Uriel exhaled slowly.

The battlefield had fallen silent, but the silence didn’t feel right—something was wrong. It wasn’t the peaceful calm that follows victory, but something heavier, oppressive, as if something invisible still lingered, watching from the shadows and waiting for the right moment to act.

Dust from shattered bones drifted lazily through the air, while remnants of negative energy clung to the ground like a thin mist that refused to fully dissipate. Uriel tightened his grip on the handle of his hammer before murmuring:

"Something’s not right..."

Miguel lowered Soleil’s icon slightly, which, after being used, had begun to burn, and his expression shifted from relief to unease in seconds.

"You feel it too." It wasn’t a question.

Anastasia tilted her head curiously, her crimson eyes scanning the surroundings calmly; even without her skeletons, she didn’t seem worried—only intrigued.

"The energy hasn’t disappeared," she said softly. "It’s retreating. Whatever was stalking us is pulling back for some reason."

As a necromancer, Anastasia had a better ability than anyone to track traces of negative energy.

Vladimir let out a snort as he cracked his neck and looked toward the deeper parts of the area.

Ininise said nothing, but her gaze sharpened and she stepped forward, her posture alert and calculating.

Uriel moved cautiously, one step, then another. The instant his foot touched the ground ahead, something changed. A faint tremor ran through his feet, and he frowned.

"...What is this?" he muttered. Before anyone could respond, a low hum began to spread across the entire area.

It wasn’t loud, but it was deep, vibrating through the countless bones of the cemetery. The negative energy began to react, contracting toward the center of the battlefield as if an invisible force were pulling it in.

The ground cracked, and thin golden lines spread through the stone like veins, cutting through the darkness with unnatural precision.

The negative energy recoiled violently before them, hissing as if it were being burned. Miguel’s eyes widened.

"Of course something like this would be at the end of the second zone..."

The cracks continued to expand until, suddenly, light burst from beneath the ground in a pillar of pure golden brilliance that pierced the corrupted earth. It was warm, overwhelming, completely opposite to everything that had existed there moments before.

Uriel instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes, but the light didn’t hurt. It didn’t burn. It embraced. A deep warmth spread through his body, seeping into his muscles, into his bones.

In that instant, something in his hands pulsed. He froze, then slowly raised them—along with the massive hammer he now wielded. It was glowing—no... burning, but not with heat, rather with an almost conscious presence. It pulsed in rhythm with the light emerging from the ground, as if responding to a call only it could hear... or perhaps one meant for him.

"Uriel, the weapon is reacting?"

Miguel’s voice sounded excited—anything related to Soleil thrilled him.

"I don’t know... it feels like the hammer is growing stronger from the golden light."

Yet even as he said it, he could feel it: a subtle but undeniable pull. The handle trembled in his grip and tilted slightly, pointing toward the deepest part of the city. Miguel stepped closer, his eyes fixed on the pillar of light.

"This... this is divine energy!"

Miguel was ecstatic.

Anastasia raised an eyebrow, her face full of disdain.

"It’s not just any kind. It’s pure, uncorrupted. Uriel, this is Soleil’s light."

Miguel immediately raised his golden spear of Soleil, and this time it reacted. It resonated with the pillar, and a golden aura more intense than before spread around him, pushing the remaining negative energy even farther away. His grip tightened.

However, the light slowly began to fade—it seemed to be disappearing.

"Damn it, what’s happening?"

Miguel panicked as the golden energy weakened.

He searched for an answer anywhere he could find it until his eyes finally locked onto a specific point.

Without hesitation, Miguel raised his spear and, with his sword, split it in half. The fragments fell to the ground as he watched intently how the divine energy from his weapon rose and flowed into the structure, being absorbed.

And he smiled.

"Perfect."

The silence that followed was heavy. Uriel looked again at the golden pillar, feeling that its warmth wasn’t only physical. There was something familiar in it, like a forgotten memory—or something that had always been waiting for him.

Then, without warning, a whisper brushed against his consciousness. It wasn’t a sound or a voice, but something deeper—a presence.

He blinked, and the world vanished.

Fire surrounded him—a golden fire stretching endlessly, devouring everything in its path. Shadows screamed as they burned, twisting and dissolving under the relentless light. The air vibrated with power. In the middle of it all, a figure stood firm: tall, unmoving, holding a massive hammer that shone with the same golden light, surrounded by flames that seemed alive. In its other hand was a book whose pages turned on their own, radiating an overwhelming presence.

The figure moved forward slowly, deliberately, leaving marks of burning light in its wake. Countless enemies—faceless forms consumed by darkness—lunged at it without hesitation.

They had no chance.

With a single strike, the hammer descended, unleashing a wave of divine fire that obliterated everything. There were no screams, only absolute silence. When it ended, the figure remained alone—unshaken, unstoppable... and for a moment, Uriel felt that figure was...

"Uriel!"

The world snapped back. The battlefield, the ruins, the golden pillar. He gasped as his heart pounded violently in his chest. Ininise stood in front of him, her gaze sharp.

"You froze again."

Miguel stepped closer, eyes wide with anticipation.

"Did you see something?! Uriel, what did you see?! TELL ME!"

Ininise immediately stepped between them, preventing Miguel from getting any closer.

Uriel hesitated. The image was already fading from his mind, like a dream slipping away upon waking. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"I think... I had a vision of someone."

He lowered his gaze toward the structure; its glow had dimmed, but now he could see a faint golden thread.

Apparently Miguel could see it too, because he stared at it with shining eyes full of excitement.

Anastasia slapped Uriel on the back, breaking the tension.

"Well, comrades, it seems we’ve found something. I don’t know what it is yet, but it looks like we’re on the right track."

Miguel exhaled slowly, regaining his composure.

"If I’m right, that light should guide us to what Soleil entrusted us with."

"How important is that thing?" Vladimir asked.

"Important enough to kill for," Miguel replied, narrowing his eyes.

"So that means...?"

"It means we’re not the only ones who know about this place. There are probably already several groups here—especially divine chosen ones, maybe even from other gods—looking for the artifact from the prophecy."

"How many?" Vladimir asked.

"Hard to say... but probably around a dozen groups. Not many are capable of venturing this far at this stage."

Vladimir cracked his knuckles again, this time with a different kind of excitement.

"Good."

Miguel shook his head slightly. "If they’re ahead of us, they’re already closer to the source."

Uriel stood up and looked toward the depths of the city. The golden pillar flickered faintly, as if responding to something far away—or someone. The pull in his hand intensified, not urgent, but insistent. The cemetery ruins stretched endlessly before them, casting long shadows under an unnatural glow. He tightened his grip on his hammer.

"Let’s go."

Anastasia raised an eyebrow. "That wasn’t a suggestion, was it, Comrade Commissar Uriel?"

"No."

Miguel nodded. "I agree."

Of course he would, Uriel thought. Miguel seemed almost possessed by anything related to Soleil—like her biggest fan.

Anastasia placed a hand on her chest dramatically. "For glory, comrades!"

Vladimir had already started walking.

Uriel cast one last glance at the battlefield—bones, dust, the remnants of a fight that already felt distant. Then he turned and moved forward.

The deeper they went, the worse the cemetery became. The structures grew taller and older, more imposing and alien than anything they had seen before. The air thickened again, but not with the same suffocating negativity—this was different: heavier, older. The golden trail reappeared before Uriel, guiding him. No one spoke for a long time; even Anastasia seemed to understand that something had changed.

Then they found them.

Bodies. Human. Or what remained of them. Broken armor, scattered weapons, the ground stained dark. Uriel knelt beside one. The corpse was recent—very recent.

"Devoured... the bodies were devoured."

Miguel examined the wounds.

"Not just devoured. These injuries were made after death. Interestingly, they took the areas with the most flesh—like the legs."

"You say that like you’ve seen this before."

"Yes. They’re probably the least friendly members of all the species climbing the tower with us."

Uriel looked at him carefully.

"Ogres..."

It was the first time Uriel had heard of this species, but he could see from the scene unfolding before him that they were not very friendly.