Since they entered, the main hall had been transformed from a magnificent place of prayer to one with cracked marble and giant chains hanging from the walls. The atmosphere had turned cold under Petyr's frozen gaze, still marred with rage.

Shivere stood between the other Cardinals, nodding at Nova's words. Exhaustion marked her face, but her back was straight. "What are your terms?"

Nova raised one small finger. "First condition—you protect me and Millie while we're here."

"That's reasonable," Cardinal Collier said, glancing at the other Cardinals. "We'll need to protect them regardless. The girl who arrived with you—that's Millie?"

"Yes." Nova lowered his hand. "She's in our room. I had to remove a possession from her earlier, so she will be fine for now."

He put up another finger. "Second condition—none of you pursue me for twenty years after I leave. That includes sending others after me. Unless I attack any of you directly."

Cardinal Victoria's sharp features hardened. "Twenty years?" She shook her head. "That's far too long. We need recourse if you act against the church."

"We'll find a middle ground." Nova looked at each Cardinal in turn, raising a third finger. "And third. If this works—if I close the rift and we all survive—I want another hundred thousand Soul Power."

'That much would let me free the kids and fight anyone in Collport who tries to stop me.'

"You ask for much." Shivere's blue eyes studied him. "What do we gain?"

"I'll forge your weapon, design the formation to gather the celestial essence, and carry it inside the rift myself, killing the rift being."

"And if you fail?" Victoria asked.

"Then I die." Nova kept his voice flat, thinking the question was obvious. "But I want to borrow a strong soul for the attempt."

The Cardinals looked at each other with strained faces. "You'll return the borrowed soul?" Shivere asked.

"Of course. Unless I'm about to die, I won't absorb it." He figured that much would be fine. "I just need enough power to survive emergencies."

Collier stepped closer. "Could you show us the contract formation?" His dark eyes sparked with scholarly interest.

'This guy would make a great chronicler,' Nova thought. 'Not so much a leader.'

He nodded and knelt on the cracked marble, letting his essence flow outward, creating intricate patterns that spread across the floor. Blue light traced each rune with precision, building the familiar patterns of his contract spell.

"Each of you will have separate terms," Nova explained. "So if one breaks a condition, the others won't suffer."

"Good," Shivere murmured, staring at the unfamiliar runes. "We're not immune to the madness, so it's not unlikely that one of us will break the terms. If that happens, I want it in the terms that any soul you receive from killing one of us is returned to one of the others."

"That's more than fair." Nova nodded. He wasn't surprised she'd reached the same conclusion about the risks of madness. "But don't you all have those soul-guiders to protect your souls?"

"Those only work when there are no claimants to the soul," Collier explained. "Natural deaths or accidents."

"I see. And in this case, I would be the claimant."

The formation continued to grow across the floor, casting soft blue light up onto their faces. Each circle locked into place with quiet chimes, building toward completion.

Nova looked up at the Cardinals, hoping they would cooperate. "Do we agree to the terms?"

Cardinal Victoria frowned. "I think a hundred thousand is a bit much."

"Then good luck finding someone else immune to madness." Nova kept his voice flat. He wasn't being unreasonable at all, to the point where he found it strange he met resistance.

Shivere nodded, preventing any discussion. "We agree." She seemed to have taken the role of leader now, as none of the others disagreed.

"Good." Nova pointed to the glowing pattern on the floor. "Stand in the circle."

They all entered the formation, still studying the patterns with curious eyes. "Where did you learn these runes?"

"In a dream," Nova replied, not eager to reveal anything. He knelt before the glowing formation as runes spread across the cracked marble. Layer upon layer of circles formed, each one spinning at different speeds.

"The terms must be perfectly clear." Nova sent a pulse of essence through the formation, causing the runes to flare brighter. "Your minds will try to reach an agreement. Five parties at once is going to be a challenge, but it's fine."

The formation started moving faster, matching questions and answers between the five souls involved. Blue light traced complex patterns through the air as it found compromises.

"This feels much too advanced," Shivere said, sensing the formation in her mind. Her blue eyes narrowed. "Like the formation is alive."

Nova shook his head. "It uses our minds. Mine is interpreting the information and setting the rules, making sure they are understood and agreed upon by both parties. A combination of mind and magic."

The runes spun faster, testing each party's true intentions. Nova felt the formation probing his soul, seeking deception or hidden meanings.

"I accept these terms," Collier said after a long moment. Darius and Victoria nodded as well. But Shivere waited.

"You're being awfully detailed in your terms, Cardinal Shivere," Nova mumbled, knitting his brows. "What are the odds I remain sealed in the rift while most of you die? I think it's fair that I absorb those souls in that case. Otherwise, the souls would drift in the void after I die."

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"That's fine, but you'll need to repay the debt you owe to the ones of us remaining if you escape. The church would lose too much otherwise."

"Fine. If that's what it takes to finish this…"

'I figured she would be detailed, but this is almost suspiciously much…'

The formation stopped moving and burst into motes of light, finalizing the contract between them. Nova released a long breath as tension drained from his shoulders. Now he was relatively safe.

'Just need to survive the most terrifying place imaginable now… and escape before the bomb goes off. Then we're all good.'

"Now," Nova stood, brushing marble dust from his knees. "If I'm going to forge you this thing, I'll need materials. Show me what you have."

"Of course, no time to waste!" Collier gestured toward a side passage. "Our vault holds quite a collection."

"I'm coming too!" Annelie said, falling into step beside them. Her expression still seemed tense as she glanced at Nova, but there was little either of them could do about it now.

They left the great hall behind, following Collier deeper into the cathedral.

Collier led them down winding corridors lit by glowing crystals. Their footsteps echoed off ancient stone as they descended deeper beneath the cathedral.

"The main vault hasn't been opened in months," Collier said, stopping before a massive door covered in golden runes. "Most materials are too valuable to risk using."

"But not today," Nova replied, mildly excited to see what he might find.

"Some of the materials can have dangerous effects, so don't stay close to them for too long," Collier warned them, pressing his palm against the door. The runes flared bright, then faded as locks clicked open inside the metal.

The door swung inward with a deep groan. Cool air washed over them, carrying the scent of metal and magic.

Nova drew a sharp breath as he stepped inside. Shelves stretched into darkness, laden with materials that sang with power.

[Fragment of Nova Gorton activated.]

The fragment heightened every sense as he moved between the rows. His fingers traced the air close to a nearby ingot, listening to the intricate melodies. "This is incredible…"

"What are you sensing?" Annelie asked, watching his movements closely.

Nova moved between the shelves, fingers tracing the air near glowing monster parts and shimmering metals. "Songs I've never heard before. Harmonies that shouldn't be possible."

A rack of weapons caught his eye. Most blades sang harsh and discordant, but a few resonated with pure notes he hadn't heard in six lifetimes. His fingers itched to forge.

'I need to get my hands on metals like these. The things I could make… Time and money is all I need… Me and everyone else.'

Oh what fun he would have when the world was fixed. Unless he died before he could experience it. Again.

'That would be just my luck…'

He stopped before a small box tucked between larger items, sensing an unusual note. Inside lay a bunch of what looked like ordinary black rocks, but the melody was something he had never heard before. One singular note, almost imperceptible. Light as a feather.

"This one," he said, lifting one of the black stones. The melody walked the line between music and noise, somehow both beautiful and wrong.

Annelie peered at it. "That plain rock? Or something inside it?"

"We'll know when we get to the forge. I think it has the right properties for our plan."

"Are you sure?" Collier asked from the doorway. "Those are just failed attempts at making artificial soul stones. We didn't find any uses for them, but kept them here due to the material cost."

Nova smiled. "Sometimes failing at one thing can create great breakthroughs in another. I'm confident this will be what we need. But I also need a fitting metal to work with."

He continued his search while carrying the stone near his ear, now listening to the harmonies between the materials. His head bobbed from side to side, sometimes finding decent combinations, but never quite hearing what he wanted.

'I'll need a metal that can seal celestial essence… The stone can store it, but to make a bomb, I need more than just storage. I need contained energy, increasingly powerful, until the shell gives in and creates a shockwave. Metal that can't let essence through, the least essence absorbing metal there is…'

"Hey, Collier?" Nova turned to the Cardinal, deciding to ignore the formalities with the contract in place. "What metal is the worst at absorbing essence?"

"Oh, the worst?" Collier stepped into the storage room. "Iron is pretty bad, but I imagine you're looking for something more interesting."

"Iron is in the right direction, but it's not good enough." Nova set down another failed sample. "Do you have any other types of iron, perhaps?"

"Well, there are alloys… But for pure metal, there is also stronium. Very hard, but hardly used due to the terrible essence compatibility."

"Do you have it here?"

Collier walked to a corner of the storage room. "In this chest." He tapped a heavy wooden box with bronze fittings. "It's rare, but the few usages means we've stockpiled what we found."

Nova approached the chest. A clear harmony rang between the stone and its contents. He lifted the lid and smiled—the dull grey metal inside sang in perfect tune. "I'll take it! Can I use as much as I want?"

"Of course!" Collier gestured at the room's contents. "As long as it's to save the city, anything here is yours."

A terrible temptation to use materials for his body cultivation rose in Nova's chest. But the knowledge that people were dying every minute pushed him to continue.

'Maybe if there's still time before nightfall…'

He took the entire chest, balancing it over his head. "Can one of you bring the rocks?"

"I'll do it," Annelie yelled, using a spell to lift the heavy wooden box through the air. She shot Nova a questioning look. "Why not use magic?"

"Levitation wastes too much essence." Nova adjusted his grip on the chest. "I'll need every drop I can save tonight."

Nova set the heavy chest down in the forge room. The stone sang louder here, harmonizing with the dormant hearth.

"Has anyone checked on Millie?" He glanced at Shivere, who had appeared in the doorway. Her blue eyes studied his movements with interest.

"I sent two priests to guard her door." Shivere stepped inside, running a finger along a workbench. "And the barrier you made still holds."

"That's not enough." Nova pulled tools from the racks, testing their balance. "She needs someone who can resist the madness."

"I'll watch her." Annelie set down the box of stones. "My resistance should hold until nightfall at least."

Nova nodded, giving her a smile. "Thank you. And stay inside the barrier—it will help." He figured she was downplaying her resistance for the Cardinals, but it didn't hurt to make sure.

Shivere watched their exchange with a slight frown. "You can take two of the guards we brought, Animo. I don't want you walking around on your own."

"I would be safer on my own," Annelie said, putting on a nervous expression. "Guards can be twisted by the madness."

Shivere sighed, nodding lightly. "Fine then. You have the power to manage on your own."

Annelie smiled as she walked over to Nova, squeezing his shoulder. "I'll watch her and stay within the barrier."

"Thanks, Animo. I'm counting on you."

She headed for the door, casting a worried glance back at him. Then she was gone.

'She really seems to hate the idea of sending me into the rift… I can't blame her. I would feel the same in her shoes.'

Nova pulled the failed soul stone from its box and held it near the forge, igniting its flames. The song grew deeper in the heat, giving him an idea of how it would react to the forging.

'First, I need to shape the stone, making it capable of storing as much of the celestial essence as possible. Then I need to enchant it, creating a trigger for the explosion and a sorting enchantment for the energy, giving it more room. And after that comes the stronium shell…

The entire process will take longer than the time I have available with the fragment, so I need to unequip it when it's not required. Damn time limits…'

"This will take a few hours at least," he said, reaching for the tongs. "I'll need complete focus. One of you should stay here to protect me."

Shivere nodded at Collier. "I'm interested in watching. You can leave if you want."

"Oh, I wouldn't miss this," Collier replied, sitting on one of the other anvils next to Nova's forge. "Besides, we should discuss a contingency if the others fall to madness, as you said."

Nova placed the first piece of stone in the heart of the forge. Orange flames cast dancing shadows across the walls as he studied the stone's reaction to the heat.

'This had better work. The void is waiting, and I don't have time for second attempts.'

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