Deep in the dark tunnel lit only by bioluminescent fungus, leading to the gate of Sik J’dio Sahde Alanoon, Calsoon’s portal opened and Koda stumbled out. He fell to his knees with deep, heaving breaths and dilated pupils, like he had come face to face with madness itself. Calsoon exited behind him and helped the mage king back to his feet.

“I apologize, my liege. Not all are ready to travel by shadow portal, but I am sure you will be with time.”

Koda turned to him. Sweat dripped down his forehead. “W-with time?”

Sable stepped from the shadows of the cavern and inspected Grune’s handiwork on Koda’s face. “This will not do.” She scryed a small rune over the most brutal of Koda’s markings, which was his swollen black eye. The rune hummed and lit up as Koda’s wound morphed and shrunk to a more normal state. Although small cuts and bumps still marred Koda's brow, the elf could once again see out of his right eye.

Koda pawed his face gently. “You are no Estinian historian.” Koda turned his head to Calsoon. “And you are no mere elf. Who are you two?”

Sable bowed. “We apologize for such deceit, young Mage King, but if we told you who we were right away you would most likely have worked against us.”

Calsoon lowered his head as he revealed his true demon face. His fair skin darkened into a smokey gray color, his eyes morphed into the amber eyes of a skyfallen, and a pair of horns grew from his head. A spaded tail lashed about from behind him..

Koda was taken aback by Calsoon’s true form.

“Wait, you are the shadow organization after the seals?” Koda asked. “The ones who my men warned me about.”

Calsoon’s black and red ARO uniform turned to a solid black and the twin moons of the Dead of Winter emblem burned onto his back.

“We work among the shadows, but we are not to be feared. We are ‘Dead of Winter’ and we only wish to be allies with you, Koda,” Calsoon said.

The elf shook his head and pointed his finger at Sable. “And all the help you needed from me? You just wanted to get to the seal?”

“I have been honest with you Koda,” Sable said quietly. “I have always had a passion for runes and wards. And the Celestial Seals are the most ambitious ones in our world’s history! You lie to yourself if you are not at all intrigued to see one.”

Koda looked past her into the darkness of the long tunnel. “This path leads to…”

“Sik J’dio Sahde Alanoon,” Sable finished with a grin.

Despite Calsoon spying on him all this time and Sable taking advantage of him, they were still right. Koda wanted to see the city under the sky’s shadow and most of all, he wanted to see a Celestial Seal. His curiosity was stronger than his mistrust for his company.

“Show me,” Koda finally whispered.

***

Sable and Calsoon led Koda down the winding corridor to the massive gates that had stopped the two Dead of Winter members cold in the past. The tunnel itself vaulted high to make room for the towering doors. Both statues of the elf and angel commanded with an imposing presence. Koda admired the impressive features carved by the ancient Daybreak and how after all this time, the still stood in an immaculate condition.

Koda grazed the ancient stone doors with the tips of his fingers, reading the archaic elven as he mouthed the words.

“Only a Daybreak may enter.” Koda looked back to Sable. “Perhaps a Dawnedge will do.”

Sable wrung her hands in anticipation. “We can only hope, young Koda.”

The elven king placed his hand flat against the door and grunted as the gateway grinded open, revealing another tunnel. As the three took a step past the Daybreak ward, hundreds of torches lit along the walls, leading to a wide open cavern.

Koda’s jaw dropped as he exited the cavern and entered a city built under Blight’s soil. Buildings and dwellings carved into the very stone walls and pillars of the chasm with floating arcane crystals lighting up the seemingly untouched city, and skeletal remains of angels and demons scattered across the ground.

Calsoon shook his head in wonderment as he inspected the golden angelic skeletons and blackened demonic bones. “A great battle took place here.”

“I would imagine that the demons wanted to stop the seal from being written,” surmised Sable as she looked over a golden femur.

“What happened to the Daybreak?” Calsoon asked.

“Over here!” Koda called from further down the cavern. He stood before a set of stairs descending further underneath the earth. “Where do you suppose these tunnels go? The Shadowearth?”

“Perhaps the Daybreak were the first Shadow Elves?” Calsoon offered.

“It is a possibility, my dear Calsoon. The Shadow Elves have hailed from the Shadowearth of Blight for as long as we’ve studied the realm,” said Sable.

“But what of the seal?” asked Koda. As interesting as the origin of the Shadow Elves was, he came here to find a Celestial Seal.

Sable walked to the center of the city and kneeled down. She wiped her hand across the ground, moving dirt, soot, and bones to the side to reveal a large rune glowing with a faint white light.

“A Celestial Seal?” Koda dropped to his knees and dug away the dirt and ash until he too faced more of the glowing heaven’s mark. He gave a short, stunned laugh. “Ha! It exists!”

Sable took a small vial from her robes. Inside a black, web-like gunk swirled about in the thin glass. “Now young Mage King, you have a choice to make,” she said to Koda.

Koda’s joyous expression changed to curiosity mixed with dread. “W-What do you mean, Sable? W-what do you wish to do with this planetary treasure?”

Sable stood and pulled the cork from the vial. “Would you allow us to reunite with the gods once more? To walk alongside the angels?” Sable asked, her voice a low monotone, stern and full of purpose. “Or shall you keep us bound to the Mortal plane? To worship our loving deities from afar for all of eternity?”

Koda scrambled to his feet and cautiously approached the runecarver. “Has this always been the intention of your guild? To unite us with the heavens?”

“It has, my king,” whispered Calsoon.

“What if the deities continue their wars upon the mortals? What if your intentions are a lie?”

“And what if we speak the truth?” asked Sable. “Our master promises us that only peace and prosperity awaits us, as it was meant to be.”

“The Night ravages on while the angels are held at bay. Is this what man deserves? To live in fear even after they won the war?” Calsoon smirked. “What kind of justice is that?”

Koda lowered his head deep in thought. Once again a question about the true purpose of the seals crossed his mind. If they were written to rid the world of the Black Moon and the Night, then they had caused the opposite effect. If the gods really did wage an endless war of destruction that decimated mankind, then why were they revered and worshiped? What if Sable’s and Calsoon’s actions truly were what was best for the world? To unite man and the gods… What harm could that possibly bring? Jedeo was a being of righteousness. Ruens of pure wisdom. Alue of kindness and mercy. Who was he to stand in their way? To deny them the people they only wished to help? He would be the antagonist of this story, not the hero.

“Koda.” Sable gently lifted his chin. “Your grandfather did not trust you. Your people turned their backs on you. Forever you’ve been treated as a child. But our master wishes to treat you as the man you are.”

Koda peered into Sable’s golden eyes. A new question chewed on his mind. “Who is your master? Why does he have such an interest in me?”

“All will be answered in due time,” Sable said. “But first, will you allow us to break this seal?”

Koda looked at the dark substance as it inched to the mouth of the vial. He stole a glance at Calsoon. The demon nodded to him, as if assuring him that he was about to make the right decision. Koda turned back to Sable and took a deep breath before stepping aside.