#Chapter 129: The Final Decision

I stood in the cathedral's entrance, shaking slightly with the weight of my decision. Ready or not, I needed to attempt to destroy the artifact once and for all. "You're back sooner than expected," Elsa observed from where she knelt beside the altar. Her elegant fingers traced symbols in the dust with disturbing familiarity. "The situation's accelerated," I said, my voice hoarse from the ride back. "We're out of time." Elsa straightened slowly. Her calculating gaze took in my desperate expression and disheveled appearance. "How long do we have?" "Hours. Maybe days at most." She absorbed this information unflinchingly, just cold calculation. "Then you'll need to attempt the activation tonight," she said finally. "Any delay risks the network growing too strong to break." Something about the casual and practical way she discussed things made me frown. "What did you expect? Emotional speeches about heroism and sacrifice?" Elsa's laugh was sharp as broken glass. "I’ve told