Chapter 17: Ashes and Evidence
The chamber remained silent after the fighting ended.
Only the crackling of torches disturbed the stillness.
Bodies lay scattered across the stone floor.
Broken weapons.
Blood.
Masks.
And the strange symbol branded onto several wrists.
Kai crouched beside one of the corpses.
The mark looked simple.
Yet somehow unsettling.
A black circle surrounded by jagged lines.
Almost like cracks spreading outward.
"What does it mean?"
Akshay stared at it.
"I don't know."
Kai looked up.
"You've seen it before."
The king nodded.
"Years ago."
His gaze drifted away.
"Before Oheyo fell."
The answer only created more questions.
Several guards arrived shortly afterward.
The chamber quickly became crowded.
Soldiers secured entrances.
Others began examining the scene.
One man entered last.
Commander Jack.
The military commander looked around.
His expression hardened.
"Casualties?"
"None."
Akshay replied.
Jack visibly relaxed.
"Good."
The commander moved through the chamber.
Professional.
Efficient.
He examined the ritual markings.
The bodies.
The weapons.
Nothing about his behavior seemed unusual.
If anything, he looked exactly how a military commander should.
Andre leaned toward Kai.
"I don't trust people that serious."
Kai glanced at him.
"You trust almost nobody."
"Exactly."
Jack eventually stopped beside one of the dead cultists.
His eyes narrowed.
"Interesting."
Akshay approached.
"What?"
"The equipment."
Jack pointed toward the weapons.
"Not local."
Kai listened carefully.
"Meaning?"
Jack picked up a dagger.
"The metal."
He turned it under the torchlight.
"I've never seen this craftsmanship in Yggdrasil."
Akshay folded his arms.
"So they came from outside the city."
"Possibly."
Jack replied.
The commander stood.
His expression thoughtful.
"Whatever this group is, they've got resources."
That much was obvious.
The ritual chamber.
The coordinated attacks.
The trained fighters.
This wasn't a gang.
It was an organization.
Vice suddenly called out.
"Over here."
Everyone turned.
The smuggler stood near the rear wall.
A section of stone had partially collapsed during the battle.
Behind it was a hidden compartment.
Akshay immediately approached.
Inside rested several documents.
Maps.
Notes.
Reports.
Evidence.
The king's eyes widened slightly.
For the first time that night—
They had something useful.
Jack stepped forward.
"So that's what they were protecting."
Akshay nodded.
"Looks like it."
The king carefully gathered the documents.
"We'll review them at the palace."
For the first time since the investigation began, things seemed to be going their way.
Which was exactly why Kai felt uneasy.
Because nothing had gone smoothly since he arrived in this world.
And he doubted that was about to change.
By morning, Yggdrasil would discover that every document recovered from the chamber had vanished.
And with them—
The first real chance to uncover the truth.