Before them stood the final bell. Its surface was cracked and pale, light leaking faintly through the fractures like veins of molten silver.
Blindseer stepped forward without a word and struck the bell with his fist. The deep, resonant tone that followed echoed through the depths, rolling endlessly into the unseen distance.
For a single breath, there was silence. Then one by one, the other bells began to ring, their voices overlapping until the entire city trembled with sound.
A heavy, ancient noise followed, the grinding of stone, the groan of rusted iron. Somewhere in the distance, a massive gate was opening.
The group stepped out from the crumbling cathedral and into the open, where the city's shadowed skyline stretched behind them. Ahead, a long staircase descended toward a massive stone platform—the heart of the City of the Drowned.
The streets were eerily empty. The monsters that once prowled these ruins had fled, leaving behind a clear, silent path to the stairs. Maybe it was the thunderous echo of the gate opening... or perhaps something else entirely had driven them away.
The enormous gateway now open before Nakate and his group filled him with awe. For the first time in what felt like forever, a flicker of hope stirred in his chest. Maybe, just maybe he could finally return to the surface.
He imagined a quiet life there: tending to a small farm, watching the sunrise over golden fields. Or perhaps he'd become something greater, a noble, a hero, even a king. But more than anything, he just wanted peace... a home, a wife, a simple life where he could finally rest.
"Let's get inside," Cole said, his voice steady but tired. "We'll have to stay down here for a while, though."
The words seemed to catch both Nakate and Blindseer off guard.
Lix added, "Yeah. You still need to learn how to use that spear of yours, Nakate. And we all need to rest before we take on the Trial of Cathedral of the Interstice."
'So that's what it's called,' Nakate thought, glancing up at the cracked stone archways around them. 'The Celtor really were religious… with all these cathedrals scattered through the city.'
The group walked in silence through the eerily empty streets, their footsteps echoing faintly against the hollow walls of the drowned city.
It didn't take long for them to begin ascending the wide stone stairs. When they reached the platform, the towering gateway loomed before them was an ancient monument of rust and stone. They passed through, and as the last of them crossed the threshold, the gate groaned shut behind them, sealing them inside.
Nakate looked around, awestruck once again, by the sight of what seemed to be a long-dead garden. He imagined it had once belonged to the rulers of the Greater South Luminant. Now, the air was thick with the scent of moss and dust, and the skeletal remains of trees stood like mourners in eternal silence.
Ahead of them stretched a vast chamber that seemed to rise endlessly into the darkness above. They approached it through a smaller gateway, its corroded iron doors so weakened by time that Cole and Blindseer managed to lift them open with little effort.
***
Before them stood a massive wooden lift, its platform suspended by thick chains that vanished into the darkness above. The faint creak of metal echoed through the chamber as the lift swayed slightly in the still air. Beside it was a rusted lever, mounted on a stone pedestal, its surface covered in a thin layer of dust and age-worn carvings.
The chamber itself was built from dark brick, slick with moisture and age. Iron bars circled the lift, connecting it to colossal pillars that rose into the unseen heights above, each one reinforced with chains and bolts that groaned softly, as though the whole structure were alive and breathing. The fog that haunted the streets outside did not reach here; instead, the air was unnervingly clear, dry, and heavy with the scent of rust and old oil.
Nakate stared at the mechanism, brow furrowed. 'It's way more advanced than I would've expected... I thought the place wasn't advanced enough for something like this?' he thought, confusion plain on his face.
Lix smirked, crossing her arms with playful mockery. "Never heard of a lift before? Do I have to read you a book about them, Nakate?"
Her voice echoed faintly in the vast, hollow chamber, fading into the rhythmic creak of the chains above.
The group gathered in a small circle atop the wooden platform, the vast chamber around them silent except for the distant groan of chains. Blindseer extended a hand, his deep voice resonating softly through the air.
"Graceful Flame."
A spark ignited between his palms, blooming into a small cluster of azure fire. The gentle blue light spread across the platform, flickering softly against the brick walls and casting faint shadows that swayed like ghosts. The warmth from it was steady and soothing, the same warmth they had rested beneath hours ago.
Nakate sat cross-legged beside it, rubbing his hands together and glancing toward Cole. "So... will Cole be the one to teach me about spears now?"
Cole smirked faintly, but before he could answer, Blindseer rose to his feet.
"No," he said simply, his voice calm and sure. "I can do it for you."
He unfastened his robe and laid it neatly on the floor beside him, folding it in a way that concealed his belongings beneath its heavy fabric.
Nakate blinked, surprised. He'd imagined Blindseer's form beneath the robes to be that of a towering monk, maybe even heavyset. But as the azure light washed over him, Nakate saw something different.
Blindseer's body was lean, well-proportioned, and built with quiet strength like Cole's, but more refined, every muscle carrying a sense of control and purpose. His tall frame moved with an effortless grace, each motion deliberate, as though the years had trained his body to balance power and precision perfectly. He still somehow looked young, even with the strong frame of his.
'He's... way more fit than I expected,' Nakate thought, swallowing nervously. 'Kinda intimidating even.'
The chains above gave a slow metallic groan, echoing through the chamber, while the blue fire between them pulsed softly, its light dancing across Blindseer's form like a calm heartbeat.
***
Blindseer reached down to his robe and pulled out a wooden spear, its trident-shaped tip glinting faintly in the blue firelight. The weapon looked worn yet perfectly balanced, the kind of tool forged more for discipline than for killing.
"Let's begin then," he said simply, stepping away from the circle of light where Lix and Cole rested beside the flickering azure flame. The faint sound of the chains above echoed softly as he moved, each footstep measured, deliberate.
Nakate gripped his silver spear tighter, exhaling slowly. "Alright," he murmured, more to himself. He raised his weapon and mirrored the Blindseer's stance, or tried to.
The first clash came quietly. Wood struck metal with a dull clack, vibrations running up Nakate's arms. Blindseer's movements were smooth, unhurried, every motion flowing into the next like water finding its path. Nakate lunged forward, trying to catch him off guard, but Blindseer sidestepped with ease and countered, his trident tip stopping just short of Nakate's neck.
"Your form is off," Blindseer said, voice calm but firm. "You're closing in too much. A spear isn't a blade, distance is your shield. Keep it. Feel it. Use it."
Nakate reset his stance, breathing heavier now. The air was still, every sound amplified by the chamber's echo—the soft tap of their feet, the scrape of metal, the low hum of the azure fire behind them.
Again they clashed. Nakate jabbed forward, deflected, twisted, then ducked as Blindseer's spear swept toward his shoulder. He began to find a rhythm, copying the Blindseer's fluid footwork, his precise pivots. It was less like a fight and more like a dance, it was measured, graceful, and mercilessly revealing of every mistake.
"Better," Blindseer said, spinning his weapon and stepping back. "Now, look at me the opponent, not my weapon. This is basic knowledge that I know you could do before. A spear teaches awareness—control the space, and you control the battle if you wish to."
Nakate swallowed, adjusting his grip. Sweat ran down his cheek as he focused, mimicking Blindseer's stance again. Each exchange drew him closer to understanding, the distance between them filled not with fear, but with quiet determination.
They trained until Nakate's strength finally gave out, his vision fading as he collapsed onto the wooden platform beneath the azure glow.