THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 324: 324. BREACH

The archive trembled violently now that Sagiri had finally given in to the feeling inside of him. He pushed out the invisible mass of power, and it ran, swallowing almost the entire inner city before he narrowed it to just the war fortress to the chief’s fortress. It had taken him a few minutes to internalize the map. Well, he did not need to remember everything when the archive could. Whatever was in the chief’s fortress had called upon the archive, and even Nokai pulsed in the archive pocket.

”Where did you get this map?” Sagiri asked, finally snapping his eyes open. Nvaru’s eyes had turned white. Sagiri could only sense calmness from him or nothing.

”After you come out alive. You now owe someone.” N’varu said. Of course he did. The map was so old and intricate and looked like a top secret.

”Move close,” Sagiri said, and Lira and N’varu moved closer to him. He made sure the archive path was clear from the top of the fortress before he pulled the two into the archive pocket. Sagiri disappeared from his spot and moved quickly within the archive. The movement only took a second before Sagiri landed on the roof of the supreme chief’s fortress.

The Archive tore open above the Supreme Chief’s Fortress, and Sagiri stepped out onto the roof without a sound. His boots touched the dark stone, and he immediately dropped into a crouch, one hand against the surface as cold mountain wind swept across the high roof. The fortress roof was vast and eerily silent, carved from black stone polished smooth by centuries of weather.

Far below, Thazir glittered like a sea of stars trapped between canyon walls, its lights tiny from this impossible height. For a moment, Sagiri remained still, letting his eyes adjust to the view from so far above. He watched the gate of Thazir from his position. It looked so small and distant from the place where he stood. Even the chants in the inner city sounded distant.

He let the night wind caress his face while his cloak snapped softly behind him. Then he rose and turned. The Archive pocket snapped open. A second later, N’varu stumbled out onto the roof, catching himself before he could fall, followed closely by Lira. The black archive pocket folded shut behind them, leaving the three standing alone atop the highest point of the Supreme Chief’s Fortress.

”Well, if I get caught, y’all can jump to your death,” Sagiri said.

”Funny. Just make sure you are back in exactly two hours. I don’t want to think I only have two hours to live.” N’varu said.

Okay, N’varu, fire the flare in the direction of the war fortress if I am not out. It will, but the other time to move back, and you two can find a way to die a less painful death.” Sagiri said again before he crouched low, getting ready to go into a place on the map.

”Hope the map is right, or I will end up putting myself in prison.” Sagiri’s memory merged with the archive’s memory.

The map unfolded three times before it reached its full size. Lines covered nearly every inch of parchment. Corridors split into corridors. Rooms concealed other rooms. It was a maze. Entire sections disappeared beneath layers of annotations added over decades. The fortress resembled a living thing more than a structure. Rings of defenses wrapped around the central chambers while hidden routes snaked through the mountain like veins.

There were so many passages that following one with a finger often led to six others. Even N’varu, who had spent days obtaining it, looked annoyed just trying to read it. The Supreme Chief’s Fortress wasn’t designed to keep enemies out. It was designed to make them lose themselves forever once they got in.

There were too many secrets that the map didn’t have. It could have some fourth wing or seventh wing like the war fortress of Tagayia for all Sagiri knew. He had to move around without killing anyone, too.

Sagiri studied the map one final time before memorizing the route. Then the Archive spread silently beneath his feet. Darkness poured across the stone roof, swallowing him whole without a sound.

The world vanished.

He moved within the Archive, gliding through the endless black while following the path N’varu had shown him. Unlike his usual jumps, he couldn’t simply force his way directly to the destination. The fortress was layered with defenses and strange distortions that pressed against the Archive from every direction. So he moved carefully.

Several times, he paused, adjusting his course as invisible barriers drifted past like walls hidden beneath the mountain. Then he felt it. The room. The same unsettling pull that had haunted him for days suddenly became stronger. Much stronger. Sagiri turned toward it immediately. The Archive shifted with him. A few moments later, a tear opened in the darkness, and he stepped silently out into the chamber below. His boots touched stone without making a sound as the Archive folded shut behind him, leaving him alone in a dark room.

Sagiri remained motionless for several seconds after stepping out of the Archive, allowing the silence of the room to settle around him. The chamber was dark. The kind of darkness that came from a place rarely visited. His eyes slowly adjusted. Stone walls. Heavy pillars. Shelves. Shapes hidden beneath cloth covers.

Nothing felt immediately dangerous. Yet the feeling that had driven him here pressed against his senses harder than ever before. Sagiri took a slow step forward. Then another. Every movement was deliberate. His boots barely touched the floor as he moved through the shadows, listening.

The fortress felt impossibly empty. Just silence. A silence so complete that he could hear the faint scrape of fabric as his cloak shifted behind him. His gaze moved constantly, examining every corner, every doorway, every object large enough to conceal something. The hairs on the back of his neck refused to settle. It felt as though he had entered a cage.

Sagiri paused beside one of the pillars and slowly turned. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he felt a presence there. Watching him. The sensation vanished the instant he looked directly at it. His hand drifted toward Nokai. Not drawing it. Just resting there. Ready. Then he continued deeper into the room, his breathing steady while every instinct he possessed screamed that something was wrong.