The Gatekeeper moved first.
Stone cracked beneath his boots as he advanced, each step deliberate, measured, the weight of centuries pressing down through his armor. Luna felt the pressure immediately, an invisible force pushing against her chest, disrupting the flow of mana like cold fingers tightening around her heart. This was not a simple guardian. This thing was bound to the manor itself, fed by its corruption, strengthened by every soul that had died screaming within these walls.
She raised her staff, whispering under her breath as sigils of pale blue light unfolded around her wrist.
"Vael arcanum… steady."
