The silver-threaded Cloak of Penitence bit into Raine's collarbones like living wire, every breath swallowing broken glass. The Citadel's interrogation reeked of lavender disinfectant over blood-soaked walls. The Sixth Seat's mechatendrils ripped off Ellen's starlit scales, exposing the Church's golden cross glowing on her mechanical spine.
"Enough theatrics, traitor." The Third Seat's synth-voice buzzed as a laser drill emerged from its arm, pressing against Ellen's temple. "The coordinates from the Grail. Now."
Ellen laughed through bloodied teeth, her scales refracting eerie sigils under artificial moonlight—identical to the tomb's covenant glyphs. She gnawed the mechatendril, slurring: "Ark... northwest quadrant... seventh rib..."
Raine's pupils contracted. His mother's cipher—"Godslayer lies in Frostkeep's Dragonbone Altar." The cloak's lining scratched his neck—faded swaddling cloth embroidered with Elaina's draconic signature.
"Boring." Serena's wing-shadows draped over surveillance screens, toying with Dracula's fang necklace. "Let me handle the brat."
Dracula's specter coalesced in blood-mist, pale fingers tracing Serena's new wings. "Three Source Blood drops for the quantum lock code." His fangs pierced her wrist, black ooze逆流ing up veins. "Remember, little bat... half of you is mine."
Raine's scales convulsed under the cloak. He lunged at the torture rack, but penitence chains yanked him to his knees. Blood droplets crystallized mid-air into the swaddling cloth's draconic sigil.
"Fascinating." The Sixth Seat's optics flared red. "The whelp's genes breach holy silver..."
Serena's wings tore reality, data-storms crashing monitors. Her asphalt eyes reflected the swaddling cloth as she whispered: "Mommy's SOS stitched in linen... now your shroud."
Ellen bit through a power conduit, black code-ooze replacing blood. She tackled Raine, her inverted cross sigil flashing: "Frostkeep... before dawn..."
Alarms blared as Dracula's blood-magic shattered the dungeon. Serena yanked Raine through a void rift. Ellen's body was impaled by prismatic chains.
"Tell the Church..." Her last scales formed the covenant glyph. "...their god... died long ago..."
Raine clutched the swaddling cloth in quantum turbulence, chains devouring his power. Serena's wings cocooned their fall, black ooze dripping from her lips: "Hold tight, darling. We're meeting your... god-killing acquaintance."
In the deepest quantum cell, a figure bound by thousands of holy silver chains opened eyes—pupils collapsing into starless voids.