Chapter 39: The Unbound
Elric awoke to warmth.
Real warmth—not the choking heat of power or memory, but sunlight. It streamed through a small gap in the ceiling, falling across his face like the hand of something kinder than fate.
He blinked slowly. His limbs ached. His sigil still pulsed faintly, but no longer burned. Beside him, Lira sat with her back against the wall, arms crossed, eyes half-closed but alert.
"You're alive," she said dryly.
He groaned. "Didn't feel like it for a minute."
"You were out cold for nearly an hour. The chamber didn't move, but the air..." She looked up. "It's different."
Elric sat up, wincing. The chamber did feel different. The weight was gone. The tension, the suffocating pull of the Root—lifted.
"I think it's unbound," he whispered. "The throne... the Pact... they don't control the memories anymore."
Lira looked at him.
"You sure?"
He hesitated—then nodded. "I saw the first Root-binder. She showed me the original design. What it was meant to be. I released it."