The Mages' Tower. Morning.
The tower rose from the heart of the capital, ancient stone and gleaming glass, its peak lost in the morning mist. Mirena led Grog and Lira through its doors, past guards in royal colors, up winding stairs that seemed to go on forever.
Ken had stayed behind. He didn't like closed spaces. He didn't like towers. He didn't like being surrounded by people who studied things instead of fighting them.
Lira had argued. Ken had shaken his head.
"I'll watch the perimeter," he had said. "Someone needs to."
Lira had let him go.
---
The research floor was crowded.
Mages in blue and gray robes moved between tables covered in books, scrolls, strange instruments. The air smelled of ink and dust and something else—something sharp, something that made Grog's skin prickle.
Mirena led them to a large table at the center of the room. A map was spread across it, marked with dozens of red X's.
"These are the creature sightings," she said. "From the last month."
Grog studied the map. The X's were everywhere—clustered near the border, scattered through the forests, creeping toward the capital.
"They're spreading," he said.
Mirena nodded. "Faster than we predicted."
Lira leaned over the map. "How many?"
"We've lost count." Mirena's voice was quiet. "Dozens. Maybe hundreds. They're breeding. Adapting. Learning."
Grog's jaw tightened. "The ones we killed?"
"Are being studied." Mirena gestured to a side room. "The mages are examining their bodies, their organs, their mana cores. They're learning how the creatures produce mana, how their bodies work, how to kill them more efficiently."
Lira frowned. "And the portal?"
Mirena was quiet for a moment. "The portal research is... slower."
---
She led them to a smaller room at the back of the tower.
The walls were lined with books, the shelves crowded with journals. A large crystal sat on a pedestal in the center, pulsing faintly—the same pale light as the void, the same wrongness Grog had felt in the canyon.
Aldus, the head mage, looked up as they entered. His face was lined, his eyes tired, his hands steady.
"The portal," he said. "We've been studying the residue. The way it opened and closed. The way it moved."
Grog stepped closer to the crystal. "And?"
Aldus shook his head. "We've made progress. But not enough."
Grog's jaw tightened. "What kind of progress?"
Aldus gestured to the crystal. "The portal left traces. We've been able to map them, to study them, to understand how the connection between worlds was formed."
Mirena stepped forward. "But we haven't been able to recreate it. The connection is severed. The link is broken."
Grog stared at the crystal. "You're telling me you can't open a portal."
Aldus met his eyes. "I'm telling you we don't know how. Not yet."
---
Grog was silent for a long moment.
The berserker stirred. The red crept at the edges of his vision.
He pushed it down.
"The mana stones," he said. "The ones we brought. The corpses. Will they help?"
Mirena nodded. "They'll help. The creatures are connected to the void. Their bodies, their mana cores—they're part of the portal's residue. Studying them could give us answers."
Grog reached into his belt. Pulled out one of the rings.
"The stones are in here. The corpses are in another."
Mirena's eyes widened. "You kept them separate?"
Grog nodded. "The stones are for the mages. The corpses are for the guild. For resources." He met her eyes. "The stones are for you. To help me find Aldric."
Mirena took the ring. Held it in her palm.
"This could take years," she said.
"I don't care."
"Years, Grog."
Grog met her eyes. "I said I don't care."
---
Lira watched from the doorway.
She had been quiet since they entered the tower, watching, listening. She saw the desperation in Grog's eyes, the hope he was trying to hide, the fear he would never admit.
She saw the exhaustion in Mirena's face, the weight of the research, the pressure of the King's expectations.
She saw the crystal pulsing on the pedestal, the pale light that reminded her of the void, of the portal, of Aldric disappearing into the darkness.
She stepped forward.
"What do you need from us?"
Mirena looked at her. "Time. Resources. Patience."
Lira nodded slowly. "We can give you time. We can help with resources." She paused. "Patience is harder."
Mirena almost smiled. Almost. "I know."
---
A knock at the door.
One of the younger mages entered, her face pale, her hands shaking.
"Another attack," she said. "A village east of the capital. The creatures are getting bolder."
Mirena's face tightened. "How many?"
"Dozens. Maybe more. The survivors are fleeing to the capital."
Grog's hand went to his sword. "The guild?"
Mirena shook her head. "The guild isn't ready. The building is still under construction. The recruits are still training."
Grog met her eyes. "Then we'll go."
Lira stepped forward. "We can't fight an army of creatures alone."
Grog shook his head. "We're not alone."
---
He walked to the door. Paused.
"Mirena."
She looked at him.
"The stones are yours. The corpses are yours. Use them. Study them. Find me a way to get to Aldric."
Mirena nodded. "I will."
Grog walked out.
Lira followed.
The young mage stood in the doorway, her face pale, her hands still shaking.
"What do we do?" she asked.
Mirena looked at the crystal on the pedestal. At the ring in her hand. At the map on the wall, covered in red X's.
"We prepare," she said. "For whatever comes next."