Chapter 307

Chapter 307
【Elsa POV】

A gentle tremor runs through the metallic sphere, jolting me from the intimate mental conversation with Leif. My eyes snap open as the vibration ripples through the cramped space, causing Karl to shift beside me and Edda to stir across from us.

"Is that supposed to mean we've reached our destination?" I ask, pushing myself up straighter.

But there's no response from Grand Sage's communication system. No familiar crackling of his voice, no updates on our status. The silence stretches on, making my stomach clench with unease.

I lean forward and tap the communication device repeatedly, the metallic surface cold under my knuckles. "Grand Sage? Can you hear us?" I call out louder. "Grand Sage!"

Nothing but dead silence.

Karl jerks fully awake, his hand immediately going to his weapon. "What's happening?"

"We can't reach Grand Sage," I explain, my voice tight with worry.

Then we hear it—a rhythmic tapping against the exterior of the sphere. Tap, tap, tap. Like claws or knuckles rapping against our metal shell.

Leif's hand moves to the golden dagger at his belt, his fingers wrapping around the hilt. "We can't just sit here blind," he says, his jaw set. "If we can't reach Grand Sage, we need to see what we're dealing with."

Karl nods, already shifting toward the door. "I'll come with you."

Edda scrambles to her knees, reaching out to grab Karl's arm. "Wait—isn't going out there too risky? We have no idea what's waiting for us."

Leif looks directly at her, his amber eyes hard with determination. "Better to face the unknown than sit trapped like rats. We need to know who or what is knocking."

The scent outside is strange, Freyja adds, her nose working. Not entirely natural.

I start to stand. "I should go with you—"

"Absolutely not." Leif's voice cuts through my words like a blade. He turns to face me fully, his hands gripping my shoulders. "You and Edda stay in the sphere where it's safe. Karl and I will scout the area and report back."

"Leif, we're supposed to stick together—"

"Please, Elsa." His grip tightens slightly, and I can see the conflict in his eyes. "Let us handle the initial reconnaissance. We'll be right back."

I want to argue, but something in his expression stops me.

"Ten minutes," I say firmly, holding up my hand. "If you're not back in ten minutes, I'm coming after you."

He nods, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "Deal."

Leif moves to the sphere's control panel, his fingers finding the door release mechanism. The metallic surface hisses as it begins to separate, and cool air rushes into our cramped space.

The first thing that hits us is the light—not golden sunlight, but something harsh and red that makes everything look like it's bathed in blood.

Leif peers out cautiously, his body blocking most of my view. I see his shoulders stiffen.

"What the hell?" he breathes.

Karl crowds behind him, trying to see over Leif's shoulder. "Jesus Christ. Elsa, you need to see this."

"What is it?" I demand, struggling to look past them.

Leif climbs out first, then extends his hand back to help Karl. Through the opening, I catch a glimpse of crimson sky flickering with what looks like lightning, though no thunder follows.

"The whole sky is artificial," Leif's voice drifts back to us, filled with amazement. "It's like we're inside some kind of massive dome. Those lightning effects—they're all simulated."

I can hear him walking around, his boots echoing on stone. "The knocking was just a fox," he calls out, and I catch a note of surprise in his voice. "Silver-gray thing, was pawing at the sphere. Took off when it saw me."

Edda moves closer to the opening. "Where exactly are we?"

"Some kind of ancient plaza," Karl responds, his voice carrying clearly in the still air. "Stone courtyard, looks like it's been here for centuries. And there's this massive castle—gothic architecture, covered in carved symbols. The whole place seems completely deserted."

"Karl," Leif calls out. "You need to bring everyone out. If this invisibility field is working like Grand Sage promised, we should move as a group."

Karl returns to the sphere's opening, his expression serious. "All right, everyone out. We're going to scout the castle while we have the advantage."

I climb out after Edda, Freyja immediately at my side, and the sight that greets us stops me cold. The artificial sky stretches overhead like a cathedral ceiling painted in shades of crimson and amber. Lightning flickers across it in patterns too regular to be natural, casting shifting shadows across the ancient stones beneath our feet.

The plaza spreads out before us, vast and empty, paved with stones worn smooth by age. Our metallic sphere sits at its center, looking alien among the gothic architecture surrounding us. And dominating the far end of the square is the castle—a towering structure of black stone with spires reaching toward the false sky.

"This feels like a trap," I murmur, my eyes scanning the empty windows of the surrounding buildings.

Leif nods grimly. "Which is exactly why we need to move quickly, while we still have surprise on our side."

I take a deep breath, pushing down my fear. "You're right. We didn't come this far to hesitate now."

"The question is how do we—" Edda starts to say.

A roar splits the air above us, so deep and powerful it seems to shake the stones beneath our feet. All five of us freeze, our heads snapping upward.

Flying overhead, its massive wings blotting out sections of the false lightning, is a dragon. Its scales gleam deep red in the unnatural light, each one the size of a shield. The creature's wings span what must be hundreds of feet, and when it roars again, I feel the vibration in my chest.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Karl breathes, his hand instinctively going to his weapon.

Edda grabs my arm, her fingers digging in. "Please tell me that thing is also artificial."