Chapter 8
The Tower of Aether loomed against the night like a spear aimed at the stars. Smooth stone walls, silent and ancient, reflected the faint shimmer of the moon. From the base, it felt endless, like the kind of structure built not just to protect something, but to make you question whether you deserved to reach its peak at all.
Azunya exhaled softly. The crew had gathered in shadows, pressed against the outer wall. No torches. No chatter. Just the faint hum of power that seemed to radiate from the tower itself.
He checked them, one by one.
Cerys, all twitchy fingers and sharp nerves, her blades strapped like extra bones. Beside her, Ori stood too still, like if he moved, the tower might notice.
Lahm, broad-shouldered and quiet, knuckles pale as they gripped the hilt of a sword he had stolen from the temple armory for the occasion. Beside him stood Anur, eyes sharp, impatient, already eyeing the guards above like they were prey.
And Carla. Calm. Composed. Watching the tower, not him.
Azunya noticed. Rezar didn’t come again. He took a step closer to her. Didn’t speak right away. He’d learned, with Carla, silence did more.
Then, low enough for only her to hear, he said, “Is he coming?”
A pause.
“He’ll be there.” She didn’t look at him when she answered.
Azunya didn’t nod. Didn’t need to. He turned, raised two fingers, and they moved.
The first ascent was easy. The outer stairwell coiled along the tower’s edge, narrow by design to prevent group passage. The outer stairwell, rarely used, was built as an emergency escape — though not even the eldest Custodian could recall it ever being used. But it was there, and for Azunya and his disciples, it was the perfect way inside without scrutiny.
Every turn they climbed, Azunya’s mind worked. Mapping shadows of custodian warriors guarding from inside, looking out the windows. He timed guard rotations. Each custodian wore robes of deep grey with silver bands at the forearm, an obvious deviation from usual custodian robes as per their guard duties. Custodian guards also wore scabbards holding swords on their backs.
They made it past two floors without incident. The third where the Aether shimmer started thickening in the walls was more guarded. Azunya raised a hand, halted them at the corner of a hallway.
Above them, footsteps echoed. He waited. Counted.
Four heartbeats.
Two guards.
He pointed upward, then toward a thin lattice window tucked behind a stone overhang.
Carla was already moving.
They scaled it fast. Cerys first, lithe as a cat, her footfalls lighter than wind. Ori shadowing her just as quickly. Lahm boosted Anur up next, then hoisted Carla. Azunya was last, fingers curling on the ledge before pulling himself through.
They made it inside. It was quiet as usual.
The floor they'd entered wasn’t patrolled, just old prayer rooms long abandoned. The scent of burnt oil and incense lingered in the air, thick like ghosts. From here, they were one floor below the peak.
Azunya crossed to the other side of the room. Beyond a cracked archway, a tight stairwell curled upward. A single torch glowed at the top. That meant guards. The last layer of guard defense before they could enter the top floor.
He looked back at the students as he whispered, “Left Hall leads to Grand Overseer’s chamber. Right corridor leads to the Inner Sanctum gate, that houses the Aether.”
“First we need to take care of the guards,” Lahm said quietly, as he slowly unsheathed his sword, he was so very eager to swing.
Cerys rolled her eyes, “So much for stealth.”
Azunya waved his hand at Lahm. “We don’t need that. Ascend the stairs when I call,” he said as he went up.
Azunya made his way to the top floor, where he saw two warrior custodians, one standing by the window and the other outside the inner sanctum door; two giant gold and steel reinforced doors, locked from within.
The nearest guard to Azunya looked at him. Not suspiciously but confusingly. Azunya was ready.
The guard approached; steps steady but cautious. “You’re out late,” he said, brows pinched. “Orders?”
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Azunya didn’t answer immediately. He lowered his gaze, let his shoulders sag slightly — a performance of weariness.
“Grand Overseer's orders,” he murmured, voice low. “Something to check before the morning rituals.”
The guard glanced at the other man near the sanctum door, who shrugged. “That so?” The guard’s tone was mild, but his feet shifted subtly, weight poised.
Azunya nodded, eyes unreadable as he gestured towards a wall. “You wouldn’t believe what’s hiding in this temple.”
The custodian turned to look at the wall. “What—”
Azunya used that distraction as he grabbed the half-turned guard by the back of his neck, and released a sharp gust of wind exploded behind the man — not loud, but forceful. Azunya barely twitched a finger. The air compressed and struck like a hammer. The guard almost flew as he hit the wall face-first. His vision vanished as he rebounded into Azunya’s waiting grasp. Azunya slowly put him on the ground as to not make any unnecessary sound.
The second guard confused by what he just witnessed shouted something — too late. Azunya whipped around, a circular gesture carving through the air. A wall of mist burst between them. The moment the guard lunged blindly through it, Azunya was already above him. A single, silent leap enhanced by a powerful burst of wind on the floor to boost him up.
He landed behind him and exhaled sharply. Just as he did, Azunya caught him by the neck, choking him out. Each second felt like an eternity at that moment but eventually, after around twenty similar eternities the guard went to sleep. Breathless. But alive.
Silence returned.
Azunya stood in the flickering torchlight, breathing slow, steady. The light of Aether still hummed in his Custodian’s gauntlet, not wild, but ready.
He turned and gestured down the stairs.
Cerys was first. Her gaze darted to the two unconscious guards, then to Azunya, lips pressed together in a grim line of admiration.
“Still as quiet as ever,” she murmured.
As they all ascended at the top floor, Azunya led his disciples towards the Inner Sanctum. Footsteps cautious, none made any sound on the marble floor.
As they made their way towards the twin gold doors, they saw the seal of the Inner Sanctum carved deep into the metal. Opposite, a smaller arched hallway led to the door to the Grand Overseer’s chambers.
As Azunya neared the gates he began to second-guess his approach. Rezar was always a risk. He has known there were two copies of the key to Inner Sanctum; one with the Grand Overseer, the other with Rezar's brother, Xur. Rezar was the only one who could have gotten the key unnoticed, but Rezar’s faith in the temple was stronger than the rest. Convincing Carla was plan B, Rezar would go any lengths for her he thought. But now it seemed like it was all in vain. he thought to himself.
Azunya slowly turned to Carla after a few moments of waiting. “We’re here. Where is Rezar?” There was a hint of frustration in his voice.
Carla didn’t hesitate. “He’ll come.”
“For ?! We're wasting time,” Cerys muttered under her breath as she mocked Carla. “If Rezar had any spine, he’d have stolen the damn key from Xur days ago,” Cerys concluded.
Anur snorted. “That’s if he hasn’t snitched on us and warned his brother Xur already.”
Azunya turned his gaze on them. Not sharp. Just steady. Enough to silence them without words.
The quiet settled again. Heavy now.
Azunya stared back at Carla. “If he doesn’t come,” he said slowly, “we do this the hard way.”
“Hard way?” Ori asked.
Anur replied, “Ori you’re dumb as bricks, Rezar told us there are two keys, remember?”
“If he can’t bring us the key from his brother…” Azunya said, waiting for someone else to complete his thought.
Lahm did just that, “then we take the original from our beloved Grand Overseer right next door. Surely, six of us can take on one sleeping Grand Overseer.”
Carla stepped forward. “What? No! No killing! We decided that!” She looked at the group as she continued, “And... and we won’t have to.”
Azunya didn’t respond. His eyes were on the seal on the door.
“Just give him a moment, he will come. I know!” Carla pleaded as she looked at Azunya.
The tension pressed in like the air before a storm.
And then soft footsteps approached.
All heads turned.
A shadow stood at the far end of the hall, framed by moonlight through the cracked archway.
Rezar. Took small unsure steps towards them, holding something small and metallic in his fingers.
The key.
“Took you long enough!” Cerys said in a frustrated tone.
Rezar ignored everyone and stood right in front of Carla, “If you think this is the right thing to do, If you truly think this is for the greater good,” Rezar presented her the key, “then I believe in you.”
Carla looked at him with the look that said it all. “You will not regret it.”
“Let’s not waste any more time,” Azunya said as he slowly made his way between them. “We have a ship to catch at 7,” he said as he took the key from Rezar’s hand. He quickly turned to the large golden gate and entered the key to open the gate.
Azunya stepped forward, raising his hand. The sigil carved into his gauntlet pulsed faintly as he inserted the key. A curved shard of crystal, humming with resonance, into the lock embedded in the center of the great twin doors.
A moment’s pause. Then, a low click.
The doors didn’t creak. They breathed open, silent and reverent, as if recognizing who stood before them.
The Inner Sanctum greeted them with a hush that felt older than anything they'd ever known.
The hall stretched wide, its walls carved smooth and seamless, humming with an energy that was almost melodic. At its center, bathed in blue luminescence, stood the golden cauldron.
A massive gold bowl, rimmed with engravings that shimmered in the low light. Inside it, grains of fine green sand sparkled like stars caught mid-fall. Resting gently atop the sand, glowing, alive, was the Aether crystal. Pure. Untouched.
The others stood frozen; breath caught in their throats. Before them pulsed the source of Custodian flow — the very heart of Aetheria, the reason this kingdom reigns as the capital of the known world.
Cerys nodded slowly, her voice barely a murmur. “It’s beautiful.”
Ori whispered, “It’s like it’s breathing…”
Even Anur, usually sharp and mocking, was speechless. His eyes wide, reflecting the flicker of light dancing from the bowl.
Azunya moved forward, slow and measured, his footsteps echoing like ripples in sacred water. He had seen it before. The day he ascended.
He reached out. His fingers hovered over the glowing crystal, its surface shifting with soft pulses, like a heartbeat.
And then, a quiet sound behind him. The faintest tap of a staff on stone.
Azunya froze.
Turning, he saw him.
Omid Faris. Grand Overseer of the Custodians.
He stood just inside the gate, robes heavy with ceremonial gold, his staff glowing with the authority of his station. In his other hand a sword with glowing aethereal blue runes etched in on the steel. Drawn. Ready.
His eyes found Azunya's. Calm. Cold.
“Step away from the crystal at once,” Omid said.
***
