Chapter 161: Get out.
The coppery tang of blood coated Gloria’s tongue, it was thick and tasted metallic. Her vision faltered, the pillars warped, the throne rippled like a mirage, the entire perimeter bending in and out of focus as if the castle itself were breathing.
She didn’t answer Azrael. There was no strength left for words.
Instead, she crawled, knees scraping, palms slipping in her own blood, until her body crossed the threshold of the circle. Her footing failed more than once, legs buckling like broken branches, but she pressed forward with blind determination, just following the light. She had to reach the Spike. Had to...before her body gave out or her mind dissolved into the pain.
The warmth inside the circle wrapped around her like a sacred breath, a jarring contrast to the frozen nightmare outside. It didn’t feel real. In this cruel, blood-soaked hell, how could something so divine still exist?
The Spike stood at the center, hovering, glowing faintly, haloed in golden motes of light that shimmered like holy embers. They swirled gently around it, casting a peaceful glow that touched her soul, the caress of light was so soft and deep, like lullabies from a time she couldn’t remember.
She stretched out her trembling, blood-streaked hands. Fingers curled around the Spike, warm, solid, powerful.
Then the world fell away.
Darkness opened like a blooming flower and swallowed her whole.
...
In the courtyard, far from the circle’s sanctity, chaos reigned.
Kai fought with blistering resolve, his blade dancing through ash and bone, setting fire behind. The ground was a canvas of carnage, streaked with blood and the smoldering remains of enemies. Sunkiath, perched like a waiting god atop the wall, unleashed arcs of flame that couldn’t scorch the sacred grounds but incinerated the troops, scaling the castle walls, and burning them to cinders before they could lay a claw on Kai.