Chapter 34 – The Warden’s Smile
The Prison of the Gods was not made of stone or steel.
It was built from oaths.
Each step Raen took down the winding obsidian path tightened something invisible around his chest. A noose. A memory. A vow he hadn't made, but felt breaking anyway.
Keir followed behind, torchlight flickering against mirrored walls that didn't show reflections—only distorted regrets. "So," Keir whispered, "still think this was a good idea?"
"No," Raen replied, voice taut. "But we're here."
The air thickened as they descended. Whispers slithered between the cracks in the walls. Not words. Names.
Raen's name.
Spoken by a thousand mouths.
"You're popular," Keir said with a dry laugh that didn't reach his eyes. "Creepy popular."
Raen ignored him. The blade at his side, Silence Between, thrummed in warning. The last time it had done that, he'd accidentally cut open a world.
---