The door sealed behind her.
And silence—
Came alive.
Seraphina didn't move at first.
Her chest rose and fell slowly, her senses stretching outward, searching, listening.
The chamber ahead wasn't a room.
It was a maze.
Endless stone corridors twisting into darkness, walls shifting subtly as if the structure itself… was alive.
No clear path.
No clear exit.
Only choice.
"…Of course," she muttered under her breath.
A test.
Not of strength.
But survival.
She stepped forward.
Her boots made no sound against the cold stone.
Her breathing slowed.
Controlled.
Because in a place like this—
Noise meant death.
Minutes passed.
Or maybe longer.
Time didn't feel real here.
Every turn looked the same.
Every corridor identical.
And yet—
She felt it.
That presence again.
Familiar.
Close.
Watching.
Seraphina stopped.
Slowly—
She turned.
Nothing.
Empty corridor.
But her instincts screamed.
Not empty.
A faint shift of air—
Behind her.
She moved instantly.
Spinning, blade drawn—
CLANG!
Steel met steel.
Lucien.
His calm expression gone.
Replaced by something sharper.
Something real.
"You made it," he said quietly.
Seraphina pushed him back, eyes cold.
"You shouldn't have followed me."
He smiled faintly.
"I was already ahead of you."
A lie.
But a good one.
They circled each other slowly.
No rush.
Because both of them knew—
One wrong move—
Was death.
"You came for the relic," Seraphina said.
Lucien tilted his head.
"And you came to stop me?"
"No," she replied softly.
Her grip tightened on her blade.
"I came to take it."
A flicker of amusement crossed his face.
Then—
He attacked.
Fast.
Too fast for a priest.
His blade cut through the air with precision, aimed straight for her throat—
Seraphina ducked, countering instantly with a low strike toward his ribs.
He blocked.
Their movements collided in a violent rhythm—
Strike.
Block.
Turn.
Counter.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
Lucien swept her legs—
She jumped, twisting mid-air and landing behind him—
But he was already turning.
Their blades met again—
Sparks flying in the darkness.
They broke apart.
Breathing heavier now.
Lucien's eyes studied her.
"…You're not just trained," he said quietly.
Seraphina said nothing.
Because she knew—
He was analyzing her.
Measuring her.
The next attack came from the shadows.
Lucien disappeared—
Then reappeared from her blind side—
His blade slicing across her back—
Fabric tore.
Skin followed.
Seraphina gasped—
But didn't fall.
Instead—
She moved forward.
Into the pain.
Turning sharply, she drove her elbow into his jaw—
Hard.
Lucien staggered back.
And for a moment—
They both froze.
Because something had changed.
The torn fabric slipped.
And beneath it—
Was the mark.
A vine.
Delicate.
Beautiful.
And deadly.
A peach vine tattoo—
Running along her spine.
From the base of her neck—
All the way down.
Lucien's breath hitched.
His eyes widened.
"No…" he whispered.
Fear.
Real fear.
He stepped back.
"…That mark…" his voice trembled slightly. "…Who are you?"
Seraphina straightened slowly.
Her expression—
Gone.
Cold.
Empty.
Something else entirely.
She turned fully toward him.
And for the first time—
She didn't hide.
"I'll tell you," she said quietly.
A step forward.
Her eyes locked onto his.
"Since it's the last thing you'll ever see."
The maze grew quieter.
As if it knew—
One of them would not leave.
Lucien attacked first.
Not out of confidence—
But fear.
His strikes were faster now.
Sharper.
Desperate.
He lunged forward, blade aimed at her heart—
Seraphina didn't dodge.
She stepped into him.
Her hand caught his wrist mid-strike—
Twisting.
Hard.
A crack echoed.
Lucien gasped, dropping his weapon—
But he didn't stop.
He swung with his other hand—
A hidden blade flashing toward her side
She blocked it with her forearm, ignoring the cut as blood ran down her skin.
Pain didn't matter.
Not anymore.
She drove her knee into his abdomen—
Once.
Twice.
Then slammed him against the wall.
Stone cracked.
Dust fell.
Lucien struggled—
But her grip was iron.
"…Tell me," he gasped. "That mark—what does it mean?"
Seraphina leaned closer.
Her voice—
Barely above a whisper.
"It means," she said slowly, "you were never meant to find me."
He froze.
Too late.
She moved.
Fast.
Her blade slipped between his ribs—
Clean.
Precise.
Deadly.
Lucien's eyes widened.
His breath hitched.
"…No…" he whispered.
Seraphina held him there.
Not letting him fall.
Not yet.
"Matteo sent you," she said softly.
Lucien's lips trembled.
"…You don't understand… what you're walking into…"
Seraphina's grip tightened slightly.
"Then it's a good thing," she replied quietly.
A pause.
Her eyes darkened.
"…I'm not walking in blind."
She twisted the blade.
Lucien gasped—
Then went still.
Silence returned.
Final.
Seraphina let him fall.
His body hit the ground with a dull echo.
Gone.
Just like that.
She stood there—
Breathing hard.
Blood dripping from her arm.
Her back burning.
But her eyes—
Unshaken.
Because the path ahead—
Was still waiting.
And whatever lay beyond this maze—
Was worse than anything behind her.
She turned.
And walked forward.
Alone.