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54. The City and The Stone

『 Ni-ki’s POV 』

I’d seen a lot since this whole thing started. Realms of dragons, illusions, oceans, and storms. But nothing hit me quite like seeing Ad Mare for the first time.

It was stunning.

From the hilltop, the city shimmered like glass under the sun. Towering white spires cut the sky, laced with gold and carved so intricately it looked impossible. Streets curled like rivers through perfect gardens, and rooftops gleamed with silver tiles. I couldn’t help but stare.

“It’s like a painting,” Kyujin whispered beside me.

No one spoke much after that. We just looked.

At the center stood the main castle—elegant and proud. Sunlight bounced off the marble towers and bathed it in gold. Edlynne and Huening Kai stood slightly apart from the rest of us, gazing at it in silence.

“That was our home,” Edlynne said softly. “Before he took it.”

Behind the castle loomed the Minaret—a spire taller than any other building we’d seen. Sleek and ancient. It looked like it pierced the clouds. If the last stone was anywhere, it had to be there.

“So,” Sunoo said beside me, hands in his pockets. “Sneak in. Get the stone. Try not to get killed. Simple.”

“Simple,” I repeated, trying not to laugh.

We’d already told Drayce about Edlynne and Kai’s past. The whole rightful-rulers, Cadmodeus-wiped-our-history thing. He’d taken it better than expected.

“Explains a lot,” he’d said with a shrug. “Still weird, though.”

Now we were heading down to the city, our plan—if you could call it that—being to find a quiet way in and go unnoticed.

There were no gates or walls. Just open roads lined with glowing trees and clear water streams. Which is why it didn’t make sense when we tried to step in and hit… something.

Yuna flinched back, stumbling as she rubbed her arm. “What the hell?”

“It’s like a wall,” Jiwoo said, tapping the air. Her fingers didn’t go through.

Jungwon tried to manipulate the ground beneath it—nothing. Jini sent a wave of fire forward, and it sputtered out the second it touched the barrier. Bae and Kyujin tried illusions and light. Sunghoon froze it. Sullyoon even tried punching it. Still nothing.

“It’s magic,” Yuna muttered, flipping through her spellbook. “Old, layered, and unbreakable.”

Sunoo and I exchanged a glance.

“Drayce,” I said. “This smell like anything familiar to you?”

He blinked. “Uh… maybe?”

Sunoo crossed his arms. “Come on. You’ve been around longer than all of us.”

Drayce rubbed the back of his neck. “Ohh, I just remembered.”

“What?” Kyujin asked.

“Calum,” Drayce said. “Shield magic, impenetrable. Top tier. Could trap an entire realm if he wanted to.”

“And you’re just now telling us this?” Bae asked, deadpan.

Drayce grinned awkwardly. “In my defense, it's hard to remember these type of things."

Of course, that’s when the air shimmered—and a figure stepped through the barrier.

Calum.

He looked… exactly how I imagined he would. Tall, lean, silver-streaked hair and cold blue eyes. His presence carried weight, like gravity had a favorite person.