The Palace

The corridor stretched before us as if it had no end. The steam surrounding us grew thicker, obscuring some details, but it didn't hide the silent tension between us. Alvira's steps were steady, carrying an unwavering determination. As for me, the closer we got, the more the memories stirred… not just of Erbto, but of the fifth fragment as well.

We reached a grand hall, unlike anything we had passed through. Its walls were filled with branching doors, strange symbols above each one, and corridors extending like living limbs into the unknown. There was an echo in the place—a soundless one—but the body could feel it… as if the spirits that had passed through here never truly left.

Alvira didn't stop at the doors like I expected. She walked confidently toward one adorned with the emblem of a broken sun and opened it with a quiet force, as if she had done so hundreds of times before. I followed her, and we entered a narrower corridor that pulsed with an odd heat.

"To where?" I asked, watching the shadows shift around us.

"Erbto," she answered without slowing her pace.

I fell silent. The name alone was enough to spark a sense of alertness in me. Not just because he was her father, but because he was one of the last men still loyal to Tyro despite everything. If he knew who I truly was… the outcome might be deadly—or at the very least, complicated enough to derail my plan.

I began crafting a new identity. Just a stranger… interested in healing, skilled enough to be useful. Nothing more.

After several minutes of walking, we stopped before a massive gate of black stone, guarded by statues that were half-alive. There were two guards standing before it, appearing like statues made of ash. But as soon as Alvira approached, they bowed in silence and opened the gate without question.

We entered the palace. The atmosphere shifted—not just in temperature, but in the overall feeling. The place was heavy. No one smiled here, and no one screamed. Only silent observation, and a constant, restless readiness. The guards' eyes never left me. No one spoke, but I saw their fingers resting on weapon handles, as if their bodies ordered them to stay alert.

We passed through several hallways, each one speaking of a different era. Walls bore the marks of old fires, and ceilings had sunk under the weight of decay. The palace wasn't a fortress, but a witness to the slow fall of a great world.

We stopped at a reinforced steel door, marked with ancient engravings that looked as if they were bleeding. Alvira opened it, and we entered.

The room was large but lacked any luxury. Everything was functional. Medical tools, hanging vials, and doctors moving with cautious silence. And in the center of the room, on a high, secured bed, lay Erbto.

It was the first time I saw him this weak. The man whose reputation made mountains tremble could barely open his eyes. His skin was pale, his breathing labored, but even in his frailty, his face still carried remnants of authority.

I stood by the door, while Alvira walked straight ahead, approached the bed, and gently touched his forehead, like a daughter still searching for the shadow of her father in this fading body.

After a moment of silence, she said:

"I think I'm close. There's a cure… theoretically, at least. It can be made from the eyes of the Kakino-Mati creatures."

Erbto's body shifted with effort. The sound of his breath seemed to cost him greatly.

"No. You can't. I won't allow you to take that path."

"I don't have a choice, Father. The situation is worsening. I've found one last thread, and it's strong enough to follow. And I won't go alone."

She pointed at me.

Erbto's gaze slowly turned to me. For a moment, I thought he wouldn't recognize me. But then his eyes widened, and his voice emerged:

"You?"

His expression twisted into pure anger, and he said with a sharpness that didn't match his physical state:

"Get out. You don't belong here. Nothing here concerns you."

Alvira stared at him, shocked:

"Father, who is he? Why are you shouting?"

I began to speak, but he cut me off again:

"Weren't you dead?! How dare you return?!"

I smiled faintly, without mockery:

"I didn't think you'd recognize me so quickly, despite what the illness has done to you."

He pushed his body forward as much as he could and looked into my eyes:

"Why did you come back?"

I looked back steadily:

"To reclaim what's mine. The fifth fragment of my power."

Silence fell.

Then he said:

"You won't have it."

I answered:

"A power that was never yours. Not even the Heroes of the Realms could claim it. This power was born within me… gifted to me, as a tool to change everything."

He said with sarcasm:

"Change? You call what you did to the other realms change? You destroyed, burned, erased existence."

I walked toward the window, looking outside where the city breathed fire.

"The Higher Entities unleashed this plague. They destroyed Ifesto. They left you to rot, Erbto. And still, you represent them?"

He didn't reply. But his silence was heavy.

I continued:

"If I wanted destruction, I wouldn't have walked through this door. I could've killed you all in an instant. You're in no state to even scream, and I… I still have enough. But I came for an agreement, not for war."

He looked up at me:

"And the guarantee?"

"Give me the fifth fragment, and I will bring you one of the Kakino-Mati alive. We'll make the cure. We'll save what can be saved."

Alvira looked between us, then at him.

After a long silence, Erbto sighed, as if letting go of a lifetime of doubts.

"You'll be responsible for this mission, Alvira. You'll lead the search. And… he'll go with you."

She didn't say anything, only nodded.

We left the room, and behind me, I left a man filled with disappointment, and a small hope that what I said… wasn't just another lie.

And in the silent hallway, between walls that no longer had the strength to echo, I looked at Alvira. We didn't exchange words, but the agreement was born in silence.

And it was enough.