Ethan walked among them, silent but not aloof.
They looked at him not with the caution of soldiers, but the respect of followers. He wasn't one of them—but he was something they needed. Someone who had faced a Sanctum Guardian alone and emerged victorious, his soul beast more divine than anything they had ever known.
He made his way to the far edge of the Sanctum, where the carved wall opened to overlook the endless void beyond. Down below, glowing veins of energy twisted into the deep, where the next sanctum—perhaps even stronger—awaited them.
Kaeryx joined him, wings stretching lazily, casting massive shadows.
"Soon," Ethan whispered.
A pulse answered in his chest. A feeling. Kaeryx's silent agreement.
Morning of the Third Day
The mists had not yet lifted from the obsidian peaks surrounding the Groshla Sanctum when Ethan awoke.
But he wasn't the only one up early.
