The news arrived before dawn.
Not through messengers, ravens, or communication magic. It arrived through silence.
Celestine noticed it first.
She was sitting on a rock, watching the sky slowly brighten, when the Void inside her contracted. It wasn't fear. It was recognition.
Something had changed.
Leonhardt, who was sharpening his sword a few meters away, noticed her expression.
— What happened?
Celestine raised her eyes.
— They're arguing.
The Guardian, sitting near a tree, opened his eyes.
— Who?
— The hunters.
Leonhardt frowned.
— How can you know?
Celestine placed a hand over her chest.
— The Void can sense when an intention splits. Before, they all had the same objective. Now there are several different wills.
The Guardian became serious.
— So the man you let escape really did speak to them.
— That was exactly what I wanted.
Leonhardt sheathed his sword.
— And what are they arguing about?
Celestine closed her eyes.
For a few seconds, she didn't answer.
Fragmented images passed through her mind.
An underground room.
A circular table.
Five people.
A map.
And, at its center, a mark representing the territory where Celestine was.
A woman with black hair slammed her hand against the table.
— She must be eliminated immediately!
An older man replied:
— No. Not yet.
— She defeated trained agents!
— And spared one of them.
The room fell silent.
Celestine opened her eyes.
— They're divided between those who want to kill me and those who want to discover what I can do.
Leonhardt smiled slightly.
— Then it worked.
— Partially.
— Partially?
Celestine stood up.
— The problem is that those who want to kill me will probably act on their own.
The Guardian confirmed it.
— And independent groups are far more dangerous than an organized army.
Before anyone could answer, a distant sound crossed the valley.
A bell.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Leonhardt immediately became alert.
— That isn't coming from our direction.
Celestine turned toward the west.
The Void began to pulse.
— No.
Another bell rang.
This time, the sound was accompanied by a column of black smoke rising behind the mountains.
The Guardian stood up.
— They found the outpost.
— What outpost? — Leonhardt asked.
— An old observatory belonging to the hunters.
Celestine narrowed her eyes.
— Who attacked it?
The Guardian took several seconds to answer.
— I don't know.
The answer left everyone uneasy.
Celestine began walking.
— Then we'll find out.
Leonhardt immediately followed her.
— You just said independent groups are dangerous.
— And that's exactly why we need to know who's moving.
The journey to the observatory took almost two hours.
The closer they got, the stranger the surroundings became.
No animals could be seen.
No birds flew above the trees.
Even the wind seemed to avoid that region.
When they finally reached the top of the hill, they found the observatory destroyed.
The walls were cracked.
The towers had collapsed.
But there were no bodies.
Leonhardt entered first.
— There was no battle.
Celestine observed the ground.
— There was.
He looked at her.
She pointed toward a wall.
There were blade marks.
— But whoever attacked didn't want to kill.
The Guardian approached one of the marks.
His expression changed.
— That's impossible.
— What? — Celestine asked.
He touched the wall.
— This signature belongs to the hunters themselves.
Leonhardt became serious.
— They attacked each other?
— It seems so.
Celestine walked toward the center of the room.
On a destroyed table lay a piece of paper.
She picked it up.
There was only one sentence written on it:
"The Bearer must not be killed."
Celestine stood still.
— They changed their objective.
The Guardian shook his head.
— Not all of them.
From outside, an arrow flew through the window.
Leonhardt pulled Celestine down.
The arrow struck the wall and exploded into a small cloud of smoke.
— We're surrounded! — Leonhardt shouted.
Celestine stood up.
The Void spread throughout the observatory.
She sensed ten presences.
Then fifteen.
Twenty.
— They're not the same.
The Guardian looked through the window.
— They're executioners.
Celestine took a deep breath.
— Then someone ignored the order.
The door exploded inward.
Three warriors entered simultaneously.
Leonhardt charged.
His sword met the first blade.
The metallic clash echoed through the hall.
Celestine remained still for a moment, watching.
She no longer needed to react immediately.
She needed to understand.
The first warrior attacked with strength.
The second used magic.
The third watched.
— The third one is the leader — Celestine said.
Leonhardt blocked another strike.
— Are you sure?!
— Yes.
The masked man finally advanced.
His speed was impressive.
He appeared before Celestine and tried to pierce her chest.
She dodged by only a few centimeters.
The sword passed through the fabric of her clothes.
Celestine answered with a strike from her own sword.
The man blocked it.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, both remained motionless.
Then he said:
— You really don't look like a villain.
Celestine narrowed her eyes.
— And you don't look like someone who came to kill me.
The man stepped back.
— Maybe I didn't come to.
— Then why are you here?
He slowly removed his mask.
It was a woman.
Young, perhaps a few years older than Celestine. Her black hair was tied behind her head, and there was a scar running across her left eye.
— My name is Seris Valtor.
Leonhardt kept his sword raised.
— Never heard of you.
— Because people like me don't appear in the records.
Celestine watched her carefully.
— You are part of the hunters.
— I was.
The Void reacted.
Seris noticed.
— So it's true.
— What's true?
— You can sense when someone lies.
Celestine didn't answer.
Seris sheathed her sword.
— I didn't come to kill you. I came to warn you.
Leonhardt didn't lower his weapon.
— About what?
Seris looked at Celestine.
— There is a secret order within the hunters themselves. They don't want to study you. They don't want to imprison you.
She took a deep breath.
— They want to use the Void.
The atmosphere seemed to grow colder.
Celestine felt her heart beat faster.
— Use it for what?
Seris answered:
— To open a door.
The Guardian turned pale.
— No…
Celestine turned toward him.
— You know what she's talking about.
The Guardian remained silent.
Seris continued:
— They believe the Void isn't a force. It's a key.
Celestine tightened her grip on the sword.
— And what exists on the other side?
Seris looked at the ruins around them.
— Something the gods spent centuries trying to keep imprisoned.
The Void inside Celestine finally spoke.
"Don't let them open it."
A shiver ran through her.
For the first time, that voice didn't seem to want power.
It seemed afraid.
Celestine stared at Seris.
— Where is this door?
Seris answered only:
— Beneath the imperial capital.
Silence filled the observatory.
Celestine looked toward the horizon.
Far beyond the mountains lay the heart of the Empire.
And now she knew that the war wasn't only about her.
Someone was trying to open something.
Something even the Void itself feared.
Celestine sheathed her sword.
— Then we have a new destination.
Leonhardt smiled.
— Imperial capital?
She nodded.
— Imperial capital.
And, for the first time since she had awakened in that world, Celestine decided to walk directly toward the center of her enemies.
Not to run.
Not to hide.
But to discover what had been buried beneath the throne.
And somewhere far below the capital, an ancient door had just sensed that she was coming.