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Chapter 16: Sanctuary of Dust
> System Notice:
[Location Unlocked – Sanctuary Point]
[Environmental Scan: Stable Mana Zone]
[Temporary Rest State Initiated]
[Passive Recovery Boost: Active]
[Codex Updated – Region: Forsworn March]
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Dust clung to Kael's boots as he crossed the threshold of the ruins.
Not ruins—bones. The sanctuary was built from remnants of something ancient: jagged spires of scorched white stone, arches hollowed by time, and a central dais half-buried in soot. There were no gods here, no saints. Only silence and the slow whisper of the wind carrying old ash.
Silna scanned the perimeter, blade sheathed but fingers twitching near the hilt. "Doesn't look like much of a sanctuary to me."
"It's not meant to be beautiful," Kael replied, crouching beside a broken statue of a faceless knight. "It's meant to be forgotten."
Beneath his fingers, etched sigils glimmered faintly. Old wards. Still pulsing. Still waiting.
He rose. "Someone kept this place alive. Even if everything else died."
Silna joined him at the dais. "You think it's safe?"
"No." He met her gaze. "But it's cleaner than the rest of this cursed desert."
As if summoned by the tension, the system stirred again.
> System Prompt:
[Rest Node Confirmed – Affinity Interaction Enabled]
[Silna Farros – Guarded Respect: Stable]
[Optional Companion Event Available]
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They found temporary cover beneath the archway of a collapsed sanctum hall. Kael pulled out his travel ration—a brittle slab of hardened grains—and gnawed at it without tasting. Silna sat across from him, eyes narrowed, her posture loose but always ready to strike.
"So," she said, breaking the quiet, "are we going to talk about what happened back there?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. He looked up at the sky—stormlit clouds churned in unnatural spirals above, the remnants of the system's interference.
"You mean the Herald-class?"
"No. I mean you."
Silna's tone was blunt. "You moved like a man possessed. Like something was... guiding you."
Kael rested his hands on his knees. "I don't know what it is yet. But something's awake inside me. It started when I touched the sigil in the tomb."
She tilted her head. "And you're not afraid?"
He exhaled slowly. "Every second."
Silna watched him for a moment longer, then nodded once. "Good."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Fear means you haven't gone mad. Yet."
A faint smile ghosted across Kael's lips. "Encouraging."
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> System Triggered:
[Bond Level Event – Silna Farros: Trigger Conditions Met]
[Passive Insight: "Fragmented Trust" – Achieved]
[Small Stat Boost: Mental Resistance +1]
---
The silence settled again, softer this time. The wind had calmed. Even the broken stones around them seemed to breathe easier.
Kael leaned back against the arch, letting his eyes close briefly.
"I wonder what this place was before," he said quietly. "A temple? A fortress?"
"Maybe both," Silna replied. "Or neither. The world's been rebuilt too many times to tell."
He didn't argue.
In the distance, beyond the skeletal walls, something howled—a far-off, lonely sound that didn't belong to any beast Kael recognized.
His fingers brushed the hilt of his sword.
Tomorrow, the path would lead them further into the Forsworn March. Toward Sanctuary's core. Toward the next trial.
But for now… they rested.
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> System Prompt:
[Quest Objective Updated: Locate the Sealed Spire – 3.1 km North]
[Warning: Unstable Mana Field Detected Ahead]
[Suggested Preparation: Review Current Stats, Gear, and Companion Affinity]
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[End of Chapter 16]