“Mr. Draycott, you can’t crack this stone door’s arcane array either?” Aziel asked, looking at him.
“Don’t rush it. This arcane array’s unusual. It’ll take some time,” Dexton replied.
Aziel didn’t press him further. All he could do was wait in silence.
Jared couldn’t help but find Dexton’s pace amusing. For all the time he was taking, he was still beating around the bush. If Jared had stepped up, he could’ve broken it already. But this wasn’t the moment for that, so he stayed put.
Dexton studied the glow on the stone door for a long while. Then, a red light began to radiate from his palm as he slowly pressed it against the surface. The runes on the door lit up in red, and before long, those runes began to merge. The door quivered slightly, then gradually opened.
Seeing the door parting, Aziel laughed. “Mr. Draycott, you’re as incredible as ever. No arcane array stands a chance against you.”
Just as the door opened, the air around them trembled, and a woman materialized from the void. She wore a white robe, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, and behind her were three black-robed elders.
Aziel frowned at the sight. Dexton’s expression darkened as well, and he let out a cold scoff. “So the Bloodbane Palace decided to pull a sneaky move after all.”
“We just happened to show up as you opened the door. Pure luck,” the woman in white, Nymeria Ashdorne, said with a faint smile as she led her group toward the entrance.
“You can’t go in.” Aziel stepped forward and blocked their path.
“What? This ancient ruin belongs to Heavenfall Pavilion now?” Nymeria asked.
“We’re the ones who opened the stone door!” Aziel snapped.
“So what if you did? If I want to go in, I will. This isn’t your house. Quit acting like it is,” she retorted coldly. “You meddling androgynous brat.”
Aziel’s face turned red with anger. She was ruthless, but he didn’t dare lay a hand on her.
Seeing the tension rise, Dexton stepped forward and pulled Aziel aside, clearing the way.
Nymeria led her people inside. Aziel stood there seething, his expression thunderous. After a long breath to calm himself, he turned to Jemina. “Let’s head in too, Jemina…” he said.
Jemina gave a small nod and followed Aziel and Dexton into the passage. Jared, seeing them go in, followed behind. Verdin hesitated but couldn’t resist the temptation and eventually stepped through as well.
But the moment they entered, everyone froze. Beyond the door was nothing but a chaotic, empty city. The stone door behind them slowly vanished without a trace.
As it disappeared, the entire space fell into chaos. A dense mist enveloped everything. It felt as if they were floating in a void. There was no sense of up or down.
“W-Where are we?” Verdin asked, his voice shaky, his face pale.
“What’s there to be scared of?” Aziel said with a snort. “This is an ancient ruin. It’s bound to have strange things going on.”
He turned to Dexton. “Can you make anything of it, Mr. Draycott?”
Dexton narrowed his eyes, a faint red light glowing from his palm as he sensed the surrounding energies. After a moment, he said in a serious tone, “This isn’t an illusionary realm. It’s a real spatial rift. We’ve been transported into the heart of the ruins.”
“A spatial rift?” Nymeria murmured, furrowing her brow. “So we’re trapped for now?”
“Why the rush to leave?” Aziel scoffed. “This ancient ruin came from an ancient sect. There’s treasure here, no doubt. Whoever finds it first, it’s theirs.”
With that, he ignored everyone else and led Dexton and Jemina deeper into the chaos.
