The stolen blueprints lay on the table, the flickering light of the candle casting long shadows across the pages. Sigils, ancient arcane circuits, and arcane glyphs over-covered the parchment, detailing the architecture of the Nexus Gate in a way that even Asher's experienced eyes could not but fight against.
Revik drew a gloved finger across one of the primary diagrams. "This thing's not a portal," he breathed. "It's an anchor point."
Asher's eyebrow shot up. "What does that mean?"
Ardyn, against the opposite wall, smiled. "What that means is that if the Architects can actually key this thing on, they won't be opening up a doorway—they'll be merging their world into ours.".
Seraphine, folding her arms, frowned. "You mean we wouldn't be battling an invasion. We'd be on their world."
A thick quiet settled over the room.
Asher pushed at his hair, breathing deeply. "Then we have no choice. We blow up the Gate before it gets powered up."
Revik nodded. "Yeah. But there's a catch." He pointed to the blueprint. "Look here."
Along the bottom of the chart, a glowing, sinister sigil had been inscribed over the Pillar of the Gate. It was different from all the others of the runes and had no known magical glyph.
Ardyn's gold eye glinted as he studied it. "That is not a typical charm."
Asher furrowed his brow. "What is?"
Ardyn grinned widely, delighted. "A failsafe. A kill switch."
Seraphine arched an eyebrow. "Mean?
Ardyn pushed off the wall and approached the table, pointing at the sigil. "This mark—it's a power seal. The Architects built this into the Nexus Gate's core. If something goes wrong, if the portal destabilizes, this sigil triggers a collapse reaction."
Asher leaned in. "So you're saying the Gate can destroy itself?"
"Exactly." Ardyn's smirk widened. "But here's the catch. Someone has to activate it manually."
A cold weight settled in Asher's chest.
"So in other words," Revik said grimly, "whoever triggers the collapse doesn't make it out alive."
The Plan
The weight of that revelation hung in the air.
Asher clenched his fists. He had known this battle would come at a cost. But this…
"We're not sending anyone in to die," Seraphine snapped.
No, Asher assured. "We're not." Already his mind racing, he was formulating a plan. "We don't just walk in and flip the switch. We attack the Guild instead."
Revik's eyes narrowed. "You're thinking a diversion."
Asher nodded. "We cause enough disruption in the Cathedral District to thin out the Guild soldiers. When they're too busy fighting fires, we slip in and get to the Gate.".
Seraphine folded her arms. "And if we're surrounded?"
Ardyn smiled. "Then we improvise."
Revik let out a sigh. "As reckless as ever." But a tiny smirk pulled the corner of his mouth.
Asher studied the map once more. "We have two teams. One lures the Guild soldiers out onto the streets. The other goes in and triggers the failsafe."
Ardyn laughed. "And who gets to go in?"
Asher didn't flinch. "I do."
Seraphine shook her head forcibly. "Absolutely not."
Revik scowled. "Asher—"
"I know what I'm doing," Asher interrupted them. "I have the greatest immunity to arcane disruption. If the Gate raging burns, I've got the best chance of making it long enough to finish it."
Seraphine scowled, although she agreed.
Revik let out his breath. "Then we extract you."
Asher nodded. "We leave at dawn."
The first explosions rocked the city in the early morning.
Seraphine's firestorm swept through the streets, burning barricades and driving Guild enforcers into chaos.
Revik commanded a strike force, slicing through their lines with surgical, precision attacks.
Asher and Ardyn moved through the chaos, unseen and silent towards the Cathedral.
The city was besieged.
Fire seeped through the air. Spells met steel. Streets were a battleground.
Asher's heart pounded wildly as he sprinted through the hazy side alleys. They had only one shot at this.
And they would not miss.