Chapter 38
[El'Vertigo Keep — Crypt Levels, Descent Chamber 3]
The old crypt tunnels beneath the Keep had long been sealed off—officially decommissioned, unofficially forgotten. Only a few within the El'Vertigo household even knew the doors existed. But Pablo knew. He'd played here as a child, chasing shadows he thought were ghosts.
Now, they whispered back.
He descended in silence, Viora flickering along his spine, a protective coil. Frost lined the walls, growing thicker with every step.
Then—he saw it.
A corpse. Bent backward, mouth frozen open, hands clawing at empty air. His Kargal insignia had shattered in the cold. Pablo crouched beside him, breath fogging.
"Ice-killed," he murmured. "But not instantly. He fought it..."
Something scraped behind him.
Pablo spun, hand raised, ready to strike—