CHAPTER 88: ENTRY

After walking for almost several minutes, only five steps remained before he could reach the top of the staircase. Thankfully, Shaan hadn’t seen any sign of the Doppleshade around so far. The creature still seemed busy trying to get past the burning logs and flames that blocked its way.

’Come on, Shaan. Even Nalira managed to climb these steps. You have to do it too.’

Sweat poured down his face nonstop as he climbed the remaining five steps. Though there were only five steps left, and it shouldn’t have been that difficult, Shaan’s body was already exhausted from the previous battle. He felt so exhausted that every time he lifted his foot, his leg muscles almost cramped up from the pain.

"Come on, you have to keep going, Shaan. Don’t give up!" Shaan gently patted his cheek. "Just a little more... Just a little more and you’ll make it..."

With every last bit of strength, Shaan finally climbed the last step—and his face froze in disbelief. Honestly, what he saw completely clashed with everything he had imagined. He had thought the Twilight Sanctum might look like a small city with a temple inside, but that wasn’t the case at all. The place turned out to be far bigger than anything he had expected.

"Holy crap, I never imagined the building would be this massive."

The building itself featured shades of black and grey, and at a glance, it strongly resembled—almost exactly—a royal palace. That impression grew even stronger because of the massive front gate that served as the main entrance, along with a towering black stone wall that surrounded the entire structure, topped with coils of barbed wire.

That wasn’t all. Two towering watchtowers stood beside the building. From his position, Shaan saw a large signal pole on the roof of one of the structures—radiating a yellow light, the same one he and the others had seen when they first arrived in the Dark Realm.

"Shaan, look at that." Nalira pointed her finger at one of the guard towers. "The black smoke is coming from those two guard towers."

"Yes, you’re right. Mr. Courier had already informed me of that earlier." Shaan nodded. "The smoke is also getting thicker, and it seems the chaos will only worsen."

"We need to hurry to the suspension bridge. I’m sure Chelsie and Mr. Courier are waiting for us there."

"Yes, I agree with you, Nalira."

They quickly walked along the path in front of them until the suspension bridge finally came into view. Good, just a little further... a little further and they would reach their destination.

"Nalira, it’s them. Chelsie and Mr. Courier." Shaan pointed ahead. "They seem to be talking to the officers, but why are there so many officers in front of the suspension bridge?"

"I have no idea either." Nalira shrugged her shoulders. "We should go closer and meet them."

They quickly picked up their pace until they stood just a few steps away from Chelsie and the courier. From this distance, Shaan could hear the courier’s voice, and he didn’t sound happy at all.

"I’m not a threat," Mr. Courier snapped at one of the guards. "I’m part of the Red Moon Faction, and I can prove it to you." He raised his hand and showed the symbol etched into his skin. "See? I told you, I’m telling the truth."

"Uhmmm... What Mr. Courier said is true. We’re not bad people," Chelsie said, trying to confirm Mr. Courier’s words. "Me and my two friends are just amateur daemonists trapped in the Dark Realm, trying to get to the Twilight Sanctum so we can go home."

"Rules are rules," one of the guards said, scanning his eyes across the group. "Anyone outside the Twilight Sanctum is now considered a threat. This is a direct order from the leader of Twilight. No one is allowed to enter or leave the Sanctum until the situation is fully under control. It’s all for the safety and security of those inside."

"Argh, these guards are driving me crazy—"

"Mr. Courier, Chelsie?" Shaan walked toward them. "What’s going on?"

Chelsie turned her head abruptly upon hearing Shaan’s voice calling her. "Uhmm... it seems there’s a problem at—" Chelsie fell silent, seeing Shaan and Nalira’s bodies covered in wounds and bruises. "Oh no, what happened to you two?" Without wasting a second, Chelsie grabbed both of them by the hand and gently pulled them away from the courier and the guards. "Come with me. I need to heal your injuries first."

While Chelsie used her healing skill, she explained the situation. The chaos at the gate had forced the leader of Twilight Sanctum to shut down all access—both in and out—until the threat was completely neutralized.

"We have explained everything, but... but they won’t allow anyone to enter or leave the Twilight Sanctum."

"This is serious. If things continue like this, sooner or later those terrifying creatures of darkness will capture and kill us."

"Uhm... What about the gate? Have you managed to defeat all the dark creatures trying to enter through it?"

"Yes, the two of us managed to eliminate the dark creatures and seal the gate."

"Oh, thank goodness. That’s good news." Chelsie sighed. "We should report this to the guards. Maybe they can inform the leader of Twilight Sanctum and allow us to enter.

"...But there’s a new problem."

"A new problem?" Chelsie fell silent. "I have no idea what you’re talking about, Lira."

"...When we managed to close the gate, there was still one Doppleshade that suddenly attacked us."

"What Nalira said is true," Shaan added. "And the worst part is... that Doppleshade has mutated. It killed a mutated Zerawulf and somehow absorbed its power. That thing... it became so much stronger, far stronger than before. We couldn’t beat it. All we could do was delay it and run here to warn everyone."

"M-mutated?" Chelsie’s face turned pale. "Oh no. This is bad—really, really bad. So... what should we do now?"

"We need to warn the courier and the guards—immediately," Nalira said firmly. "If that Doppleshade reaches the Twilight Sanctum, it’ll be a disaster."

"I agree," Shaan nodded.

"Uhm... alright. But let me finish my healing spell first before we go back to the courier," Chelsie said.

It didn’t take long before Chelsie completed her healing. Good—at least now both Shaan and Nalira looked much better than before. Without wasting any more time, they headed straight toward the courier, who was still locked in a heated argument with the guards.

"I’ve told you over and over again—I’m just a courier!" he snapped, then stepped forward as if trying to push past them. "Let me speak to my master and he will—"

’Brak!’

"Hey!"

"Rules are rules!" the guard yelled, stepping in front of him. "Anyone who breaks them will be eliminated!"