Kane watched as the moonlight intensified, its silvery beam narrowing to pierce the darkness above.
The light struck a precisely carved crystal embedded in the ceiling directly above the portal, previously hidden in shadow.
"Look," he whispered, pointing upward.
The crystal captured the moonlight, splitting it into dozens of thin beams that danced across the chamber.
Each ray found its mark on silver runes etched into the floor—symbols that had remained invisible until this exact moment.
The runes awakened, pulsing with ethereal light, forming connections between themselves like a complex circuit.
Energy flowed through the patterns, converging on the sealed portal.
The metallic surface began to glow, first dull red, then brilliant white-hot.
A deep groan echoed through the chamber as ancient mechanisms stirred to life.
The portal's segments rotated and retracted, stone grinding against stone after centuries of stillness.
