The staircase seemed endless.
Downward.
Always downward.
The deeper we descended beneath the Moon Palace, the colder the air became, until even my breathing felt heavier. Moonlight no longer reached us naturally. Instead, pale silver crystals embedded in the walls pulsed faintly, like dying stars trapped inside stone.
Every step echoed.
Every shadow felt like it was listening.
I walked between Yue Xiang and Jian, which sounded safer in theory than it felt in practice.
On one side: a sovereign goddess with trust issues sharp enough to count as a weapon.
On the other: her former captain, who had recently tried to help destroy the realm.
Healthy team dynamics.
Very stable.
I glanced at Jian.
"So. Another awkward question."
He didn't even look at me.
"That usually means the answer is unpleasant."
"Good instinct. How many things down here want to kill us?"
He thought for a moment.
"Most."
I nodded.
"Honestly, that's more reassuring than 'many'."
Yue Xiang, walking ahead, said without turning,
"Silence would also improve survival."
I was beginning to suspect she enjoyed saying that.
The staircase finally ended.
And the moment we stepped into the lower sanctum, I forgot every joke I was about to make.
The Hall Beneath the Moon was enormous.
A cavern so vast it felt like entering the inside of the night sky itself.
A black underground sea stretched across the chamber, perfectly still and reflecting silver stars that did not exist above us.
At the centre of the sea floated a circular platform of white stone.
And above that platform—
The Lunar Heart.
It hovered in silence.
A massive crystal sphere made of flowing moonlight and frozen water, suspended by ancient chains of silver energy that stretched into the darkness above.
Beautiful.
Divine.
And cracked.
Black corruption spread across its surface like veins through glass.
Each pulse sent ripples through the underground sea.
Each ripple felt wrong.
Ancient.
Hungry.
ARINA's voice echoed sharply.
"Primary seal located."
A blue panel unfolded.
Location Confirmed: Lunar Heart Core Chamber Seal Integrity: 31% Gate Fragment Resonance: Directly beneath Lunar Heart.
Thirty-one per cent.
That was aggressively bad.
I looked around the platform.
And immediately wished I hadn't.
Bodies.
Moon Palace guards.
Shrine warriors.
Even Covenant assassins.
All dead.
None recently.
No visible wounds.
Just empty eyes staring upward.
Jian's voice dropped.
"The abyss whispers here."
I looked at him.
"Please explain in a way that makes me less concerned."
"It won't."
Excellent.
Yue Xiang stepped toward the underground sea.
Her expression had gone completely still.
"This is where the first Moon Sovereign sealed the abyss beast."
She looked at the cracked lunar heart.
"And where every sovereign after her inherited the burden."
I watched her carefully.
Not just a ruler.
Warden.
She hadn't simply governed this realm.
She had been chained to it.
No wonder her heart knot was isolation.
Everyone wanted her authority.
No one wanted her burden.
Before I could say anything, the underground sea moved.
Just once.
A ripple.
Then a voice echoed across the cavern.
Smooth.
Polite.
And instantly unwelcome.
"I was wondering how long it would take."
Ashborn.
Of course.
Because apparently, this man considered dramatic entrances a personal hobby.
He stood on the central white platform beneath the Lunar Heart, black robes untouched by dust or blood, and an obsidian mask reflecting the corrupted moonlight above.
Beside him stood two Covenant assassins.
And behind him—
a pedestal of black stone.
Embedded within it was another crystal fragment.
Silver-blue.
Moon-shaped.
The second gate fragment.
My fist tightened.
Ashborn looked at me first.
Always me.
"Still alive."
I smiled without humour.
"Your disappointment is inspiring."
His gaze shifted to Yue Xiang.
"The Moon Sovereign herself."
A shallow bow.
"Your palace remains beautiful. Your security, less so."
Yue Xiang's crescent blade appeared in her hand.
"Leave the fragment."
He tilted his head slightly.
"No."
Reasonable villain behaviour.
I respected the honesty.
Jian stepped forward beside her.
Ashborn noticed.
Interesting.
"The loyal captain returns."
His tone carried amusement.
"Guilt is such an efficient leash."
Jian's hand tightened around his sword.
"I made my mistake."
His voice was calm.
"I do not intend to repeat it."
Ashborn's eyes narrowed slightly.
Good.
Maybe we were finally annoying him.
The black sea beneath the platform rippled again.
The corruption in the Lunar Heart deepened.
ARINA's panel flashed urgently.
Warning: Abyss Core awakening Seal Failure: 00:48:11
Less than an hour.
No more talking.
I looked at the moon fragment.
Then at Ashborn.
Then, at the giant corrupted divine prison above us.
Same conclusion as always.
Violence.
I stepped forward.
"You know, for someone obsessed with order, you create a surprising amount of chaos."
Ashborn folded his hands behind his back.
"Order requires sacrifice."
There it was again.
His religion.
His excuse.
I shook my head.
"No."
I looked at Yue Xiang.
At Jian.
Lian's crimson sigil is still warm in my pocket.
"Order without choice is just another prison."
For the first time, silence answered me.
Even Ashborn did not speak immediately.
Then—
very softly—
He said,
"That is exactly what the Phoenix once believed."
Again.
That title.
Not a mark.
A legacy.
Before I could ask, he raised one hand.
The Black Sea exploded.
Massive chains of corrupted moon water burst upward from beneath the platform, forming a prison around the Lunar Heart.
The underground cavern shook violently.
The abyss beast above the palace roared in answer.
The final seal was being forced open.
Yue Xiang moved first.
Silver moonlight exploded across the chamber as she rushed forward.
Jian followed.
I ran after them.
Ashborn did not retreat.
He simply watched.
Like a teacher waiting for students to fail.
Which was deeply offensive.
The first corrupted chain came for me.
I triggered Flame Step and slipped beneath it, crimson fire clashing against black moonwater.
Another chain struck.
Then another.
This wasn't just an attack.
It was a ritual.
Ashborn was using the Lunar Heart itself.
Wonderful.
I landed on the central platform, face to face with him.
The moon fragment glowed behind him.
The Lunar Heart cracked above us.
And somewhere beneath all of it—
I could feel the gate calling.
This was bigger than the fragment.
Bigger than the realm.
This was a war for every world connected by the gates.
Ashborn looked at me calmly.
Then said the one sentence I hated most.
"You still do not understand what your master found."
I clenched my fists.
"Then explain it."
His eyes met mine.
Ancient.
Certain.
And terrifyingly sincere.
"When the final gate opens…"
A pause.
"…your goddesses will be the first to die."
The Lunar Heart cracked again.
And everything changed.