Chapter 6: The Cathedral Burns

The ruins of Saint Athanasius Cathedral stood like a carcass in the northern quarter of Arcadia. Its once-majestic towers were charred and hollowed, the stained glass long shattered, its colors scattered among the ash. What remained of its bones jutted into the air, wrapped in ivy and soot.

Nightblade approached from the north wall, his cloak soaked from the rain. Starflare landed from above, her light casting a dull glow over broken pews and splintered stone. Embershade came last, walking calmly through the shattered arch of the front door. He carried a single blade, sheathed in glowing red crystal.

"This was a holy place once," Starflare said, voice hushed.

"Now it's hollow ground," Embershade replied. "Revenant twisted the energy here. It's the fourth point in the summoning ring. The ritual has already begun."

Nightblade unsheathed one of his curved blades. "Then we end it before it reaches the fifth."

They spread out, moving like shadows through the cathedral. Runes flickered faintly across the walls, pulsing with a sickly green hue. Beneath the altar, a spiral of symbols had been carved into the floor, etched deep into the foundation.

Starflare stepped carefully around the pattern. "These aren't just sigils. They're old. Pre-civilization. Not human."

"I've seen them before," Embershade said. "In dreams. In nightmares."

Nightblade crouched at the edge of the circle. "They're still warm. Someone was here recently."

As if summoned by his words, the torches lining the walls ignited in unison. Orange flames surged, casting warped shadows across the room. From the upper rafters, a voice echoed downward.

"I thought you might come," it said.

A figure dropped to the ground. Robes of black and crimson swirled as he landed, his face obscured by a bone-white mask, mouth etched in a permanent grin. His eyes glowed pale blue.

"Revenant," Embershade whispered.

The man bowed slightly. "I've been watching you three. You work well together, despite your differences."

"You've stolen lives. Turned the city into a warzone," Starflare said. Her voice shook not from fear but fury.

"I've offered evolution," Revenant replied. "This world is dying on logic and structure. I bring chaos and flame. The kind that rebuilds."

"No," Nightblade said, stepping forward. "You bring ruin and call it destiny."

Revenant smiled. "Then come test your fate."

He raised his hand. The sigils on the floor flared to life. From the spiral, figures began to rise—twisted imitations of human forms, made from ash and bone. Their eyes glowed like dying embers.

"Wraith-forged," Embershade said. "Souls stripped and reforged as weapons."

Without waiting, Starflare charged into them. Her fists ignited in golden flame, searing through the first line of revenants. Nightblade moved with precision, slicing through the husks with fluid grace, dodging claws and flame.

Embershade stayed near the spiral, chanting words in a forgotten language. As he spoke, the outer ring of runes cracked. Magic fought back against him, sparks dancing at his feet.

Revenant walked slowly toward the altar, arms spread wide. "You think you can undo centuries of work with fire and steel? You are insects dancing on the edge of an inferno."

Nightblade reached him first. Their blades clashed, metal against magic. Revenant moved like a ghost, his staff sweeping in wide arcs, fueled by raw power. Nightblade parried each blow, pressing forward.

Starflare drove her fist into the ground, sending shockwaves through the cathedral. Wraiths staggered, some crumbling into ash. She ran to Embershade's side, shielding him from a flanking revenant.

"You almost done?" she called.

"Almost."

Nightblade's blade glanced off Revenant's staff. The villain grinned and drove an elbow into Nightblade's ribs. The masked hero stumbled, wind knocked from him. Revenant raised his staff for a finishing blow.

Starflare tackled him from the side, slamming him into the cracked altar. She pinned him there, her glow flaring.

"You'll answer for everything," she hissed.

Revenant laughed. "There's nothing left to answer to. The veil has already opened."

At that moment, the center of the spiral shattered. From the ground rose a column of black light, piercing the ceiling, vanishing into the sky. Thunder cracked. The earth trembled.

The ritual was complete.

Embershade shouted. "Get back!"

The light exploded outward. For a second, all was dark.

Then came silence.

When the smoke cleared, the cathedral was in ruins. The spiral had been erased, the altar destroyed, the wraiths gone.

But Revenant had vanished.

Starflare knelt beside Nightblade. "Are you alright?"

He nodded weakly. "Not my best night."

Embershade stood, breathing heavily. "I disrupted the core, but too late to stop the opening. We've delayed him. Not stopped him."

Starflare looked up. "What happens now?"

Embershade didn't answer at first.

Then, slowly, he spoke. "Now we hunt him."

Nightblade stood. His ribs ached, but his resolve was intact. "We track the fifth site. We finish this."

Starflare met his eyes. "Together."

They turned toward the broken cathedral doors. Outside, the storm raged on.

But something had changed. The city felt colder, like something had passed through it.

Something not entirely gone.