Chapter 7 – The Key Made of Words and Bone

The scent of the arena infirmary was different from the dungeon's.The dungeon smelled of rot and damp decay. This place burned the nose with sharp medicinal herbs and clean bandages.

"You've got five minutes," Deniz said, standing by the door. "I told the guards we're doing damage control on the Architect's brain. Don't linger."

Hope nodded and stepped inside.

The room was small. It had a single window, and the evening sunlight slipping through it fell directly onto the girl sitting on the stretcher.

Lypin.

For the first time, Hope wasn't seeing her from a distance. Not through iron bars. Not from behind a crowd.

There was no metal between them.No distance.

Hope froze in place. He never hesitated when fighting an Ogre or analyzing an assassin's shadow traps. But now? He didn't know where to put his hands.

"Hope," Lypin said. Her voice was soft, just as he remembered.

"H-hi," Hope said, waving awkwardly. "Your hair is… shining. Like the sun. But prettier than the sun."

Lypin giggled.

That sound was worth more to Hope than the cheers of thousands in the arena.

She stepped down from the stretcher and took a few steps toward him.

"You won," she said. "Everyone's talking about you."

"They were just… simple problems," Hope said with a shrug. "The floor was uneven. Balance flaws. I fixed them."

Lypin's expression grew serious. She moved closer and placed her hand on Hope's cheek.

Hope's breath caught.

After the cold of the dungeon and the arena, this warmth was different.This was what he wanted. This was what he had been reaching for.

"Hope, listen to me," Lypin whispered. "I came here to tell you something. I can't stay. Not just in this city… I need to go much farther."

"Why? Where?"

Lypin hesitated. Deep sorrow rippled through her eyes.

"There's something inside my body," she said quietly. "Like a bomb waiting to explode. I can feel it. Something is calling me. I don't even know exactly what I'm supposed to do… but someone does. I need to find them."

She clenched her fingers.

"If I don't," she continued, "the thing inside me will awaken. And if it does, it won't just hurt me. Everyone will suffer. Just like in the past."

Hope stared into her eyes. He didn't need Architect's Sight to see it.The fear. The desperation. It was all there, naked and raw.

This wasn't a simple calculation. This wasn't a puzzle he could solve with logic.

"That person," Hope said slowly. "If we find that person… will everything be okay?"

"I don't know," Lypin said. "But I have to try. I can't go alone, though. The road is dangerous. Monsters. Bandits. Kingdoms. I need a strong team."

Hope took her hand in both of his.

"I'll come with you," he said. There wasn't the slightest trace of doubt in his voice."I'm an Architect. I'll build the road for you. I'll raise bridges. I'll dig tunnels. I'll defeat anyone who stands in our way. I'll take you to the one who can save you."

Lypin smiled, but a single tear slipped from her eye.

"Promise?" she asked.

"I promise," Hope said. "I'd do anything for you."

A knock echoed at the door.

"Time's up!" Deniz called.

Hope stepped back.

"Tonight," he said firmly. "I'm getting out tonight. Be ready."

Midnight. Dungeon Blocks.

After the plan in the mess hall, Hope had one final task left.

Muscle.

Field and NO9 waited in the shadows. Field chewed on his nails, while NO9 leaned against the wall, making himself practically invisible.

Hope stopped in front of the lowest cell. It was colder than the others. From inside came the sound of bones grinding against each other.

"Gashadokuro Jr.," Hope said, leaning against the iron bars.

A guttural voice answered from the darkness."Architect… my bones ache. Come closer. Let me rip one out."

The massive man stepped into the light.

He was covered in dried blood. His white hair and bony face were stained the same crimson as his eyes. In his hand was a blade carved from his own rib.

"Aren't you bored here?" Hope asked. "The bones here are… low quality. Calcium deficiency. They break too easily."

Gashadokuro paused.

"True," he growled. "Weak bones. They snap too easily."

Hope smiled. He pulled something from his pocket.

It wasn't a chicken bone stolen from the mess hall.

It was a fossilized fragment from the arena's foundation, a remnant from ancient times. Small, but impossibly hard.

"Outside," Hope said, tossing it through the bars, "I heard about a place called the Dragon Graveyard. They say the bones there are so hard, not even diamonds can cut them."

Gashadokuro caught the fossil midair. He tried to scratch it with his nail.

Not even a mark.

His eyes gleamed with hunger.

"Dragon…" he whispered.

"Come with us," Hope said. "I'll take you there. As many bones as you want. As many toys as you want."

Gashadokuro stepped closer to the bars. A twisted, horrifying grin spread across his face.

"Open the door, Architect," he said. "Let the hunt begin."

Hope placed his hand on the lock.

[Architect's Sight.]

The mechanism was simple. Three pins. One spring.

"Structural Manipulation," Hope whispered.

He struck the lock with the back of his hand. The rusted mechanism shattered from within.

The door creaked open.

Field burst from the shadows. "Are you insane?! Why would you let that lunatic out?!"

"We need a hammer to break walls," Hope said calmly."And he's a very good hammer."

One Hour Later. Ventilation Shaft.

The arena was shaking.

Literally shaking.

Above them, in the arena's center, the Twin Legends were fighting. Scorch and Zero. Fire and ice collided, their blows creating tremors every second.

The chaos was the perfect cover.

They crawled through a narrow tunnel. Hope in front. NO9 behind him. Then Field. And at the back, Gashadokuro, barely fitting.

"Are you sure this plan will work?" Field whispered. "Right below us is the kingdom's guard assembly zone."

"Feel the vibration in the stone," Hope said without stopping."Scorch is using Volcanic Hammer. Every strike flexes the main columns by three millimeters. During that flex, the magnetic locks on the vents disengage."

Hope pushed the grate in front of him.

"Now."

The cover slid open like butter.

They dropped into a wide corridor. This didn't look like the dungeon. Marble walls. Red carpets.

"VIP Floor," NO9 said, his tails twitching with excitement. "The exit's there. Balcony door to the roof, then we jump into the river."

Field exhaled. "We did it. Damn it… we actually did it."

Gashadokuro looked around."This place is too clean," he said. "No blood."

"Move," Hope said. "Lypin's waiting outside."

They ran.

The corridor was empty. All the guards were watching the match below or handling security elsewhere.

The exit door came into view.

A massive, carved oak door.

Freedom was right behind it.

Hope reached for the handle.

THUD.

The door didn't open.The door didn't break.

It stood there, unmoving. Like a mountain.

And from the shadows before it, a figure stepped forward.

He wore gleaming silver armor. His pauldrons were so massive it looked impossible for him to pass through a doorway. In his hand was a sword longer than his own body.

His face was expressionless. His eyes were cold, filled with unshakable conviction.

"Stop," the man said.

He didn't shout, but his voice rattled the bones of everyone in the corridor.

"The Law does not permit you to pass this door."

Field froze."No… no way…"

Hope tilted his head."Who's that?"

"Negra," NO9 whispered, fear flooding his voice for the first time."The Knight of Justice. He never retreats. Never tires. And never… allows an unlawful act."

Negra lifted his massive sword with one hand and drove it into the carpeted floor.

The ground cracked.

"Criminals," Negra said."Return to your cells. Or be judged by the blade of Justice."

Gashadokuro Jr. stepped forward, licking his bone blade.

"Big bone," he grinned. "Breaking that will be fun."

"Wait," Hope said, holding an arm out in front of him.

Architect's Sight was active.

But this time, he didn't see fine cracks or weak points.

Negra had none.

His stance was flawless. His armor reinforced with magic. His mana was solid, like a fortress wall.

"This man has no weak points," Hope muttered."He's a wall."

Negra raised his sword and pointed it at them.

"Justice," he declared, "will not allow your escape."

Hope took a deep breath and summoned his scythe.

"Then," he said, his eyes burning with resolve,"we'll have to break that wall."