A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6771

Time passed without a sound. Fine beads of sweat gathered on Kael's brow, slid down his pale cheeks, and struck the stone door with tiny taps.

His fingers trembled slightly. Every release of spiritual energy demanded absolute concentration and accuracy. A single mistake would destroy all his progress and might even trigger the restriction, bringing their enemies down upon them.

His awareness held nothing but the sigils and the pathways of energy. He shut out the rest of the world. Only one thought remained: Break the restriction and save Mira as quickly as possible.

Riven stood behind him without relaxing for a moment. His eyes moved constantly between the two ends of the corridor, and he pressed an ear to the wall to listen for movement outside.

An oppressive silence filled the passage. Only the faint movement of spiritual energy beneath Kael's palms and his labored breathing could be heard.

Riven sensed Kael's reserves draining rapidly and watched his face turn steadily paler. His anxiety mounted, but he dared not interrupt and could only pray in silence.

After about half an hour, the final sigil on the door flickered and went completely dark, like a lamp going out.

The stone door gave a muffled rumble and slowly opened a narrow gap. A heavy scent of seawater rushed through, carrying a trace of Mira's aura.

Relief washed over Kael. His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed. Breaking the restriction had consumed a vast amount of his spiritual energy. His reserves were now depleted, and his face was white as paper.

He forced himself to remain upright and slipped through the opening. Riven followed, and they quickly entered the space beyond.

It was a circular chamber resembling an abandoned underground pool. The space measured roughly 110 feet across. Its bottom had dried, exposing cracked mud strewn with broken stones and discarded sigils.

A circular opening about 11 feet wide pierced the ceiling directly above the pool. Starlight from the night sky shone faintly through it.

A thin spiritual barrier covered the opening, apparently separating the auras above and below ground.

Mira was up there.

Kael stared at the opening, then looked down at the dry pool as a powerful impulse surged through him.

He could sense seawater above, together with the weak fluctuation of Mira's spiritual energy. An array held that water in the air around her to sustain her life.

Once through that aperture, his sister would finally be within reach, and he could carry her away.

"Up we go," Kael said. Fatigue roughened his voice, but urgency drove every word.

He pushed hard against the ground and shot toward the circular opening like an arrow released from a bow. His spiritual energy surged to its limit as he tried to smash through the barrier.

His body struck it with a muted thud. The barrier shivered but held.

Kael had not expected another obstruction at the exit. With no time to waste, he gathered power into his palm and struck again.

A deep boom shook the chamber. The barrier buckled, and a hairline crack appeared. Kael seized the opening and flashed through it into damp air.

The night wind swept across the plaza, carrying brine and an unsettling fluctuation of spiritual energy. Its cold touch sharpened his exhausted mind.

Kael quickly swept his gaze around him. Dozens of stone lamps surrounded the plaza and filled it with light as bright as day.

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