Chapter 8

A steady hum echoes through the chamber walls as Asche Ace Kyezhen enters through a teleportation rift, summoned directly from a regional outpost.

Asche (adjusting his gloves, briskly):
Reporting. You called, Emperor?

Shizuku (turning, his expression measured):
I’m sending you back to the Central District. The Earth Sigil Fragment is ready.

He steps forward and gently hands the fragment to Asche. The weight of it is almost metaphysical—alive with the presence of ancient earthbound divinity. Asche feels it pulse once in his hands before stabilizing.

Asche (voice dropping):
So it’s true. Azalea really gave it up.

Shizuku:
He did. He understands what’s at stake now.
But this piece alone won’t hold the sigil chamber stable.

Asche:
Then I’m assuming… I’m putting it in next to Emrys’s?

Shizuku (nods):
Precisely. The Law Fragment and the Earth Fragment were once conjoined—split during the Fateful Battle. Reuniting them within the chamber should restore some of the primordial sequence.

Asche (quietly):
Do we have clearance from Emrys?

Shizuku (smirks faintly):
He’s not the type to give clearance. He already knows.

And if he had a problem with it, he’d have spoken in ten dialects of divine judgment by now.

Asche chuckles dryly, but there’s still a flicker of hesitation in his usually unshakable posture.

Asche:
The last time I went near the Sigil Chamber, it nearly tore my Arcana apart.
You sure I’m the right one for this?

Shizuku (stepping closer):
You’re the only one who understands how the sigils behave on an elemental and structural level.
You’ve seen their patterns. You’ve memorized them.
And… you’re the only one besides me who’s actually withstood Emrys’s presence without disintegrating on a molecular level.

Asche (deadpan):
...Thanks?

Shizuku (gently):
You’ve grown, Asche. I trust you with this.
But listen carefully.

He places a hand on Asche’s shoulder, his gaze sharpening.

Shizuku:
Once you reach the chamber, don’t hesitate. Insert the Earth Fragment into the southern slot. You’ll feel a resistance—it’s natural. Don’t push against it. Let it receive the fragment.
If it rejects it, pull back and stabilize with Arcana Pulse Frequency 4.7.

Asche (nodding, already committing it to memory):
Understood.

Shizuku (softly):
This isn’t just a reactivation. It’s an offering.
You’re not restoring a machine. You’re speaking to a god that forgot its name.

Asche:
Then I’ll remind it.

He pockets the Earth Fragment into a containment field and raises his right hand. A shimmering sigil-circle blooms beneath him as the teleportation spell activates. Shizuku takes a final step forward, his voice calm but powerful.

Shizuku:
Go to the Sigil Chamber.
And bring the earth fragment back home.

With a final nod, Asche vanishes in a spiral of violet and green light, leaving Shizuku alone once again beneath the looming petals of the Atrium. Outside, winds shift. Somewhere distant, the Sigil Chamber begins to stir.