Shaking his head at this 'lost sheep' trying to bring yet another 'big-bad wolf' to bully the Sanctuary residents, Michael closed the journal and threw it into his inventory.

Surprisingly, he was unable to do so. As soon as he lifted it from the desk it rested on, a feeling of danger assaulted his senses, forcing him to immediately let go of the book.

Seconds later, a strange dark-green substance coated the damned thing, and all he could do was watch as it slowly dissolved, eventually carving a hole through the desk and dripping onto the floor beneath.

Drawing a sharp breath and thanking his lucky stars for the 'danger sense' he acquired after almost being killed multiple times, the Necromancer angrily kicked the desk away to vent his frustration.

'Well, that's unlucky. Fortunately, the Quest has made some progress—1/3, huh? This means I need to find two more objects to point us in the right direction. As for the things recorded in the journal, I can only chalk it up to bad luck. I'll tell Lorath later what I read and see if he can gain any true intel from it. Now then, Sanctuary, onto the next clue!'

Fortunately, the Sanctuary played along and pointed out another desk on the opposite side of the room. On it stood a quill dipped in ink, a strange statue overlooking the desk, many boots, and many pages strewn about.

One of these pages was obviously torn from somewhere, and its overall looks were much worse when compared to the others. The yellow parchment showed signs of aging as if it belonged to a different era altogether.

Learning his lesson from Elias's journal, Michael cautiously approached the desk and read from a distance.

[ Torn out page - The Shrines of the Prime Evils

Sketches of three shrines, each depicting one of the Prime Evils: Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto.

Below the drawings, Elias has written, 'Only the blessed can open the way.' ]

Frowning, Michael tried deciphering the meaning of Elias's words but couldn't reach a definite conclusion.

Who were the blessed wasn't as consequential as who the ones offering the blessings were.

'If the shrines belong to the three Prime Evils, then the blessing one must get should come from them. I can already see where this is going...'

Sighing mentally, he looked around the room and frowned when he realized nothing else stood out.

Even prodding the Sanctuary for more 'clues' was ineffective, as if nothing was left to be found out.

Scratching his head, he helplessly walked further inside the Sanctum and found Lorath standing next to a bookshelf, pulling and putting the books back in place without actually reading them.

After his tenth or so book, he finally spotted a slightly interesting one. He raised an eyebrow but didn't touch it yet.

[Chronicles of the Eternal Conflict. Some of these tomes are thousands of years old. *Sigh* I hope you had better luck than me.](Lorath)

"What have you found?"

[Not much. I recognize many of these books. He must have stolen them from a Horadric Vault.](Lorath)

"That would explain the empty shelves back in Fractured Peaks's Vault. Huh!?"

[What?](Lorath)

"I think I might've found something else. Give me a second."

While talking with Lorath, something was highlighted again to his left. Approaching it curiously with Lorath behind him, Michael waited for the Sanctuary to help him identify what this old thing was.

[ Old Worn Map - Map of Mt. Civo

At the center of the map is the Temple of the Primes, an ancient complex buried beneath Mt. Civo. Notes are scrawled across the paper.

They appear to be calculations for how much of Guulrahn's populace would be needed to excavate the temple. ]

"That explains the imprisoned people and the missing ones. Not everyone became food for the cannibals."

[Elias needed them for this... What else did you find?](Lorath)

Taking a moment to explain what he read in Elias's journal and taking the ex-Horadrim to see the ripped page marking the Shrines of the Prime Evils, Michael calmly waited for Lorath's input.

[Andariel, chained to the heart of Guulrahn. Her evil will not stay contained here; it will drown the land in suffering.](Lorath)

"I agree. Whatever he might've seen, this is not a solution. Is pure madness."

[*Sigh* Quite the opposite. Elias's mind is clear, for once. When I knew him, he was searching for purpose. I couldn't give him one, and so he found it in Lilith.](Lorath)

"Such are the workings of fate..."

[I didn't stop him. I let him become... this.](Lorath)

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Seeing the hurt in the man's eyes, Michael wanted to say something but stopped himself. This wasn't the time to comfort Lorath, as they were running out of time.

Who knows how many more people would be sacrificed to bring over a Lesser Evil into Guulrahn if they were late?

"Now is our chance to make it right. Before things get even worse."

[Yes. We have what we need. The summoning will take place at the Temple of the Primes in Mt. Civo. Now to find a way out. Knowing Elias, he would've had an escape route in case things didn't go his way.](Lorath)

Approaching the bookshelves again, Lorath pulled on the Chronicles of the Eternal Conflict, and the entire shelf moved to the side, revealing a passage behind.

It reminded the Necromancer of the bedroom the ex-Horadrim was hiding behind a bookshelf in the hut after he had left Nevesk that night three months ago.

[Behind the bookcase... I guess that's the one thing he learned from me.](Lorath)

Following behind the conflicted man, Michael kept quiet as he observed Lorath's changing expressions. He was struggling to make a decision, and it wasn't his place to meddle.

Finding themselves outside the palace walls once more, the duo looked at the clear sky, nobody speaking for a while.

Finally, it was the ex-Horadrim who broke the silence.

[Should've killed him when I had the chance... We must hurry. Now that we know where he plans to hold the ritual, we must get there fast.](Lorath)

Stumped for a while as he still couldn't follow Lorath's train of thought, Michael waited for the Sanctuary to fill him in.

[ Main Quest complete - Whispers from the Past

Reward 1: 59,136 experience points

Reward 2: 3,120 gold coins. ]

[ Main Quest issued - Through the Dark Glass

Objective: Find a way into the Temple of the Primes

Description: You must go with Lorath at the base of Mt. Civo. Together, you will find the Temple of the Triune Cult and Elias with them. ]

The new Quest didn't explain much but added more questions instead.

Looking around him and taking in the area called Fate's Retreat, he pondered the meaning of the last words the Sanctuary threw in.

The implications were clear: the Triune Cult threw in their lot with Elias.

Sighing, he looked at his experience bar and saw it stop at 882,071/1,666,350, which meant he had crossed the 50% threshold. Indeed, after checking his Paragon Page, another point was quietly waiting for its distribution.

Not only that, but his Regional Progress in the Dry Steppes had reached the second Tier, meaning he could claim some experience, gold, an extra skill point, and an extra potion capacity.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to theory craft right now, so the Paragon and skill points were left for later. The same could be said for the extra potion capacity since he needed to visit an alchemist first and buy the damned thing before going to a Healing Well to resupply.

Furthermore, Lorath had already summoned his mount and was preparing to leave, forcing Michael to follow behind him.

Annoyed slightly, he couldn't do much but chase after the ex-Horadrim as they moved between plains, avoiding the monsters growling in the distance since they would only slow them down.

Finally, about ten minutes later, they stopped at the foot of a hill, inspecting the bodies randomly strewn about. There was a mix of humans and demons, which puzzled the Necromancer terribly, as he couldn't see signs of a struggle between the two parties.

They seemed to have just... died. The name of the place—Forsaken Ascent—didn't help, either.

So he could only look at Lorath for suggestions.

"What is our next step?"

[Somewhere in this 'paradise,' the Triune has reclaimed its ancient temple. The problem is, we can't simply walk in. Elias was researching something about Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo's shrines.](Lorath)

Michael's face soured at the mention. Taking a deep breath, he resigned himself to his fate since Sanctuary guided him on this path.

He could only hope that Lilith didn't also brainwash it and would walk toward its own destruction, also wrecking him in the process.

"Only the blessed can open the way."

[Yes. But to be blessed by the Prime Evils... damned risky.](Lorath)

"I know. But I will take the risk if it is the key to getting inside the temple."

The ex-Horadrim grimaced but wasn't against the idea. He also knew how pressed they were for time, but thanks to his old age and zealous fight over the years against the forces of the Burning Hells, the chances of him getting their blessings were abysmally low.

So he could only place his hopes on the Wanderer in front of him—the one who already carried the blessing of a powerful being from Hell—Lilith's.

[Very well. Baal's shrine is close. We'll start there.](Lorath)

[ Main Quest update - Through the Dark Glass

Objective: Go with Lorath to Baal's shrine

Description: You must visit the three altars and gain their dark blessing to enter the Temple of the Primes. ]

Following behind the man, he decided to milk for some intel since he would suffer a most gruesome death if things went wrong.

At least he could know more about the reason for his death if things went sideways.

He started with something he knew the answer to but wanted to hear Lorath's input.

"What is the Triune?"

[A cult. They worship the lords of Hell. Or at least, they used to. If the Triune is working with Elias here, it means they've pledged themselves to Lilith.](Lorath)

"Wait. If the Triune worshiped the Prime Evils, why would they have joined Elias?"

[It all comes down to power. The old cult bowed to the Prime Evils. Little more than slaves to demons. But through Elias - through Lilith - they can become masters of demons. Or so they think.](Lorath)

"It makes sense. An increase in 'social status.' There's one more thing that doesn't make sense to me. Why would Elias want blessings from the Primes? Aren't they his enemies? Isn't his plan all centered around fending them off and saving humanity in the process?"

[The blessings are just a means to an end. Elias needs the temple, a place of demonic power where he can summon Andariel. If he has to grovel before the Primes to achieve his goals, he will.](Lorath)

Before he could pepper the man with more questions, they both stopped as if previously agreed upon.

In front of them, a statue exuding a strange aura greeted their line of sight. Leaving his minions to deal with the Disciples and Chosen ambushing them, Michael slowly advanced while inspecting every centimeter of the strange thing.

The statue before them was of a red demon, probably three to four meters tall. It held a strangely curved dagger in his right hand, pointed upward as if challenging the Heavens, and a pear-shaped Focus item on his left, slowly levitating above his open palm.

Leaving aside its typical demonic features, the one thing that stood out was his triangular pointy ears of a similar red color and the devious grin decorating its mug.

[Baal. Lord of Destruction. His influence has launched every war in history. Never once has he tired of conflict.](Lorath)

Michael didn't need the introduction to know this. He could feel it.

As soon as he stepped closer, his thoughts were imperceptibly affected, and he already had the idea of joining his minions in dealing with the enemies ambushing them.

Trying to center his thoughts around something more peaceful, he filled his mind with images of plump and perky peaches, as well as the delightful sounds they made upon being smacked.

It was surprisingly effective.

Feeling his mood return to normal, he turned to Lorath inquisitively.

[Speak his true name: Tor'Baalos. Then make a cut on your palm and drip blood on the altar.](Lorath)

Hearing the words, he did a double take to make sure the ex-Horadrim wasn't joking.

And surprisingly, he wasn't.

If he had heard the process from anyone else, he might've beaten them to a pulp before bringing them to Prava to experience the might of the Church's Inquisition.

Complaining inwardly, Michael pulled out the Legendary dagger and made a small incision on his left index finger, deciding to be stingy with this shitty Lord of Destruction.

"Tor'Baalos."

When the name was spoken, it strangely overpowered the sounds of his and Mother's minions clashing, echoing ominously throughout the hill.

Before the Necromancer's face could darken with annoyance at the horror setting, he felt as if his entire being was being hammered into the ground and fell to the floor with a weak groan.