Another vision?—
Three of them turn. They see us.
I pivot before it happens, dragging Vaedros with me into a narrow break in the wall, forcing us through a passage that barely qualifies as a path, stone scraping against my shoulder as I push forward.
His weight drags too much, but I adjust. Lower stance. Shorter steps. Keep moving.
The pressure builds again. Another vision forces itself through.
This one is slower. I see him alive. Out of the ruin. Breathing. Then the image shifts. Hours later, he collapses. Dead anyway. I reject it. Find the one that holds.
The pain spikes, sharp enough to make my vision blur, but I hold onto the thread, that narrow line that leads somewhere he survives longer than this moment.
That’s enough.
The corridor bends downward, carved steps uneven and steep, and I half drag, half guide him down, his weight shifting unpredictably, pulling against my balance with every step.
“Stay with me,” I repeat, quieter now.
Another impact shakes the structure. Dust fills the air, thick and choking, settling into my lungs with every breath, and I fight through it, blinking hard, forcing my eyes to focus through the haze.
Another vision?—
The ceiling above us cracks. I move faster. Stone crashes down behind us, sealing the path we just crossed. This was too close.
The exit is near. I can feel it in the air. Cooler. Moving.
Another vision?—
The main passage collapses. I stop one step earlier than I would have. Stone crashes down ahead, blocking the path completely. I don’t hesitate. I turn immediately, taking the secondary route I barely saw, narrow and unstable, but it holds in the one future that matters.
I push through. The space tightens. Too tight for speed. Too tight for breath. His weight drags harder now, pulling at my shoulders, at my balance, forcing every step into effort I don’t have time for.
Another vision?—
I drop him. Just for a second. That second is enough to lose him…
I won’t let that happen. I adjust my grip, pulling him higher, forcing my body to compensate, forcing strength where I don’t have it.
Move.
Behind us, the ruin continues to collapse, the sound constant now, unrelenting, sealing everything behind us. The artifact is properly still close if I try I might take it from Xalith.
The thought barely registers. I let it go. Because I already chose. Not in the chamber. Not in the argument. Here. This path.
Him.
That is the only thing that matters now.
The final opening appears ahead, jagged and uneven, barely large enough to pass through, and I push toward it with everything I have left.
Then I force another vision. The ground outside gives way. I slow just enough. Step wide instead of straight. The earth shifts under my foot but holds. We make it through. Behind us, the ruin collapses completely. Stone crashes down in a final, overwhelming wave, sealing the entrance, burying everything inside, cutting off any path back.
The sound echoes. Then fades. Silence follows. Real silence. I don’t stop immediately.
I keep moving, step after step, putting distance between us and the ruin, between us and anyone who might still be searching.
Only when the air clears, when the ground steadies, when the pressure of the visions finally begins to ease, do I let his weight settle fully against me. Only then do I stop.