The floor vanished beneath Mason.

One second he was standing beside Draca while silver chains twisted through the war chamber.

The next...everything collapsed.

Stone shattered beneath his feet as a massive crack split through the palace floor completely.

Dust exploded upward across the chamber while guards shouted in panic.

He dropped instantly.

"Oh COME ON...!"

Strong hands caught his arm.

The commander slammed one hand against the broken edge of the collapsing floor while gripping Mason tightly with the other. Half his body hung dangerously over the widening abyss now.

Silver light burned beneath them.

Deep below the palace, chains dragged across stone.

Athlian’s fear hit Mason hard enough to steal his breath.

’Do not fall.’

"Fantastic advice!" he shouted while trying very hard not to look downward.

Huge mistake.

Because something was moving beneath the darkness.

Something enormous.

The chamber above descended into complete chaos.

Seraphine drove her spear into the fractured floor to stabilize herself while Zereth’s shadows lashed violently across the room, binding several silver chains before they could grab nearby soldiers.

Assura’s crimson symbols spread rapidly through the chamber walls now.

Reality itself is distorted around him.

Unfortunately the silver chains kept moving anyway.

Which felt deeply illegal.

"My goddess!" Draca’s grip tightened sharply.

Mason grabbed his forearm immediately with both hands while loose stone crumbled beneath them.

"Please tell me you have a rescue plan!"

"Yes."

"Wonderful! What is it?!"

"Don’t let go."

"...That is barely a strategy."

Despite the situation, Draca almost looked amused.

Athlian noticed instantly.

’You relaxed again.’

"I’m fighting for my life!"

’Still relaxed.’

Another violent tremor shook the palace.

The fracture widened further.

Draca’s footing slipped slightly.

Mason’s stomach dropped immediately.

"Oh absolutely not."

Seraphine moved instantly toward them, but one of the silver chains suddenly lashed across the chamber floor toward her.

She blocked it with her spear.

The impact shattered nearby stone pillars instantly.

"Commander!" she shouted. "Move now!"

Working on it apparently.

Zereth’s shadows surged beneath Draca’s boots next, reinforcing the unstable floor just enough for him to pull Mason upward.

Mason slammed hard against Draca’s chest the moment he cleared the edge.

Warm armor, strong arms.

He felt so safe.

Very unsafe emotionally.

Athlian practically melted internally.

’There it is again.’

"We are not discussing this while the palace explodes."

Draca steadied him automatically before releasing him once he regained balance.

Unfortunately the warmth lingered.

Mason deeply resented that.

The crack across the chamber floor continued spreading anyway.

Silver light pulsed upward from the abyss below while metallic dragging sounds echoed through the palace foundations.

Saleem looked moments from spiritual collapse.

"The seal is breaking!"

Mason pointed weakly toward the floor. "Again, deeply concerned, everyone keeps saying that like they already know what’s down there."

Nobody responded.

Another silver chain burst upward from the darkness.

This one moved differently.

It shot directly toward Mason.

Draca reacted instantly.

His sword flashed across the chamber with enough force to knock the chain sideways before it reached Mason.

The impact echoed violently.

Sparks exploded across the room.

Unfortunately the chain wasn’t damaged at all.

It simply twisted upward again slowly.

Like it was curious.

"Oh that’s horrifying," Mason muttered.

Athlian sounded shaken now.

’It recognizes the fracture inside us.’

"Please stop saying terrifying things so casually."

Assura stepped forward suddenly.

Crimson energy surged beneath his feet while ancient symbols ignited across the chamber ceiling.

The pressure in the room changed instantly; heavy and violent.

Even the silver chains hesitated.

Apparently ancient cosmic nightmares also respected personal boundaries slightly.

Assura’s voice lowered dangerously.

"Back into the depths."

The symbols around him exploded outward.

Crimson light slammed directly into the spreading fracture.

The entire palace shook.

For one brief second the silver chains recoiled downward into the abyss again.

Then something laughed beneath the palace again.

And suddenly every crimson symbol in the room shattered.

Assura actually staggered backward.

Silence crashed into the chamber.

Nobody moved.

Because apparently reality itself had just rejected Assura.

Which felt catastrophically important.

Zereth’s expression darkened immediately.

"...Impossible."

"Yes," Assura replied coldly. "It should be."

Mason stared at him. "You losing fights is not emotionally comforting."

"Noted."

Another chain lashed upward.

Then another.

The chamber descended into chaos again.

Guards scrambled backward while silver chains wrapped around broken pillars and shattered walls.

One soldier screamed as a chain nearly caught his leg before Seraphine cut through the floor beneath him and shoved him aside.

"Fall back!" she ordered sharply.

Draca grabbed Mason’s wrist again immediately.

"This way."

Mason followed without arguing this time.

The group moved quickly toward the rear sanctum doors while the chamber continued collapsing behind them.

Silver cracks spread across the walls.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

Somewhere outside the palace, the chained creature above the capital roared again.

The sound shook the entire city.

Athlian flinched hard inside him.

Mason noticed instantly. "You know something about that thing."

’It should not exist anymore.’

"...Fantastic."

The rear sanctum corridor beyond the war chamber was somehow worse.

Priests and servants crowded the halls now while guards attempted to control the spreading panic.

Several people immediately froze when Mason appeared.

A young priest stumbled toward them desperately.

"My Goddess, the northern sanctuary collapsed completely!"

Another servant interrupted immediately.

"The lower districts are demanding evacuation routes!"

"Citizens are gathering outside the temple gates!"

Everybody was yelling now.

Mason immediately wanted to fake his own death.

Draca stepped slightly forward beside him.

The movement alone quieted half the corridor.

Honestly impressive.

"The palace remains under control," he said firmly.

Bold lie.

Excellent leadership.

"Seraphine, secure the eastern halls. Saleem, organize evacuation routes through the southern districts."

Saleem looked horrified. "Me?!"

"You oversee the temple records."

"That does not qualify me for crowd management!"

"Tonight it does."

The poor man looked spiritually assaulted.

Mason sympathized deeply.

Zereth remained strangely quiet near the back of the corridor...watching and analyzing.

Athlian noticed.’He suspects more now.’

"Wonderful."

’But he still doesn’t understand it.’

"Less wonderful but acceptable."

A violent tremor suddenly rolled through the corridor.

Several priests screamed.

The palace lights flickered.

Then every candle along the hallway extinguished at once.

Darkness swallowed the corridor.

Mason sighed tiredly. "Of course."

Silver light spread across the walls moments later instead.

Not from above but beneath.

Thin glowing fractures crawled slowly upward through the palace stone like veins.

The chains were spreading.

Seraphine cursed softly. "It’s reaching the upper sanctums already."

Another metallic dragging sound echoed beneath the floor.

The surrounding priests began panicking harder immediately.

"We’re all going to die!"

"The seal has broken!"

"The Tribunal abandoned us!"

"Everyone calm down," Mason snapped automatically.

Shockingly...they actually did.

He straightened awkwardly while every terrified priest stared at him expectantly.

It was an absolutely terrible situation.

Athlian stirred softly. ’They trust you.’

"Terrible decision honestly."

But still...

The fear around him felt real.

He swallowed carefully before speaking again.

"The capital is not falling tonight."

Complete guess honestly.

"The palace barriers are still active. The commanders are handling the situation."

Another violent tremor interrupted him immediately.

Excellent timing.

He ignored it bravely.

"Panicking in hallways helps absolutely nobody."

A few nervous laughs escaped the crowd.

Draca looked toward him briefly after that.

And for some reason the expression in his eyes felt dangerously warm.

Athlian noticed immediately. ’You like when he looks proud of you.’

"I am begging you to focus on survival."

’No.’

Terrible ally.

Assura suddenly stopped walking.

Everyone noticed immediately.

The ancient being stared toward the far end of the corridor silently.

The air around him distorted faintly again.

Zereth’s shadows curled sharply along the floor.

"What is it?" Seraphine asked.

Assura answered quietly. "It found another opening."

The wall at the end of the corridor exploded inward.

Silver chains burst through stone instantly.

People screamed.

Guards moved forward immediately, but the chains slammed several of them into the walls hard enough to crack armor.

Mason jumped backward instinctively.

"Oh this keeps getting worse!"

One chain shot directly toward him again.

Draca intercepted it instantly.

His sword collided against silver metal with enough force to send sparks exploding across the corridor.

The chain wrapped around the blade.

Then tightened.

The sound of metal straining echoed sharply.

Draca’s expression hardened. "...Move."

Mason didn’t hesitate this time.

He grabbed the nearest terrified priest and pulled them backward while Seraphine and Zereth attacked the remaining chains simultaneously.

Divine light and shadows collided violently across the corridor.

Unfortunately the chains kept coming.

Assura stepped forward next.

The temperature dropped instantly.

Crimson symbols ignited beneath every chain across the hallway.

This time he spoke in a language Mason didn’t recognize.

The chains suddenly froze.

Then violently recoiled backward through the shattered wall.

Silence followed.

Heavy breathing filled the corridor.

One guard looked toward Assura with visible fear.

Reasonable honestly.

The ancient being ignored everyone.

His gaze remained fixed on the darkness beyond the broken wall.

"It is testing the seal."

Mason rubbed his face tiredly.

"I would deeply appreciate less testing tonight."

Draca finally pulled his sword free from the damaged silver chain still wrapped partially around the blade.

The metal looked scorched now.

Interesting.

Apparently even cosmic horrors could damage legendary weapons.

Athlian suddenly went very still inside him.

Then she called. ’Mason.’

Her voice sounded wrong and unsteady.

Fear was beneath it.

"What?"

’The creature above the city is changing.’

Mason immediately hated that sentence.

Slowly, everyone moved back toward the shattered balcony hall overlooking the capital.

The moment Mason stepped near the open archways...

He froze.

The sky fracture has grown enormously now.

Silver cracks stretched across nearly half the heavens above the capital.

The chained figure was farther through.

Much farther.

Its upper body now hung almost completely outside the fracture itself.

And the broken chains wrapped around its body were snapping one by one.

Each break echoed across the city like thunder.

People below screamed louder every time another chain shattered.

Mason stared upward slowly.

"...That feels very bad."

"Yes," Zereth answered quietly. "It does."

But something else had changed too.

The creature was no longer staring at the palace.

It was staring downward.

Toward the ground beneath the capital.

Toward whatever was sealed below.

Athlian’s fear surged violently.

’No no no.’

"Helpful explanation please."

Her response came immediately this time.

’They were never separate.’

Mason blinked. "...What?"

Before she could continue, another metallic roar erupted from beneath the palace itself.

The entire capital shook.

Massive silver fractures burst across several distant districts.

Buildings collapsed.

Temple towers cracked apart.

And from somewhere deep below the city, something answered the creature in the sky.

A roar.

Every person on the balcony froze instantly.

Even Assura’s expression changed.

Not fear exactly but recognition.

Which honestly felt worse.

The chained figure above the city slowly smiled again.

Then it spoke. "We found the gate."

The palace floor beneath them exploded upward.

The stone shattered.

Silver chains erupted across the balcony.

And a massive claw covered in glowing symbols burst from beneath the capital itself.