The House of Faust

The ash market lies behind Yuri, its abandoned stalls fading beneath rain and gray dust. The captive’s uneven footsteps have vanished south toward the city.

A second toll rolls through the leaning bell tower. Beneath the broken-crown mark, sealed stones grind apart, revealing stairs descending into breathless darkness.

Far below, a man in a black coat passes between walls of wet stone. His entire face is hidden by a white mask bearing an upside-down cross.

The masked figure pauses at the lowest visible landing. The darkness swallows most of him, but the mask turns upward, fixing its blank regard on Yuri.

A faint metallic chime answers from deeper within the chapel ruins. The open stair waits between Yuri and the disappearing figure, while rain threads down the tower stones.

Yuri grits her teeth and charges down the wet stair, her long red hair streaming behind her as each footfall shakes dust from the ancient vault.

The Masked Man descends swiftly, but Yuri closes the distance. His black coat vanishes through an arched doorway, and she reaches it moments later.

Beyond the arch lies the bell vault, a broad chamber of black slate and tarnished chains. The masked man stands beside a stone table, no longer fleeing.

A faint metallic chime trembles through the chamber. On the table, slate records surround a shallow recess bearing the split-crown mark.