The cavern trembled, loose pebbles skittering across the floor as ancient mechanisms deep within the Ascension Pagoda groaned to life, their metallic resonance echoing like a dirge.
Kael limped toward the center of the chamber, each step leaving a crimson footprint on the stone, a trail of his defiance.
He didn't bother bandaging his wounds—there wasn't time. Four minutes was a fleeting reprieve, not enough to rest, not with injuries that cut so deep. If he collapsed now, he knew he wouldn't rise again.
He stopped beneath the torch, his body swaying, breath ragged, sweat dripping down his jaw and stinging his eyes. The flame pulsed—once, twice—then dimmed, its golden light retreating as if gathering strength for what was to come.
[FINAL PHASE – INITIATING]
