The sanctuary didn't return to normal.
It tried—but something had shifted too deeply.
Kael sat in silence beneath the training hall, in the chamber Lira once showed him. The ancient symbol pulsed faintly beneath his feet, reacting to his presence.
Not violently.
Recognizing.
"You feel it too," Lira said, stepping into the chamber.
Kael nodded. "It's… deeper now. Like something else woke up."
Lira's expression darkened. "Then we're running out of time."
Before Kael could respond, footsteps echoed behind them.
A new voice followed.
"Then it's good we arrived when we did."
Kael turned.
A tall woman stood at the entrance—armor etched with unfamiliar sigils, her presence calm but commanding.
"I'm Commander Seris Vale," she said. "And you're the problem I came to see."
- End of Chapter 38-