The group returned to the forward base just past midnight.
There were no celebrations.
Caesar could barely walk.
Lisa Lisa's cloak was stained with vampire blood.
Joseph hadn't made a single joke since they left the Skeleton Heel.
Leo followed in silence—just another shadow among them.
The air was colder than before.
Not because of the altitude.
But because of what was coming.
—Kars no longer needs to hide, Lisa Lisa said as she cleaned her glove with alcohol. He has the Mask. He has the Stone.
Only one step remains.
Joseph leaned his elbows on the table.
—And we're giving him just enough time to take it.
—Not if we stop him before he completes the ritual, Caesar added—his voice tired, but tense.
—And how do we find him? Joseph asked. We don't even know where he is.
Leo spoke up, weighing each word.
—Maybe we do.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Leo pulled a folded map from one of his pockets.
—When we were in the ruins, I noticed markings in a side tunnel. Dragged footprints. Traces of fresh vampire ash.
Kars and his followers are using pre-Roman routes that connect to the eastern glacier.
Lisa Lisa approached the map.
She analyzed it in seconds.
—A temple beneath the glacier. It was a ceremonial site during the Pillar era.
Perfectly isolated. No aerial access.
Joseph scoffed.
—Perfect place to become a god without interruption.
Leo said nothing more.
He let them believe he had just figured it out.
[Narrative manipulation: successful. System interference: none.]
They prepared the gear in less than thirty minutes.
Lisa Lisa led the way. Joseph escorted her.
Caesar insisted on coming, despite his injuries.
Leo was the last to check his equipment.
He looked at his hands.
[Estimated time until Kars's full perfection: 2 hours.]
—We won't arrive in time to stop it, he whispered.
And I don't need to.
I need him complete.
Intercut Scene — Kars: The Ascent
In a chamber carved from ice, surrounded by obsidian technology and long-dead symbols…
Kars breathed slowly.
The Red Stone spun like a suspended heart.
The Mask was fused to a living pedestal.
Lines of energy coursed through his body like liquid rivers of light.
The vampire sentries watched from the walls.
They didn't blink.
—Everything has led to this moment, Kars murmured.
He placed his hands into the twin altars.
Energy surged through him.
His skin vibrated.
His muscles burned.
His senses… awakened.
[Transformation: 58%]
[Genetic processes: stabilizing.]
[Access to solar core: prepared.]
—The sun…
will soon be as soft as shadow.
Then his eyes snapped wide open.
There was no rage.
No desire.
Only… certainty.
Return to the Group
Snowflakes were falling as the team descended with lanterns charged with Hamon.
The cracks beneath their feet creaked like shattered paper.
Joseph spoke in a low voice, as if even the echo could betray the plan.
—If we catch him mid-process, we attack.
We can't let him reach the peak.
Lisa Lisa nodded.
—I'll cover the rear.
Caesar breathed heavily, but his eyes were locked on the map.
Leo walked behind them all, dark coat tight, his gaze fixed on the stars.
[Kars transformation: 78%]
[Absorption allowed post-evolution: confirmed.]
And then, Leo thought:
—Let us be late.
Let him succeed.
And when he's perfect…
let him learn what it means to lose.