Chapter 91: The Fall of the King
The crystal tomb pulsed with quiet energy, casting an ethereal glow that painted Cambria and Evelyn’s faces in haunting shades of blue and violet. Time had no meaning in this hidden chamber, where Seraphine Vale lay preserved her silver hair like a crown, her features regal even in death. Yet it was the expression on her face that struck Cambria most.
Peaceful. Knowing.
"I don’t understand," Cambria whispered, stepping closer. "If she’s the source of Pandora, the origin... Why was she buried here like a secret?"
"Because truth is dangerous," Evelyn murmured, running a hand across the ancient inscriptions circling the tomb. "And Seraphine was never meant to be found."
Beneath the tomb, the floor trembled subtle, but growing. Dust filtered from the ceiling. The walls pulsed faintly, like the heartbeat of something awakening.
"She’s connected to the network," Cambria realized. "To the prototypes. To... me."
Evelyn nodded grimly. "This place it’s more than a tomb. It’s a conduit."
A low, rhythmic sound echoed through the chamber, almost like breathing. Cambria pressed her palm to the crystal. It was warm. Alive.
Suddenly, glyphs on the floor flared to life, illuminating a path toward a sealed doorway behind the tomb. The walls began to hum.
"I think she’s guiding us," Evelyn said.
"No," Cambria whispered. "She’s warning us."