The surface of the city was no longer as it had been before. After we returned from the depths beneath the Living Library, the streets seemed restless, vibrating beneath our feet like a heart about to accelerate. Entire buildings tilted for brief seconds, stabilizing soon after, as if they were about to move again. It was clear the city sensed that something had been discovered.
Rai'kanna walked at the front, watching every shadow. Vespera followed right behind, bow in hand—even though she missed almost everything, she insisted on keeping her stance. Elara tried to keep her mana under control, taking deep breaths every few steps. Liriel, the most apprehensive, murmured small light enchantments to illuminate the path, even though her magic was far too limited for any real combat.
Lyannis stayed by my side. Every time the city trembled, she grabbed my arm by reflex. The flame within me remained active, pulsing irregularly, as if reacting to what we had uncovered in the library.
The Collector's hideout was located at the far eastern edge of the Labyrinth City, in a structure that changed shape less than the others—perhaps because he had some method of stabilization. When we arrived, the door opened before we even touched it.
The Collector awaited us in his main hall, surrounded by shelves filled with artifacts, scrolls, and ancient mechanisms. He smiled when he saw us.
"You took your time. The city is restless. I imagine you found what you needed."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms. "We found more than we needed."
The Collector's eyes gleamed with interest. "So you brought answers?"
"We brought more questions," I replied.
He let out a low chuckle, walking toward a table full of metal components. "That's how it should be. The truth never appears whole."
Before anyone could respond, a thunderous crash echoed through the structure. The floor vibrated and the shelves shook. Rai'kanna immediately rushed toward the entrance. Vespera stepped back two paces, almost dropping her own arrow. Elara tried to conjure a small mana barrier, but the spell failed before it could even form.
Liriel looked at the walls, pale. "They followed us. The cult of the Immobile Order… they've come after the keys."
Another explosion. This time, part of the wall simply disintegrated, as if crushed by an invisible force. Through the dust and debris, hooded figures emerged. Their cloaks bore the triangular symbol we had seen before.
"You disobeyed the city," said the leader, pointing at the Collector. "And you… have accumulated more than is permitted."
The Collector did not retreat. On the contrary, he smiled calmly. "You always arrive late. As guardians of immobility, you are extremely slow."
The leader raised a staff. "Today, you will not escape."
The flame within me reacted instantly.
The attack began.
The cultists advanced with blades that seemed stable, immobile, even as they cut through the air. Rai'kanna intercepted two of them with her flaming wings, making the blades ricochet in a spray of sparks. The temperature in the hall rose rapidly.
Vespera drew an arrow and fired—the arrow veered off, struck a shelf, knocked down three artifacts, and by some inexplicable miracle, hit a cultist in the back of the head. He fell unconscious.
Her eyes widened. "Did you see that?! I… I hit him?!"
"Don't celebrate now!" Rai'kanna shouted.
Elara tried to cast a containment spell, but her mana failed halfway through. The enchantment dissolved like smoke. She fell to her knees, gasping. "Damn it… I… can't…"
Lyannis pulled her back, shielding her with the spear.
The leader advanced straight toward me.
"You carry the stolen flame… the core that was never meant to exist outside the city."
"I didn't steal anything," I replied, raising my sword.
"The flame wants to return to the giant. And when it does… the city will rise."
He attacked.
The impact of the staff almost knocked me down, even as I blocked it with the blade. The flame reacted instantly, expanding in my hand as if it wanted to burst out of the sword. I didn't let it. I had already felt before what happened when I lost control.
The Collector appeared beside us as if he had teleported. It wasn't common magic—it was something far more refined, a technique I didn't understand.
He was holding an artifact, a circular disc with spiral symbols.
"You want order," he said, activating the disc. "Here is your order."
An invisible wave spread through the hall. The cultists' blades grew heavy. Their clothes were pulled downward. Their mobility diminished as if the air around them had become far too dense.
Liriel's eyes widened. "That's structural manipulation… He's controlling the density of the room!"
Rai'kanna took advantage and attacked. Her fire cut through the cultists' barrier, driving them back.
But the leader did not retreat.
He lunged at me again, ignoring the Collector's disc. His movements seemed to exist above the rules binding the others.
"You are the final piece," he said, trying to strike my chest. "The city needs to reclaim what is hers."
The flame inside me intensified. Rai'kanna tried to intervene, but the leader expanded a wave of fixed energy that held her in place, as if the air around her had been frozen in time.
He raised the staff for the final blow.
And then the Collector appeared behind him, pressing another artifact against his back. It was a small box with a floating crystal inside. The crystal expanded like a bubble of light, enveloping the leader.
"Enough," the Collector said.
The leader screamed, trying to break free, but the box drained his mobility, locking every movement, every muscle, every intention.
"You don't understand what you're unleashing…" he whispered, before vanishing in a white flash, absorbed by the artifact.
The hall fell silent for a few seconds.
Rai'kanna ran to me. "Are you alright?"
"Yes."
Vespera dropped to the floor. "I… I really hit that guy… that wasn't a dream, right?"
Elara breathed deeply, trying to recover her mana. "We need to… get out of here."
But Liriel was staring at the Collector with suspicion.
"You… shouldn't possess an artifact that can erase people."
He smiled.
"My dear, I possess hundreds of things I shouldn't."
And then, looking at me, he added:
"Now that the cult knows you possess the keys and that you carry the flame the giant lacks… the entire city will begin to move."
The flame inside me trembled.
And I knew: there was no turning back.