The chamber felt tighter.
Not physically—
But in a way that pressed against the air itself.
The orb pulsed again.
Sharper this time.
Daniel felt it immediately.
"That's not her usual signal," he said quietly.
Maria shook her head.
"No… this feels different."
The light flickered—
Not smoothly.
Erratically.
Like something was interfering.
Then—
A sound.
Deep.
Low.
Not from above.
Not from around them.
From beneath.
The floor trembled.
Not like before.
This wasn't a reaction.
This was resistance.
Daniel stepped back.
"That's coming from below this chamber."
Maria's voice dropped.
"But there wasn't supposed to be anything below this one…"
The orb pulsed rapidly now.
Urgent.
Almost… panicked.
"Elena?" Daniel called out.
The light flared—
Bright.
Then dimmed suddenly.
"No," he said, stepping closer. "Hey—stay with me."
The ground cracked.
A thin line splitting across the stone floor—
Exactly where the platform stood.
Maria grabbed his arm.
"That's not just damage…"
The crack glowed faintly.
Not like Elena's light.
Darker.
Colder.
Daniel's breath caught.
"That's the same thing we saw in the vision…"
The fracture spread.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Like something pushing upward.
A faint sound followed it.
Not a voice.
Not quite.
But close enough to make their skin crawl.
Maria stepped back.
"That's not her."
Daniel didn't answer.
Because he knew.
The orb suddenly shot downward—
Hovering directly above the crack.
It pulsed violently.
Brighter than ever before.
"No…" Daniel whispered.
"She's trying to hold it."
The light expanded.
Spreading across the floor—
Covering the fracture.
Sealing it.
For a moment—
Everything stopped.
The crack froze.
The dark glow flickered.
And then—
It pushed back.
Harder.
The chamber shook violently.
Dust falling.
Stone shifting.
Maria stumbled.
"Daniel—this is getting out of control!"
The orb flickered again—
Weaker this time.
Daniel stepped forward instinctively.
"What do we do?!" he shouted.
The light pulsed—
Once.
Then projected something.
Not a vision.
Not a memory.
A direction.
A path.
The symbols on the wall lit up—
Leading away from the chamber.
Maria stared.
"She's telling us to go."
Daniel shook his head.
"No—she needs help!"
The orb pulsed sharply.
Stronger.
Insistent.
Another tremor.
The crack widened slightly.
That strange, almost-voice echoed again.
Closer.
Maria grabbed him.
"Daniel—listen to her!"
He hesitated.
Torn.
The orb dimmed.
Struggling.
And that's when he understood.
If they stayed—
They wouldn't help.
They would make it worse.
Daniel clenched his fists.
"…we go," he said tightly.
Maria nodded.
They turned—
Following the glowing path.
Behind them—
The orb flared one last time.
Holding the fracture.
Holding it back.
For now.
But not forever.