The chamber was silent.
Not the kind of silence that brought peace—
But the kind that pressed down on the mind, slow and suffocating.
Echeron lay slumped against the cold stone wall, his breathing uneven, shallow. Sweat clung to his pale skin, his once confident expression now fractured by exhaustion and something far worse.
Helplessness.
Across from him, Cael stood motionless.
Watching.
Waiting.
The faint glow in his eyes had long since faded, but the pressure in the room remained. It wasn't overwhelming, not like during battle—but it was constant.
Controlled.
Intentional.
A reminder.
Echeron swallowed dryly.
"…what do you want?"
His voice cracked slightly.
Cael didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he took a slow step forward.
The sound echoed softly in the chamber.
Measured.
Deliberate.
"I already told you," Cael said calmly. "Information."
Echeron let out a weak, humorless laugh.
"You shattered my core… dragged me here… and now you expect me to just talk?"
Cael tilted his head slightly.
"Yes."
No threat.
No anger.
Just certainty.
Echeron's lips curled faintly, though the expression lacked any real strength.
"You're insane."
Cael crouched down in front of him again.
"Maybe."
A pause.
Then his eyes sharpened slightly.
"But I'm also your only chance to keep breathing."
Silence.
Echeron held his gaze for a moment longer before looking away.
Not in defiance.
But in thought.
He was calculating.
Even now.
Even broken.
Cael noticed.
Good.
That meant he hadn't completely given up.
And people who still calculated…
Could still be pushed.
"You're a Retainer," Cael continued. "You don't move without purpose."
No response.
"Greywatch wasn't random."
Still nothing.
Cael sighed softly.
"Fine."
He raised his hand slightly.
Mana shifted.
Not violently—
But inward.
Echeron's body stiffened instantly.
A sharp gasp escaped him as invisible pressure gripped him from within, not crushing, not tearing—but probing.
Searching.
His breathing became erratic.
"Stop—!"
The pressure vanished instantly.
Echeron collapsed forward slightly, coughing.
Cael lowered his hand.
"I don't need you conscious to get answers."
A lie.
Not entirely.
But close enough.
Echeron knew it too.
That was the point.
Fear wasn't always about pain.
Sometimes it was about uncertainty.
About not knowing how much control the other person truly had.
Echeron's fingers trembled slightly against the ground.
"…what… do you want to know?"
Cael's gaze didn't waver.
"Relictombs."
That got a reaction.
Subtle.
But real.
Echeron's eyes flickered.
There it is.
Cael leaned forward slightly.
"Gates," he continued. "Locations. Access points in Dicathen."
Echeron stared at him now.
Really stared.
"…you shouldn't even know about those."
Cael didn't respond.
Because that wasn't important.
What mattered was that Echeron did.
And more importantly—
That he reacted.
"They exist in Dicathen," Cael said calmly. "Hidden. Sealed."
Echeron's jaw tightened slightly.
"…who told you?"
"No one."
Silence.
Then—
A slow exhale.
Echeron leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes briefly.
"…you're more dangerous than they said."
Cael ignored that.
"Answer."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then—
"…I don't know exact locations."
Cael's expression didn't change.
"Continue."
Echeron let out a weak breath.
"The Relictombs aren't… fixed structures. Not like your dungeons."
His voice was strained, but steady enough now.
"They're layered… shifting. Anchored to certain points, but not always accessible."
Cael listened carefully.
This matched what he already knew.
But hearing it confirmed…
That mattered.
"There are gates," Echeron continued. "Entry points. But most of them…"
He hesitated.
"…are sealed."
Cael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"By who?"
Echeron laughed faintly.
"Who do you think?"
The answer was obvious.
The Asuras.
After the Djinn were wiped out, it made sense.
Anything related to them—
Anything that could threaten the balance—
Would be locked away.
"How many?" Cael asked.
Echeron shook his head weakly.
"Unknown. Even among us, information is restricted."
His lips curled faintly again.
"Retainers aren't trusted with everything."
Of course they weren't.
Agrona controlled information as tightly as he controlled power.
"But there are still some active," Echeron added after a moment.
Cael's focus sharpened.
"How many?"
"…a few."
"That's not an answer."
Echeron let out a strained breath.
"Three. Maybe four."
Silence filled the room again.
That was enough.
More than enough.
Cael's mind moved quickly.
Active gates.
Hidden.
Unknown exact locations.
But they existed.
Which meant—
Opportunity.
Dangerous.
Unpredictable.
But necessary.
Because if he wanted to reach aether—
If he wanted to go beyond what even Integration stage offered—
Then the Relictombs were the key.
Just like they had been for Arthur.
Cael stood slowly.
Echeron watched him carefully.
"…you're actually planning to go there."
Not a question.
A realization.
Cael didn't deny it.
Echeron let out a weak laugh.
"You're insane."
"Probably."
A pause.
Then Cael added quietly—
"But it won't matter."
Echeron's expression darkened slightly.
"You think you'll survive that?"
Cael looked down at him.
His gaze calm.
Unshaken.
"I'm not planning to survive."
A faint shift in the air followed his words.
Subtle.
But heavy.
"I'm planning to come back stronger."
Silence.
Echeron stared at him for a long moment.
Then—
For the first time—
There was no mockery in his expression.
No arrogance.
Only something quiet.
"…then you really are a problem."
Cael turned away.
The conversation was over.
For now.
He had what he needed.
Not locations.
Not exact paths.
But confirmation.
The gates existed.
Some were still active.
And somewhere in Dicathen—
The path toward aether was waiting.
As Cael walked toward the door, he paused briefly.
Without turning back, he spoke.
"You're not dying yet."
Echeron didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
Because he understood.
He was no longer a warrior.
No longer a weapon.
Just a piece.
A source of information.
Cael stepped out of the chamber.
The door closed behind him with a heavy thud.
Outside, the guards straightened instantly.
"Lance—"
"Prepare a report," Cael said.
His voice was calm.
Controlled.
"Everything found at Greywatch. Every detail."
"Yes, Lance."
Cael looked down the corridor.
His mind already moving ahead.
Relictombs.
Aether.
Asuras.
The war.
Everything was beginning to connect.
And somewhere in that connection—
Was the future he had been preparing for.
A future where even the gods would turn against him.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Good."
Because when that moment came—
He wouldn't be unprepared.
He would be waiting.