The Call of Steel
Leon chuckled under his breath. A tiny sound, but it carried a warmth he rarely showed.
"Very well."
He turned back toward the massive treasury door. The serpents carved into the stone glowed with a faint, fading light—almost like they were watching him, recognizing him, accepting him. The dusk outside bled through the hallway, painting everything in amber and shadow.
"I can enter now, yes?" he asked, without looking back.
Both guards bowed deeply, their voices overlapping in reverence.
"Yes, sire. We will stand watch here."
Leon gave a small nod, then stepped forward. His hand brushed across the cool stone surface. Immediately the carvings responded—humming beneath his palm as if something ancient, something buried beneath centuries, stirred to greet him.
The serpents parted.
