The road twisted and buckled as they moved east, toward the forgotten city of Veyndrell.
Gideon had heard the stories: a thriving city that had fallen overnight when the bells of its great cathedral rang by themselves — summoning the dead. No one dared go near it now.
But if the answers to Lilith's curse lay anywhere, it would be there.
The sky darkened unnaturally as they approached, the sun smothered by thick, swirling clouds. Even the birds had gone silent.
Lilith clung to Gideon's hand, her small fingers trembling.
"Papa," she whispered, "it hurts."
Gideon knelt, checking the mark above her heart. It had darkened again — faint black veins spiderwebbing out from it.
Selene stood watch, tense, while Darius muttered under his breath, gripping his amulet tighter.
"We shouldn't be here," Darius said. "This place... it's wrong."
Gideon straightened up. "We don't have a choice."
Veyndrell was a city of bones.
The buildings stood half-shattered, blackened with age. Skeletons littered the streets, some still clutching swords or shields. Faint whispers drifted through the mist, though no one spoke.
Lilith looked around, wide-eyed. She didn't seem afraid.
That scared Gideon more than anything.
They made their way to the center of the city, where the massive cathedral loomed. Its doors were twisted open, as if something had broken out rather than in.
Inside, broken pews were scattered like toys. The altar at the far end was cracked, and behind it, a spiral staircase led down into darkness.
Gideon turned to the others.
"This is it," he said. "Whatever's down there, it's tied to Lilith's curse."
Darius shook his head. "Or it is her curse."
Lilith looked up at Gideon, smiling faintly.
"I'm not scared if you're with me," she said.
Gideon swallowed hard, then nodded. "Stay close."
The descent was slow and tense. The deeper they went, the colder it became.
At the bottom of the stairs, they found a vast underground chamber — a forgotten sanctuary.
Statues lined the walls — angels, twisted and broken, their faces worn away. In the center of the room stood a pedestal, and on it, a black crystal pulsing with faint light.
Lilith's eyes locked onto it.
She took a step forward — then another.
"Wait," Gideon said sharply. "Don't touch it."
But it was too late.
Lilith placed her hand on the crystal.
A wave of force knocked them all back.
The crystal shattered into mist, and Lilith screamed — a raw, animal sound that shook the ground. Shadows poured from her, swirling around the room.
Gideon staggered to his feet.
Lilith floated above the pedestal, eyes wide and empty. Her hair whipped around her like a living thing.
And then she spoke — but it wasn't her voice.
"You dare chain me to this form? You dare bind me to mortal flesh?"
Gideon's blood turned to ice.
Selene drew her sword, but hesitated.
Lilith's body convulsed — and for a moment, Gideon saw her true form: not a little girl, but something vast and ancient, a creature made of starlight and darkness, crowned in burning thorns.
The vision faded as quickly as it came.
Lilith collapsed, coughing weakly.
Gideon rushed forward, gathering her in his arms.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to."
He held her close, heart breaking.
Behind him, Darius spoke grimly.
"She's not human," he said. "Not anymore."
Gideon looked down at Lilith's tear-streaked face.
Maybe she never had been.
As they made camp that night in the ruined city, Gideon sat watch, Lilith asleep against him.
Selene approached, her sword strapped to her back.
"You saw it too," she said quietly. "What she really is."
Gideon nodded.
"She's a fragment," Selene continued. "A shard of something much older. Maybe even the thing that created Mordain. The true Void."
Gideon didn't answer.
Selene crouched beside him, voice low.
"We need to decide, Gideon. Before she becomes something we can't stop."
He looked at Lilith's sleeping form. Her small hand twitched, clutching his cloak tighter.
Could he kill her if it came to that?
Would he?
Selene's hand rested lightly on his shoulder.
"Just think about it," she said, and left him alone with his thoughts.
Later, in the deep hours of the night, Gideon heard footsteps.
He stood silently, sword ready.
A figure emerged from the mist — a man in a tattered cloak, face hidden by a hood.
"You're too late," the man said. His voice was like rust scraping metal. "The seed has taken root. The child will be your end."
Gideon raised his sword. "Who are you?"
The man chuckled.
"I was the first. The first fool to believe he could save her."
He pulled back his hood.
Gideon stared.
The man's face was half-rotted, marked with the same dark crown Lilith bore.
And in his dead eyes, Gideon saw a future drenched in blood.
The man pointed at Lilith.
"Mercy will destroy you. Just as it destroyed me."
Then he turned and vanished into the mist.
Gideon sat beside Lilith until dawn, watching her breathe.
He didn't know what choice he would make.
Only that the day was coming when he would have to.
And when it did...
He prayed he would be strong enough.