Chapter 24: The awaken
The tomb's final chamber was unnaturally quiet, like the world had stopped breathing. The torches along the walls flickered without wind. The air was thick — not with dust or age, but something heavier. Memory. Regret.
Cain stepped forward first, his boots echoing across the marble floor. In the center stood a stone altar, cracked with time, yet glowing faintly. Resting atop it — a figure.
Pale.
Still.
A woman, cloaked in midnight silks, her hair spread like ink around her face. She looked... peaceful.
"Mother," Cain whispered, voice caught in his throat. He hadn't called her that aloud in years.
Lucien held back. Ayden did too, unusually quiet.
Then — her eyes opened.
It wasn't sudden. It was slow, like a creature waking after centuries. Her irises glowed red for a moment, then softened to violet. She blinked once. Twice.
"Cain," she breathed. Her voice was both familiar and not. Like multiple tones echoing through a cracked mirror.
He stepped forward. "It's us. Your sons."