Chapter 58: The Last Secret
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Kael gripped Lyra's hand tightly as the earth beneath them opened like a maw, revealing a narrow staircase carved from ancient stone, glowing faintly with an unnatural blue light.
The air was cold and thick, smelling of old earth and forgotten tears.
Oran stepped forward first, his eyes scanning the darkness ahead. "This chamber was sealed the day the first pact was made. It holds the truth the town buried and the price they paid."
Lyra's breath caught. Her heart pounded louder than the whispers chasing her.
"If this is the end of the curse," she whispered, "then what's left for me?"
Maerin lit a small flame from her dagger, the flickering light casting long shadows along the walls as they descended.
The silence below was absolute, broken only by the soft echo of their footsteps.
At the bottom, a massive stone altar stood, covered in runes pulsing with energy.
Carved into the surface was a single phrase:
"Sacrifice is the soil in which freedom grows."
Oran knelt beside it, tracing a finger over the inscription.
"The last secret is a sacrifice unlike any other. To break the curse, someone must give everything memories, identity, even life itself."
Kael looked at Lyra.
"Are you ready to pay that price?"
Lyra's eyes flickered with determination and fear.
"If it means freeing Whisperwood, then yes."
But deep inside, a quiet voice whispered,
"What if freedom means losing yourself forever?"
Suddenly, the runes flared bright as the chamber trembled.
From the shadows, a chilling voice echoed:
"Not all sacrifices are voluntary."
And from the darkness, a figure stepped forward a face both new and terrifyingly familiar.