The stench of death was still fresh in the cold air when Kael began pulling the heavy silver armor off the massive guard's corpse. The metal was cold and clammy, dark blood staining the chest plate. Every time he tried to fasten the metal pieces onto his own body, a nausea churned in his stomach; he was wearing the skin of a hired killer.
"Hurry," Lyra hissed as she tightened the belt of her black cloak, taken from the other guard. The silver helmet was slightly too large for her head, but the cloak with the Black Sun crest completely hid her features. "The armor you're wearing is pierced under the armpit. Keep your right arm glued to your side and never raise it, otherwise they will notice the hole and the blood."
Kael nodded silently and pulled down the visor of his silver helmet. He breathed with difficulty inside that metal prison. He turned to his master, Faren, who was barely able to keep his eyes open.
"And what about the master? There is no extra armor, and we can't hide him under a cloak."
Lyra approached the old man. With a cruel motion, she pulled his hands behind his back and bound them with a rough rope she grabbed from the guards' tent, then smeared his face with more ash and dirt.
Kael growled and took a step toward her, his eyes blazing with anger beneath the helmet. "What are you doing?!"
"Shut up and use your head, blacksmith!" she replied with icy coldness. "How do we cross the bridge with a half-dead old man? He will be our prisoner. The Eclipse Cult hunts rogue mages and slaves daily. It will look natural. As for you, grab the end of the rope and drag him harshly if we get close to the checkpoint. Any hesitation from you will cost us our heads."
Kael swallowed his anger, realizing she was right. He grabbed the end of the rope, feeling a tight squeeze in his chest at seeing his master in this humiliating position, but Faren gave him a faint look and nodded slowly, as if telling him to do what must be done.
The three stepped out from behind the rocks and began walking toward the suspended stone bridge.
As soon as their feet touched the bridge, the cold fog swallowed them. The bridge was colossal, suspended by iron chains, each thicker than the trunk of an ancient tree. The wind here didn't just blow; it shrieked like tortured souls moaning at the bottom of the abyss. Beneath them was an endless gray void, and ahead of them, the features of Cloud Peak Academy began to emerge like a sleeping white stone monster amidst the clouds.
They walked with steady, measured steps, mimicking the gait of soldiers. Kael in the lead dragging Faren, and Lyra walking behind them with cautious steps. They passed by two groups of patrolling guards. Each time, Kael held his breath, expecting someone to shout and blow their cover, but the guards merely gave a quick military salute—a fist striking the chest—and Lyra returned the salute flawlessly before they could notice Kael's awkwardness.
Everything was going passably well, until they reached the middle of the bridge.
There, the fog suddenly dissipated to reveal an iron barricade completely blocking the path. Behind the barricade stood a wide black tent adorned with red glowing magical runes. In front of the tent stood a remarkably tall and gaunt man, wearing not armor but black priestly robes. His face was pale as death, his eyes sunken and surrounded by deep dark circles. In his hand, he held a black crystal the size of a fist, emitting tendrils of dark smoke.
A second-tier priest, Kael recalled Lyra's warning.
"Halt," the priest said in a voice like the hissing of snakes, raising his hand adorned with silver rings. He stepped toward them, his eyes scanning Kael and Lyra with suspicion. "You two are not from the usual patrol squad. Why did you leave your post at the edge, and who is this rat you are dragging?"
Lyra took a step forward and bowed her head slightly in feigned respect, altering her voice to sound much gruffer.
"Revered Priest, we found this infiltrator trying to cross through the secret side path. It seems he possesses a trace of ancient mana in his veins. We thought the 'Exalted' master would want to interrogate him personally before we feed him to the ash wolves."
The priest looked at Faren, who was collapsed on his knees, and smiled coldly, revealing unnaturally pointed teeth. "Ancient mana? Good. The Cult is always in need of live test subjects."
Kael sighed in relief inwardly, thinking they had succeeded. He started to move forward, but the priest's voice stopped him like a wall of ice.
"I didn't say you could pass."
The priest approached Kael until he was merely a foot away. The priest's stench was nauseating, a mix of rotting incense and dried blood. The priest raised the black crystal right in front of Kael's chest.
"Many 'White Guild' spies have infiltrated wearing our uniforms recently," the priest whispered, his eyes narrowing with intense focus. "The Lunar Crystal never lies. Place your hand on it, guard. If you harbor devotion to the 'Black Sun', the crystal will glow with darkness. If you are a liar... it will erase you from existence."
Kael's blood froze in his veins. Beneath the silver armor, the core in his chest—the Azura Core—began to throb with sudden heat. The pure dragon mana sensed the corrupt darkness within the crystal and instinctively prepared to purge it. If he placed his hand on that crystal, his overwhelming azure energy would shatter it into a thousand pieces, and their cover would be blown in a second.
Kael glanced at Lyra out of the corner of his eye. She stood motionless, but her hand was very slowly resting on the hilt of her hidden dagger. They were trapped. Behind them was an abyss, and before them was a priest who would know the truth with a single touch.
"I am waiting," the priest said impatiently, the crystal inching closer to Kael's trembling hand.
Kael prayed to any god that might listen, and slowly, terrifyingly, reached his hand toward the crystal. His metal-clad fingertips were about to touch the cold surface...
Swoosh!
A terrifying tearing sound ripped through the silence of the bridge, followed by a piercing shriek from above!
The priest snapped his head up in panic and took a step back. From amidst the dense clouds above, a massive shadow plummeted with lightning speed. It wasn't a bird, but a deformed winged beast—an "Ash Gargoyle"—with steel talons and torn leathery wings. The beast swooped directly onto a group of guards at the end of the barricade, sinking its talons into one of their chests and taking flight toward the abyss while the soldier screamed in terror.
"Attack from the abyss! Prepare for combat!" the priest shouted, completely forgetting about Kael and the crystal. He spun around and began waving his hands, unleashing bolts of black mana like arrows into the sky, targeting the beast.
Lyra seized the utter chaos. She grabbed Kael's arm tightly and whispered in a sharp voice that cut through the blaring horns: "Pull the old man and run! Now!"
Kael didn't hesitate for a second. He yanked the rope hard, nearly lifting Faren off the ground, and sprinted as fast as he could through the open barricade, blasting past the checkpoint toward the Academy gates while utter pandemonium erupted on the bridge behind them.
They had miraculously survived, but as Kael ran, panting inside his helmet, he couldn't shake off a dark, lingering feeling. The beast hadn't attacked randomly. When Kael had glanced up for a fraction of a second, he swore he saw impossibly thin threads, gleaming like silver in the air, attached to the wings of that monster... as if someone were controlling it like a puppet. Someone had intentionally saved them.
As they passed through the colossal iron gates of Cloud Peak Academy and collapsed into a dark, secluded alleyway, Kael realized one absolute truth: The Academy was not a safe haven... it was a hornet's nest far bigger than the forest they had just escaped.