Chapter 48: The Seal is Broken

The golden symbols on the pedestal pulsed violently, casting flickers of light across the cathedral's decayed interior. The very air trembled, heavy with something ancient and unseen. A deep, guttural sound echoed from the walls, as if the structure itself was awakening.

Mila's breath caught as the symbols twisted and shifted beneath her fingertips, hands burned where they touched the stone, her veins tingling with an otherworldly sensation. No longer just a puzzle but a force awakening beneath her touch, it was a summoning.

A deafening rumble shook the ground, dust cascading from the high, crumbling arches. The air vibrated with energy, ancient and untamed, as if something buried for centuries had just been unleashed.

Chad and Tristan stood at her sides, their weapons raised, their eyes scanning for the next threat. But what came next was beyond anything they could have prepared for. Even Alex's smug demeanor wavered as the walls trembled around them.

A gust of cold air whipped through the cathedral, carrying whispers that curled through the darkness like fingers reaching from the abyss. The stained-glass windows rattled, and then—

The shadows moved.

"You have no idea what you've done," Alex hissed, his eyes flickering between the pedestal and Mila.

Mila stumbled back, the pedestal's light flickering wildly. "I didn't break it, I activated it." Her voice was steady, though inside, her pulse pounded like a war drum.

Alex's smirk returned, dark and knowing. "Exactly."

Before anyone could react, a shockwave erupted from the pedestal. A blinding force sent everyone sprawling across the floor, weapons clattering as the very fabric of the room seemed to bend and warp. A deafening, otherworldly screech filled the air, and for a terrifying moment, it felt as though reality itself was unraveling.

Mila forced her eyes open against the glare. The pedestal no longer held mere symbols—it had transformed into a portal of swirling gold and black energy, its pull strong enough to send debris flying into its depths. She could feel it—something on the other side, something vast and powerful waiting. 

 A figure emerged from the blackness, tall and draped in swirling darkness that seemed alive, shifting like living tendrils around its form. It was neither man nor beast, but something caught between worlds. Its face was a void, save for piercing, molten-gold eyes that locked onto Mila.

Tristan groaned as he pushed himself up, coughing against the thickening dust. Tristan instinctively pulled her back. "What the hell is that?"

Alex, still standing despite his injuries, let out a low, bitter laugh. "The real guardian of the seal."

Chad narrowed his eyes. "You knew?"

"I told you. The real game begins now."

Tristan was on him in an instant, driving a knee into Alex's ribs before shoving him against a broken pillar. "Tell me how to shut it down."

Alex only laughed, a chilling sound that made Mila's stomach tighten. "You can't."

Mila's breath hitched.

The dark entity took a step forward, and with that single movement, the temperature plummeted. Frost cracked across the stone floor, mist curling from its feet as if it drained the very warmth from the air. 

"Who dares awaken me?"

Mila couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Something about this entity was painfully familiar, though she had never seen it before.

Chad and Tristan moved instinctively, stepping in front of her, weapons drawn. But Alex… Alex dropped to one knee, head bowed in reverence.

The whispers grew louder. Then, from the altar behind the pedestal, a second form materialized.

A woman.

Draped in silver and ethereal light, her form wavered between the seen and unseen. Her eyes, soft and knowing, settled on Mila. 

Mila's breath hitched. "No…"

"I told you," Alex murmured. "This was always meant to happen."

Tristan exhaled sharply. "Is this...the Ghost?"

The woman's gaze swept over the room before settling on Mila again. "You must not let it take the seal." Her voice was like a melody woven with sorrow and urgency.

Mila's heart pounded. "You…Why?"

"I have always been with you and Anna, Mila"

The entity turned its glowing eyes toward the spectral woman. Its voice was not spoken, but rather felt, vibrating deep in the bones.

"She is bound by the past," it murmured. "And you, Mila, are bound by the future."

Tristan shifted closer to Mila, his stance defensive. "Enough riddles. What are you?"

"I am the Keeper of the Seal," it intoned. "The harbinger of what lies beyond. And now that you have awakened me… your world will never be the same."

The moment the words left its lips, the entire cathedral shuddered. The golden glow from the pedestal flared into blinding radiance, illuminating the ancient carvings. Symbols shifted, rearranging themselves as if unlocking something deeper, more powerful.

Mila felt it, power surging beneath her fingertips, knowledge seeping into her mind. This puzzle… it was never meant to be solved by just anyone.

The entity raised a clawed hand. "Give me the key, and I will spare you."

Tristan tightened his grip on his gun. "Not happening."

Alex, however, took a step forward. "You don't understand."

Mila snapped her gaze to him. "What don't we understand, Alex?"

Alex hesitated, but the entity spoke first. "The puzzle does not unlock knowledge… it unleashes it."

Mila felt a jolt in her chest. "Unleashes what?"

"The beginning of the end."

The room erupted into chaos. The moment the entity moved, so did Chad and Tristan. Gunfire rang out, but the bullets passed through the swirling darkness as if through smoke. The entity raised its arm, and a violent gust of wind hurled Tristan and Chad backward into the pews.

Mila felt herself being pulled forward, her body dragged toward the pedestal by an unseen force. The markings on the stone were no longer just glowing—they were alive, twisting and warping as if calling to her.

"Fight it!" The ghostly form of the woman reached out, but her hands passed through Mila's arm. "You are stronger than you know."

The entity loomed closer. "You were always meant for more."

A pulse of power surged through Mila's body, and in that instant, everything became clear.

This was the test.

This was the final choice.

The puzzle, the prophecy, the trials it had all led to this moment. Whatever was sealed away in this cathedral was never meant to be freed.

With a sharp inhale, Mila made her choice.

She slammed her hands against the pedestal.

A surge of blinding light exploded outward, a force so strong it knocked everyone off their feet—including the dark entity. A scream—deep, raw, and ancient—ripped through the air as the cathedral trembled violently.

The force of it all sent Mila to her knees. The pedestal cracked beneath her palms, the markings searing into the stone one final time before vanishing entirely.

The entity recoiled, its form flickering wildly. "No…!"

The woman stepped forward, her expression filled with pride and sorrow. "You have passed."

The shadows began to retreat, pulled back into the abyss from which they had come. The temperature in the cathedral began to rise once more, the oppressive force lifting.

Alex, breathless, staggered back. "You have no idea what you've done…"

Chad pushed himself up, bruised but alive. "She stopped whatever nightmare you wanted to unleash. I'd say that's a win."

Tristan groaned, dragging himself up as well. "Next time, let's avoid summoning ancient evils, yeah?"

Mila exhaled shakily, turning toward the fading form of the woman. "Will I see you again?"

The woman smiled. "You already have. In every choice you make."

And with that, she was gone.

The cathedral fell silent once more, nothing left but the remnants of battle and the weight of what had just occurred.

Mila looked down at the pedestal—now nothing more than broken stone.

It was over.

Or so she thought.

From the shadows, a single whisper remained.

"…this is only the beginning."