Chapter 7: The Fifth Sigil

or the first time in weeks, Arcadia slept. Not the sleep of peace, but the restless kind, twitching and uneasy, like a city aware it had only narrowly escaped disaster. The storm that had raged the night before had passed, but the wind still whispered between the buildings, cold and watchful.

In the hollowed-out chamber of the old clocktower, Nightblade stood over a long, scarred table, its surface littered with half-burnt maps, torn satellite photos, and scribbled notes. His fingers drummed against the edge. Beside him, Starflare leaned against a support beam, arms crossed, eyes on the shifting fog beyond the cracked windows.

Embershade was late.

"I don't like this," she said, her voice low and clear. "He disappears for hours, reappears with riddles, and we're supposed to trust him with the last location?"

Nightblade didn't look up. "He's not the enemy."

"He's not our friend either."

The old iron staircase creaked behind them. A flicker of red light signaled Embershade's arrival before his boots even touched the floor.

"I found it," he said without preamble, his voice gravel and wind. "The fifth sigil is under the city. Beneath the old rail line. Sector 12."

Starflare frowned. "That place is a ghost tunnel. No power, no access. It's been closed since the quake fifteen years ago."

"Exactly," Embershade replied. "No one would think to look there. Revenant's been laying the groundwork in silence."

He laid a scroll across the table, unrolling it with deliberate precision. It was older than any of the documents Nightblade had seen—ink faded, parchment worn soft by time. But the diagram at its center was unmistakable: a five-pointed structure, each limb pulsing with drawn energy.

"These five points," Embershade said, tapping each one in turn, "align with Arcadia's original ley lines. When the city was still a village, these were sacred intersections. Now buried. Forgotten. Except by him."

Nightblade stared at the map. "He's reactivating ancient channels."

"More than that," Embershade said, "he's feeding something with them."

Starflare folded her arms tighter. "Why hasn't he struck yet?"

"He's waiting," Embershade said. "For the eclipse."

A silence followed. Even the wind seemed to pause.

"When?" Nightblade asked.

"Three nights from now."

Nightblade gave a slow nod. "Then we have three nights to close the last gate."

They moved quickly, slipping into Sector 12 under cover of darkness. No one patrolled the ruins anymore. The ground was split in places, swallowed by creeping weeds and the brittle bones of long-dead buildings. The entrance to the underground lay beneath a rusted metal slab, bolted and sealed with three separate locks.

Starflare melted them with a silent burst of light.

They descended into the earth, one level after another, until the air turned cold and thick with dust. The tunnels were darker than night itself, lined with cracked tiles and old posters that clung to the walls like ghost memories.

"We're not alone," Embershade said, his hand hovering over his sword.

Starflare moved ahead, her glow illuminating the way. Shadows scurried at the edge of her light. Strange runes pulsed faintly across the ceiling.

As they reached the end of the main passage, a large stone door stood before them. It was sealed, not with metal or bolts, but with symbols carved deep into the rock—ancient and familiar.

Nightblade stepped forward, touching one.

It pulsed beneath his fingers.

The entire wall shivered and slid open, groaning like some great beast disturbed from slumber.

Beyond it lay the chamber of the fifth sigil.

It was circular, the floor carved with a massive spiral of energy lines. At its center stood a plinth, and atop it, a single glowing crystal—deep red, flickering as if alive. The room buzzed with power.

"This is it," Embershade whispered. "The final anchor."

A figure stepped from the shadows.

Revenant.

But he wasn't alone.

Behind him stood a second figure—taller, leaner, clothed in black and silver robes. His face was obscured by a mask of bone and iron. His hands were clasped calmly in front of him, but the moment his eyes met theirs, every light in the room dimmed.

Starflare's light sputtered.

Embershade inhaled sharply. "That's not Revenant's second-in-command."

Nightblade stepped forward. "Who is he?"

Revenant chuckled. "Not who. What."

The figure spoke. His voice was layered, as if more than one presence echoed within it.

"I am the Key. The Mouth of the Rift. The bridge between breath and void."

A tremor passed through the floor.

"He's been waiting," Revenant said, stepping aside. "Feeding off each ritual. This city gave him strength. And now, the final seal is ready."

Nightblade unsheathed his weapons.

Starflare's hands ignited.

Embershade whispered something under his breath.

The figure in black raised a hand. And the world split.

From every crack in the floor, darkness surged upward—coiling tendrils of living shadow that struck like whips. Starflare's glow collided with them, searing half into ash. Embershade leapt forward, fire blasting from his palms. Nightblade darted through, blades slashing at anything that moved.

Revenant laughed as he stepped into the center, placing both hands on the crystal.

The chamber screamed.

The sigil erupted with light—red and gold and black, spiraling outward.

Nightblade reached him too late. A blast of force sent him flying back against the wall. Blood rushed in his ears.

Starflare caught him before he hit the stone.

"Can you move?"

He nodded, breathing hard. "We have to stop the crystal."

Embershade turned from the darkness. "It's not the crystal anymore. It's a conduit."

Then he did something no one expected.

He stepped into the light.

"Embershade!" Starflare shouted.

The fire within his body flared to life—brighter than before, fierce and wild. He walked toward the crystal, ignoring Revenant, ignoring the darkness. His body burned from within, his voice steady.

"I carry the fire. Not as a curse. But as a choice."

He placed both hands on the stone.

Light exploded.

Darkness screamed.

The chamber filled with blinding white.

Then—silence.

When the light faded, Embershade was gone.

So was the crystal.

So was Revenant.

Nightblade stumbled to his feet.

Starflare stood frozen, staring at where Embershade had last stood.

A faint breeze stirred the dust.

Then, from the still air, came his voice.

"I'll hold the gate from the other side. But you must stop what comes next."

Starflare's eyes shimmered.

Nightblade placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We will."