The silence in the Foundry was heavy, broken only by the groaning of cooling metal and the ragged breathing of the survivors.

Reed lay on his back on the cold stone floor. The violet light had faded from his eyes, leaving him staring up at the dark ceiling with normal, human vision. But his body felt wrong.

His veins burned with a lingering, icy itch—the residue of the Shadow Mana. It felt like he had ice water circulating through his system instead of blood. His chest ached where Elara had slammed into him, a phantom bruise on his soul that throbbed in time with his heartbeat.

He felt hollowed out.

"Boss?" Grika's voice was small.

Reed turned his head. Grika was kneeling beside him, her goggles pushed up on her forehead. Her face was streaked with soot and tears.

"I'm here," Reed croaked. His voice sounded wrecked, like he'd been screaming for hours.

"You turned purple," Grika sniffled, poking his arm with a hesitant finger. "And you sounded like… not you. It was scary. You froze the Lich."

"It was necessary," Reed whispered. He tried to sit up, but his arms trembled too much to hold his weight.

A gauntleted hand appeared in his vision.

High Inquisitor Kaelen stood over him. She looked like a statue that had been dragged through a war zone. Her Silverite armor was dented and scorched. Her white cloak was gone, likely burned away during the melee.

She wasn't offering her hand to help him up. She was holding a small, silver vial.

"Drink," Kaelen ordered.

Reed looked at the vial. "Poison?"

"Mana Restoration Draught," Kaelen said, uncorking it with her thumb. "Standard issue for Paladins. It will stabilize your core before you go into shock. I cannot have my assets dying of exhaustion."

Reed hesitated, then took the vial. He downed it in one gulp.

It tasted like liquid sunlight and mint.

The effect was instant. A warm flush spread through his chest, chasing away the necrotic chill. His heart rate steadied. The trembling in his limbs subsided, though the emptiness remained.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

Mana Restored: 15 / 150. Status: Stable.

Debuff: [Shadow Taint] – Emotional volatility increased. Resistance to Holy Magic increased.

Reed sat up, wiping his mouth. "Thanks."

Kaelen didn't say 'you're welcome.' She walked over to the spot where the Lich had vanished. She picked something up from the floor—a shard of black crystal that had cracked off the Lich's staff during its retreat.

"Void Shard," Kaelen identified, holding it up to the dim light of her sword. "Concentrated negativity. The Necromancer is not just raising the dead; he is harvesting the Void between worlds."

She tossed the shard to Reed. He caught it. It felt heavy and cold, like a piece of dry ice.

[ITEM ACQUIRED]

Void Core Fragment (Grade A)

Properties: Nullification. Silence. Space-Warping.

Use: Upgrade Material.

"Keep it," Kaelen said coldly. "If you are going to be a monster, you might as well be a well-equipped one."

Seraphine slithered over, her magma armor cooling to a dull grey. She glared at Kaelen, placing herself between the Inquisitor and Reed.

"Do not speak to him like that," Seraphine hissed. "He saved your life. He wielded the Shadow to protect you."

"He wielded the Shadow because he is of the Shadow," Kaelen countered, her hand resting on her sword hilt. "Do not mistake desperation for virtue, Snake. Your master is a dangerous anomaly. I am simply… managing the risk."

"Enough," Reed said, struggling to his feet. He put a hand on Seraphine's arm to calm her.

"We're alive. The Lich is gone. The army is scattered. Let's just… take the win."

"EEP."

A small sound came from behind the frozen leg of a fallen Siegebreaker.

Reed looked over. "Riva?"

The Harpy crept out from the shadows. She wasn't flying; she was walking on her talons, wings tucked tight against her body. She was covered in mud and shivering violently.

She had been there the whole time, hiding from the Lich's aura.

"Boss," Riva whispered, rushing over and burying her face in Reed's tunic. "Boss okay? Bad Magic Man gone?"

"He's gone, Riva," Reed said, stroking her messy feathers. "You're safe."

Riva pulled back. Her golden eyes were wide and frantic.

"Not safe!" she squawked. "Boss, listen! Spy Bird saw!"

"Saw what?"

"Before I came in… before I dug the hole…" Riva pointed a trembling wing toward the ceiling, indicating the surface world. "The Army! The bones! They aren't gone!"

"We routed them," Grika argued. "I saw them run!"

"No!" Riva shook her head so hard her ears flapped. "Only the little ones ran! The Big Ones… the Siegebreakers… they didn't run away! They ran West!"

Kaelen stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "West? Toward the river?"

"Yes!" Riva nodded. "Two Big Monkeys! Carrying purple glowy rocks! They are going to the Stone Bridge!"

The color drained from Kaelen's face. For the first time, the Inquisitor looked genuinely terrified.

"The River Fork Bridge," Kaelen whispered. "That is the only crossing for fifty miles. My reinforcements… the Silver Flame Vanguard… they are due to cross that bridge at dawn."

She looked at Reed.

"If the Necromancer destroys that bridge, my army is stranded on the wrong side of the river. We will be cut off. Isolated."

"And then Malakor will encircle us," Reed finished the thought. "He's not retreating. He's cutting our lifeline."

Reed looked at his HUD map.

[TACTICAL ALERT]

Objective Update: The Necropolis has shifted targets.

Target: River Fork Bridge.

Time to Impact: < 1 Hour.

"We have to go," Kaelen said, turning toward the blocked elevator shaft. "We have to stop them."

"We?" Reed asked. "I have fifteen mana and a headache. My tank is asleep. My engineer is traumatized. And my bird is frozen."

"I cannot fight two Siegebreakers alone," Kaelen stated flatly. She looked at Reed.

"You defeated a Death Knight with your bare hands. You utilized… creative violence. I require that creativity."

She walked up to him. She didn't look down at him; she looked him in the eye, soldier to soldier.

"Protocol 77 remains in effect, Asset Reed. I am commandeering you for a field mission. We leave now."

Reed looked at his family.

Seraphine was exhausted. Grika was spent. Luma was barely holding her form. They couldn't fight another battle tonight.

But if that bridge fell, the Necromancer would starve them out.

"Okay," Reed said. "But we can't use the front door. It's buried."

He turned to the massive, frozen statue in the center of the room.

"Terra," Reed called out. "Wake up. We need a back door."

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