The boy still cowers in the lantern glow, token clutched tight to his chest. Xaurier sees it at once, the blackened charm is not a ward, but a key. The threshold waits for blood.
The hidden arch beside the chamber shivers. Thin seams of old metal answer the token’s pull, as if the chapel itself is holding its breath.
The Inquisitor
That stone below the token, it is a lock. Say the word, and I break it.
Elias the Miller
No, wait. Look at the boy. The door wants him hurt.
The boy flinches harder, knuckles white around the token, eyes darting between Xaurier and the dark seam in the wall. The lantern flame gutters low.
Xaurier stands between the child and the threshold, with the chapel’s secret finally showing its price. The old mechanism is ready, but only if the boy bleeds to wake it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect the boy from the chapel mechanism