no healers had moved him. It was as if he had been erased.
The bed was next to a window, who was closed, but suddently it got opened, did someone took the old man? Thought Lara scared, then she thought of someone that could help.
Lara's thought was Kael. If anyone could track what had happened, it was him.
She finally spotted him near the half-collapsed eastern rock-wall, where he had been helping with repairs. His dark eyes lifted the moment she called his name.
"Kael!" she said, her breath uneven.
He turned, immediately sensing her urgency. "What's wrong?"
"One of the patients… an old man. He vanished from his bed. Nobody saw where he went."
Kael's gaze sharpened. "Vanished?"
"Yes," Lara nodded quickly. "Please, Kael. I know something isn't right. I need you to find him."
Kael glanced around at the workers, then set his tools aside without hesitation. "Alright. Show me where you last saw him."
They began their search quietly, Kael following faint signs Lara hadn't noticed, an odd scuff mark on the stone floor, the faint drag of weakened footsteps, traces of cloth brushing against walls. His instincts led them toward the far side of Therya, where the underground city walls stretched high and dark, carved from black stone that had stood since ancient times.
Kael motioned for Lara to stay behind as he pressed forward.
And that was when he saw them.
The old man walked slowly, supported by a robed figure beside him. Kael's stomach tensed the moment he recognized the silver spiral embroidered on the messenger's shoulder.
'The servant of the Seven Sages… here?'
He crouched low, listening intently.
"You've suffered long enough, elder," the messenger said softly, his voice carrying with an almost soothing weight. "But your time does not have to end. The Sage offers you ten more years, years free of pain. Will you accept this gift?"
The old man trembled, his wrinkled hands gripping the messenger's sleeve. "Ten years…? To see my grandchildren again, to walk the streets once more… Yes. Yes, I accept!"
The messenger gave a solemn nod. "Then come. The path awaits you. But you won't be able to see anything anymore... do you still accept it? They won't know anymore about your life... you are going to be thought dead."
At these words the old man was a bit scared, but he wanted to live, so he accepted.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
Before he could move closer, the messenger raised his hand toward the wall. With a sound like stone grinding against stone, a glowing outline appeared in the rock, a tall rectangular door of light. Slowly, impossibly, the solid wall parted, revealing a passage within.
The messenger guided the old man through.
And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light vanished. The wall closed behind them, leaving only smooth, untouched stone.
Kael's breath caught in his throat. He rushed forward, placing both hands on the surface. Cold, unbroken rock. No cracks, no hinges, no magic trace he could sense.
"…What in the hells was that?" he muttered.
He searched desperately for over an hour, tracing the wall, tapping the stone, even using his blade to scratch at it. But no matter what he tried, it was as if nothing had happened.
The old man was gone.
That night, Kael sat in silence at his quarters, staring at the ceiling. The image of the glowing door burned into his mind. He had no doubt now, whatever the Seven Sages were hiding, it wasn't something ordinary people were meant to see.
He clenched his fists. He couldn't let this go alone.
The sound of movement stirred nearby. Allocen entered the room quietly, his presence calm and steady as always.
"Kael," Allocen said, studying him with curious eyes. "You've been unsettled all night, did something happened?"
Kael exhaled slowly, then looked up. "Allocen… I need your help."
Allocen tilted his head. "With what?"
Kael leaned forward, his voice low. "I followed one of the missing patients. An old man. I saw him with one of the Sages' messengers. They… took him through a door in the city wall. A door that shouldn't exist. When I searched again, it was gone."
Allocen's expression didn't change, but his eyes gleamed faintly. "A hidden passage in Therya? And the Seven Sages involved…"
Kael nodded. "I don't know what they're doing, but I can't ignore it. I want to find out the truth. But I can't do it alone."
For the first time in a long while, Allocen smiled faintly. "Count me in, I have always been interested in the seven sages... I want to know more stuff about them."
Kael's shoulders eased slightly, though the weight on his chest remained. "Good. Then tomorrow, we start. We'll keep this between us for now. Not even Lara can know."
Allocen nodded in agreement. "Understood."
The two sat in silence for a moment, the sound of distant hammers echoing faintly through the underground city.
Kael closed his eyes, the memory of the glowing door still burning in his mind. Whatever secret the Sages were hiding behind the stone walls of Therya, he would tear it open, even if it meant becoming their enemy.