The Sanctum was real. Guarded. Aggressive. This wasn't just a sanctuary—it was a fortress. And they'd almost died for a glimpse of it.
But they were alive.
Only because of Ethan's foresight... and the strange, shimmering slime he'd quietly slipped into their pack.
And as they rested, marking down their brush with death, no one said what they all now believed:
Ethan wasn't just a leader anymore.
He was becoming a conqueror
The return journey from the dragon-men's Sanctum was nothing like the departure.
Back then, they'd moved with hope — quiet but pulsing in their chests — that discovery would come. Now, they traveled with heavy silence. The group had seen a glimpse of what true power looked like, and it wasn't a beast's claws or a monster's roar.
It was intelligence. Discipline. Fire-wreathed eyes behind walls forged in ancient glyphs.
They moved fast.
But not in a straight line.
