Chapter 613: The Tower
Liza gained the advantage in the first few seconds.
Her vampiric speed did not depend on preparation, calculation, or conscious alignment. Her body simply responded. She crossed the road as though distance mattered less to her race, maintaining her balance even through bad turns and stretches covered in loose stones.
Kael followed close behind.
Not because he was incapable of catching her.
Because he was learning.
Every time he used Celestial Step, he watched how Liza positioned her body before changing direction, how she distributed her weight while descending, and how she reduced speed without completely losing momentum. She did not make large movements. She did not need to. A minimal adjustment of the foot, hip, or shoulder was already enough.
Kael tried to copy her.
On the first movement, he overcorrected and emerged several meters to the side of the road.
On the second, he stepped on a loose stone and had to turn his body to avoid falling.
On the third, he finally found the correct point.
He appeared beside Liza.
The queen looked at him for only an instant.
"Took you long enough."
"I was watching."
"A common excuse from whoever is behind."
Kael smiled.
"You are talking too much for someone who is going to pay for the courtyard."
Liza accelerated.
Kael did the same.
The two wagons followed the mountain road, separated by almost two hundred meters. The first was moving faster, pulled by four lines of shadow connected to its wheels. The second carried the last visible escort, a tall man in a dark cloak who frequently looked behind him.
He already knew he was being followed.
The man raised one hand.
The shadows around the road began to rise.
Kael first saw the stones darkening, then human shapes emerging between them. They were not real people. They were incomplete copies created from memory and shadow, all carrying simple weapons.
Liza did not slow down.
"I will take the front."
"I did not agree."
"I did not ask."
She disappeared toward the first wagon.
Kael looked at the dozens of figures forming across the path.
"Of course."
The shadows attacked.
The first threw a spear. Kael avoided it with a short step, without using the full technique. The second came from below, trying to cut his knee. He jumped, turned, and drove his heel into its head. The dark shape dissolved, but five more were already advancing.
Kael breathed.
He could not waste time fighting all of them.
He also could not simply cross through them in a straight line, because some carried seals capable of trapping his shadow and interrupting Celestial Step.
He decided to test something else.
Mana circulated.
One step.
Kael disappeared from in front of the first creature and emerged behind the third. Before stopping completely, he shifted his weight and performed another impulse diagonally.
The second movement was not as fast as the first.
But it was continuous.
He passed between two shadows, lowered his shoulder to avoid a blade, and used the third step before his feet were completely planted. His body protested. His ankle hurt. His mana became disorganized for a fraction of a second.
Even so, it worked.
Kael crossed the entire group.
The creatures turned too late.
He reappeared fifty meters ahead, still running.
"So that was it."
Liza had told him that he needed to learn how to fight while moving. Kael was not exactly fighting yet. But he had just changed direction three times without completely interrupting Celestial Step.
Behind him, the shadows began to chase.
Kael did not look back.
The nearest wagon was now less than one hundred meters away.
The escort on top of it opened his arms, and the red lines around the cargo began to glow. He was not trying to destroy the vessels. He was redirecting energy from them to increase the wagon’s speed.
Kael felt the consciousnesses weakening.
The mark on his arm burned.
"No."
He accelerated.
The escort launched two blades of shadow.
Kael avoided the first. The second grazed his shoulder, opening a superficial cut, but did not interrupt his movement. He used another Celestial Step and appeared on top of the wagon.
The man was already waiting.
A black chain emerged from his sleeve and wrapped around Kael’s marked arm. The reaction was immediate. The mark glowed, Sylphie’s green layer contracted, and Kael’s body lost part of its strength.
The enemy pulled.
Kael fell to his knees on the wood.
"You do not understand what you are stopping," the man said.
Kael grabbed the chain.
"You say that too often."
"Those souls no longer belong to their bodies."
"They still belong to themselves."
"There is no return."
"Then I will discover that after removing you from the way."
The man pulled again, trying to use the mark as an entry point. Kael felt foreign memories passing through the chain. Tunnels. Vessels. People being placed inside circles. A white figure watching from a distance.
He could have tried to block it.
Instead, he opened his own mana.
The enemy hesitated.
The mark recognized the network’s energy and allowed the chain to sink a little deeper. The man believed he was managing to control him.
Kael waited.
When he felt the connection complete, he closed his hand.
Scarlet mana entered through the chain in the opposite direction.
The man widened his eyes.
"You..."
Kael pulled.
The enemy was ripped from his position and came toward him. Kael punched him directly in the face. The mask broke, his nose collapsed, and his body was thrown backward, nearly falling from the wagon.
Kael held the chain before he could escape.
"Now the connection is mine."
He pulled again, throwing the man onto his back across the roof. Then he placed one foot against his chest and pressed down.
"How do I stop the draining?"
The man spat blood.
"You do not."
Kael increased the pressure.
"Wrong answer."
The escort laughed despite the difficulty.
"The Well is already awake."
The road trembled.
It was not caused by the wagon.
The vibration came from the mountains.
Kael turned his head.
In the distance, between two peaks, a dark column rose behind the stone. It was not smoke. It looked like condensed mana mixed with too many memories to maintain a stable form.
The man beneath his foot smiled.
"You arrived too late."
Kael looked toward the mountain for two seconds.
Then he turned back to the enemy.
"No."
He seized the chain and wrapped it around the escort’s own neck.
"I arrived while you are still carrying food."
The man tried to activate the memory seal.
Kael placed his marked hand against his chest.
The structure reacted, but this time he already knew the path. He pushed mana into the seal, found the order connected to the wheels, and interrupted the main flow.
The wagon lost speed.
The red lines went dark.
The escort remained conscious, but was unable to move his body.
Kael took out the crystal.
"Amelia."
"I am listening."
"One wagon under control. The draining was interrupted. The Well is already active."
"How do you know?"
"I just saw a column of mana rising from the mountains."
There was movement and voices on the other side.
Irelia answered:
"That confirms the Tower of Aster. The column is coming from exactly that direction."
Kael looked along the road.
"Liza is at the first wagon."
"She is not answering the crystal," Amelia said.
"Because she is busy."
"Kael."
"She is fine."
An explosion of blood appeared farther ahead.
The first wagon was thrown sideways, passed through a barrier of stones, and overturned before reaching a cliff. Liza appeared on the ground immediately afterward, holding one of the controllers by the throat.
Kael looked at the crystal.
"See?"
"No, Kael. We are kilometers away."
"Then trust me."
Amelia exhaled.
"The agents are reaching the wagons in the valley. Umbra marked the cargo in the forest. Violet is heading toward the western road."
"Good. Send half the mountain agents to my position. This cargo is intact, and the core was interrupted."
"And you?"
Kael looked toward the dark column.
"I am going to the tower."
Liza appeared beside the wagon with the unconscious enemy in one hand.
"Let us go."
Kael put away the crystal.
"You took too long."
She threw the prisoner onto the ground.
"The wagon tried to jump off the cliff."
"Weak excuse."
Liza looked at the man trapped beneath Kael’s foot.
"This one is alive?"
"Yes."
"You are becoming soft."
"Amelia wants information."
"And you obeyed."
"I am maturing."
Liza released a small laugh.
Then she looked at his arm.
The red mark had passed his shoulder. Sylphie’s green containment remained active, but now extended into part of his neck.
"That is getting worse."
"I know."
"You should return."
"No."
"Kael."
"The Well is awakening. If I return now, they will use what they have already received and bury the rest of the structure."
Liza continued looking at him.
It was not a simple argument. She understood the urgency, but she could also see the condition of his body. Celestial Step demanded more from his muscles with every repetition. The mark was expanding. And Kael had already forced a direct connection three times.
"You are not going alone," she said.
"I was not planning to."
"Lie."
"Small one."
The wagon’s shadow moved.
Umbra appeared beside them, dragging a masked woman by the ankle. The enemy was unconscious, and her arms were restrained by dark chains.
"I marked the forest cargo."
Kael looked at her.
"You came back quickly."
"She tried to trap me inside a tree."
"Did she succeed?"
Umbra went silent.
Liza looked at her.
"She did."
"For a short time," Umbra replied.
Kael smiled.
"I am telling Sylphie."
Umbra narrowed her eyes.
"I will tell her you almost fell on a rock."
"That was before the operation."
"It still counts."
The mountain trembled again.
This time, the mana column increased, and a wave passed through the valley. The vessels inside the wagon responded. Several consciousnesses screamed at the same time through Kael’s mark.
He brought a hand to his head.
Sylphie felt it through the bond.
Green energy tightened violently, almost pulling his mana backward.
Her voice appeared inside his mind.
"Kael, come back."
"Not now."
"It is crossing the containment."
"I know."
"No, you do not. It is getting close to your heart."
Kael looked at his chest.
Very thin lines were beginning to appear below his collarbone.
Liza noticed.
"That is enough."
Kael turned toward her.
"No."
"You will not be able to fight if that reaches the center of your mana."
Umbra approached.
"I can remove part of it."
"How?"
"By entering the mark."
Kael immediately shook his head.
"No."
"I can do it."
"And if it pulls you into the network?"
"I cut myself free."
"No."
Umbra became angry.
"You are going to continue until you collapse?"
"I am going to continue until I find the source."
Liza seized his shirt.
"Listen. Being the protagonist of the operation does not mean acting as though everyone else is useless."
Kael became quiet.
The sentence struck because it was true.
Liza continued:
"You found the wagons. Captured the escorts. Discovered the Well. Prevented the destruction of the cargo. Now choose the next step without pretending that only you can perform it."
Kael looked toward the mountain.
Instinct told him to advance.
But Amelia had created the plan specifically to prevent the organization from controlling the rhythm. If he entered wounded and marked, he might give the Well exactly the kind of connection that thing wanted.
He took out the crystal.
"Amelia."
"I am listening. Sylphie already told me about the mark."
"I need Eleonor and Elion here."
"They are preparing the passage."
"How long?"
"Five minutes."
"That is too much."
"It is what we have."
Kael analyzed the road, the distant tower, and the stopped wagons.
Then he made the decision.
"Have the agents isolate every route leading to the mountain. No entry and no exit. The vessels remain where they are until the specialists arrive. I want every prisoner separated, with no shared shadow."
Amelia answered immediately:
"Understood."
"Liza stays with the cargo."
The queen raised one eyebrow.
"I did not agree."
"Now I am the one assigning work."
She almost smiled.
"And you?"
Kael looked at Umbra.
"We will go to the tower entrance. Reconnaissance only. We do not enter until Eleonor and Elion arrive."
Umbra nodded.
Liza released his shirt.
"Better."
Kael looked at her.
"You do not sound satisfied."
"Because I know you will try to find a way to turn reconnaissance into an invasion."
"Lack of trust."
"Experience."
Kael breathed deeply.
The mountain trembled for the third time.
This time, something answered from within it.
A low, distant roar, deep enough to make the vessels vibrate and the shadows hide beneath the stones.
Kael felt the entire mark react.
Not as pain.
As recognition.
A voice entered his mind.
"Door."
Kael became still.
Umbra noticed.
"What happened?"
He looked toward the distant tower.
The thing inside the Well had sensed the mark.
Perhaps from the beginning.
Perhaps that was why the network had allowed so many connections.
Kael closed his hand.
"It knows I am here."
Liza became serious.
"And what does it want?"
The voice came again, clearer this time.
"Bring the Sun."
Kael looked at the dark line rising from the mountains.
Then he smiled without humor.
"It wants me."
Umbra allowed the shadows to spread around her feet.
Liza tightened her fist.
Kael felt Sylphie reinforce the bond from a distance.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Then Kael pointed toward the tower.
"Good."
Liza looked at him.
"Good?"
"Until now, we were following their trail."
He adjusted his boots, ignoring the pain in his ankle.
"Now they just confirmed that they are going to wait."
Umbra smiled.
"They think you are the key."
"I probably am."
"Does that worry you?"
Kael allowed mana to circulate through his body once more.
"It does."
Celestial Step responded.
"But it also means they will not run."
He disappeared toward the mountains, with Umbra entering the shadow left behind.
Liza remained beside the wagons for an instant, watching them move away.
Then she activated the crystal.
"Amelia."
"Yes?"
"Prepare everyone."
"Did Kael do something?"
Liza looked toward the scarlet line crossing the road.
"He is going to knock on the door."