The silence that followed Aria's command was absolute.
Moonlight filtered through the cavern's jagged mouth, catching on the ancient glyphs etched into the stone like veins of glowing silver. The moment she spoke the last syllable of the invocation, the chamber trembled, the air shifting with an ancient power buried deep beneath their world.
Aria stood at the edge of the seal—an obsidian ring encasing a cracked moonstone pedestal. Her crown pulsed, its runes flickering wildly like warning flames. Caleb stepped beside her, his jaw tight, eyes locked on the center of the seal.
"It responded to you," he whispered, voice tight with awe and dread. "What did you just do?"
"I don't know," Aria replied honestly. Her heart thundered in her chest, but her voice remained steady. "The crown showed me this place. I thought it was guiding me to Mara's end... but this feels older. Deeper."
Caleb's hand found hers—rough, warm, grounding.
