The air in the cell smelled of damp stone and Lysandra's faint herbal fragrance. Kaito stood against the wall, focusing with all his will on maintaining the Shadow Cloak wrapping his body.
It was a cold, heavy layer of dark energy, and the effort to contain it after the brutal forging was constant agony.
"Relax your neck, Specter," Lysandra whispered, sitting on the bench, watching him. "If fear dominates you, the Shadow will stir and alert the sensors."
Kaito tried to breathe. The blast of chaotic magic he'd directed at Ren through their bond had been instinctive and desperate, and now it made him feel vulnerable.
"I feel the bond... it's confused," Kaito said, his voice rough. "It's cold, but also... rushed. He's planning something."
"I know," Lysandra stood up, her face somber. "Ren is moving pieces nobody in Aethelgard dares touch. But it's not time to guess. It's time to act."
The Watcher went to the bars, her expression hardening.
"Paladin Darius is enraged by the humiliation you inflicted on him. He's ordered a surprise Essence Inspection. The Light will seek your signature. If they detect the chaos, Darius will take you again."
The inspection wasn't a simple check; it was a deep magical sweep. Kaito was at critical risk.
"They're coming!" Lysandra returned quickly. "Channel the fury against your own impotence. Don't fight the sensor. *Absorb it*. Make the Light magic that touches you feel it's entered a tomb."
A metallic, rhythmic sound resonated down the stone corridor. Two Light Magicians appeared, carrying white-glowing crystal orbs that radiated a whitish Light.
"Inquisitor Vane," the officer said. "Essence Inspection."
Lysandra crossed her arms with boredom. "Proceed. They're wasting their time on a catatonic subject."
The magicians activated the orbs, releasing a wave of pure Light aimed directly at Kaito.
Kaito closed his eyes, channeling everything: the pain of humiliation, the terror of being discovered, and Ren's betrayal.
When the Light wave hit him, his Shadow Cloak absorbed it, not like a shield, but like a sponge.
On a magical level, the powerful Light seemed to simply *disappear*.
The magicians frowned.
"No signature, Inquisitor. The sensor is failing."
"Increase the potency," the officer ordered.
The magicians maxed out their orbs. Kaito gritted his teeth. This time, the energy was too much. The Shadow began to stir.
In an act of instinctive desperation, Kaito directed the excess absorbed magic not inward, but into the poisoned bond with his brother.
Miles away, Ren must have felt the blow.
The magicians backed off. Their orbs had overloaded.
"The subject has no energy... and something's blocking the sensor, Inquisitor."
"It's the Mire," Lysandra said coldly. "Mark him 'Essenceless' and leave."
The guards withdrew. Lysandra waited.
"You've passed the test, Kaito," she whispered. "But you've used your brother as your magical dump."
Just then, the cell floor shook with a subtle but deep vibration. It wasn't an earthquake, but a pulse of black, destructive magic coming from very far away.
Lysandra sprang up, her amber eyes gleaming.
"It's the Ash Queen's attack. Ren has moved the war. The distraction is here. You have a ten-minute escape window."