Onneas shook head, silver hair fluttering against blood-stained armor.
“I’ll be fine. A little rest… Nothing more.” “Rest will have to wait,” Artemis cut in, worry snapping at every syllable. “Soul Devourer controls Celestia City now. He’ll send killers the moment regains his strength, and this valley will be the first place they search.”
The warning shivered through the crowd; hope, so newly kindled, guttered again. Onneas straightened, pain flaring behind eyes.
“Then hear my proposal,” said, voice low yet certain. “I can open a gate to level eight-territory ruled by the Celestial King Palace. Even Soul Devourer would think twice about chasing us there.”
A spark, small, but unmistakable, lit inside every heart present.
Level eight was more than a refuge, it was a rung on the infinite ladder all cultivators longed to climb. And with the Celestial King Palace standing watch, even a tyrant like Soul Devourer would tread lightly.
“But, Ms. Dusko, your injuries…” Aurelius began, guilt threading through his protest.
Onneas waved off, though the gesture wavered. “I’m hurt, yes, but I still command enough spatial energy to tear a passage.”
A shadow crossed face. “Yet the rift would be narrow, only wide enough for a handful at a time. Hundreds wait behind us. Moving everyone will take days, maybe longer.”
The fragile flame of optimism dimmed once more, as though a cold wind had slipped between them.
There were indeed hundreds, exhausted, bleeding, terrified. A dozen trips, twenty perhaps, would be required. in that span, Soul Devourer’s hunters could arrive, and the slaughter would resume.
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Yuliana cried, the echo of plea ricocheting off stone walls.
She hugged cloak tight, violet eyes wide with fear. “We can’t just sit here waiting for Soul Devourer to finish what started.”
Silence took the gorge again, thick and suffocating, an invisible fog of despair that threatened to smother even the strongest resolve.
A spark erupted behind Jared’s eyes-swift, bright, undeniable, like flint striking steel in the darkest night. An answer had presented itself.
“I have a way!” The words burst from Jared before could bridle his excitement, his voice cutting clean through the thrum of anxious breathing that hung over the group.
Every face swung toward at once. Puzzlement chased across their expressions, a single silent question shimmering in a dozen pairs of weary eyes.
Jared responded with a quiet smile, then tapped his storage ring. A miniature tower-jet-black, intricate, no larger than his palm, materialized in a slow swirl of silver light.
Onneas drew a sharp breath. “T-That’s the legendary Pentacarna Tower, isn’t it?”
Wonder widened dark eyes, reflecting the tower’s polished facets.
“Exactly!” Jared said, turning the tiny spire between his fingers so its runes glimmered. “It subdues demonic creatures, but it carries a second gift few ever learn about.”
From every corner of the clearing, voices rose, overlapping in urgent curiosity, “What gift?”
“Time,” Jared replied. “A single day outside equals one hundred within. Step inside, train, and wounds that would linger for months will close in hours. Strength will return just as quickly!”
Stunned hush rippled outward, then eyes kindled with hope. The promise of healing-and power regained, felt almost too grand to accept, yet none could deny the tremor of possibility that coursed through their veins.
Onneas’ voice wavered. “I-Is it truly so?”
Jared nodded once, steady and sure. “It is…”
“That’s incredible!” Artemis nearly laughed, fists clenched in giddy relief. “Give us a handful of days and even the Soul Devourer himself won’t frighten us!”
At last the company’s tight mouths stretched into genuine smiles, frail sparks of joy left smoldering too long.
“Inside, all of you,” Jared urged, lifting the tower. “I’ll stand guard out here while you recover.”
Under Onneas’ guidance, they filed toward the tower, shrinking one by one as the artifact swallowed them in a shimmer of dark light.
When the last figure vanished, Jared exhaled a breath hadn’t realized was holding. His task now was singular, keep watch, keep them safe, and wait.
Days slid by. Three days passed in the outer world.
