Chapter 9: fallen flame
Cain's boots hit the concrete with a dull thud, a rhythm synced with his heartbeats. The city had grown quieter the deeper they went into the Underside, where light dared not reach and forgotten whispers clung to the air like cobwebs. He kept his eyes on the strange parchment, held tightly in his gloved hands, while Elias and Riven trailed close behind.
Aiko skipped ahead, humming some broken tune under her breath, twirling a knife between her fingers. Kaze walked like he knew exactly where he was going, even if he never said a word. His coat flared behind him, blending with the dark.
"We really trusting this guy?" Riven muttered, leaning toward Elias.
"Do we have a choice?" Elias replied, eyes scanning the alley.
They followed Kaze through twisting alleys, past buildings eaten away by time and rot. Every few blocks, strange symbols flickered on walls—runes drawn in red chalk that shimmered faintly under the sickly streetlamps.
"Are those spells?" Cain asked.
"Warnings," Kaze said. "The Guild likes their boundaries. You cross them wrong, they won't ask twice."
They finally stopped in front of a dead end. Nothing but bricks. Kaze raised his hand and pressed his palm against a particular stone. It hissed with heat, and a sigil lit up in a dull orange glow, burning like a smoldering ember.
The wall trembled—and then it disappeared.
Beyond it was a spiraling staircase carved into rock, lit with floating flames that pulsed in sync with their footsteps. Cain felt like he was stepping into another world entirely.
The Guild wasn't what he expected. It wasn't a secret council with robes or a throne room dripping in gold. No, the Guild of the Fallen Flame looked like a mix of an old forge, a magic library, and an underground city built inside an ancient volcano.