The corridor widened into a vault, and Kael's chest tightened at the sight.
Bells hung from the ceiling, hundreds of them. Some tiny as a coin, others big enough to hide a man inside. All swayed on iron chains, though no wind moved here. The air felt thick, like it was waiting for the first note.
The system's words scratched into his head:
[Room Detected: Chamber of Chains & Bells] Rule: Every bell must be answered. Fail: Wrong strike = Echo rises. Warning: Group trial — cost is shared.
Riven squinted. "Answer? I don't play music. Closest I got was banging pots on stew night."
Kael almost smiled. His throat burned too much to waste the breath.
Seren crouched, ran her hand across the dust, then drew circles with her finger — three, four, five. She tapped the smallest one, then her throat, then pointed at the bells. A puzzle. A cost.
Kael stepped to a cracked bronze bell, letters faint on its side. When his palm touched it, warmth pulsed up his arm. Images flashed — a riverbank, a child skipping stones. Not his memory.
The system whispered:
Trade required: One memory for safe passage. Refusal: Bell tolls. Echo +1.
Kael pulled his hand back fast, heart thudding.
Seren dug in her pouch and pressed a small hard seed into his hand. She scribbled: Use this. Not us.
Riven leaned over, snorted. "Seriously? We're feeding the room trail mix?"
Kael ignored him, placed the seed inside the cracked bell. The bell shivered, then went still.
[Trade accepted] Bridge extended.
A stone strip pushed out from the edge, forming a narrow bridge across the pit that circled the chamber. Stalagmites below looked like waiting teeth.
Riven whistled low. "Well, shit it worked now my turn."
He cut his finger and pressed it to the next bell. The bell boomed, loud and deep. Chains rattled overhead.
[Wrong trade] Blood taken. Echo +2 (Riven).
Darkness climbed higher up his legs, thick and heavy.
"Fuck," Riven hissed. Then he forced a grin. "Guess it wanted more than a snack."
Seren shoved a note into his chest: Idiot.
"Pfft." He grinned wider.
Kael's Compass twitched toward a small bell shaped like a toy. He dropped another seed. The bell rang faint, the bridge extended again.
But there were still dozens of bells left. The chamber wouldn't let them out cheap.
The air shifted. Chains rattled. Somewhere in the shadows, a laugh echoed — sharp, human.
A woman stepped into view.
Lyra Ashveil.
Her hair was cropped short, her clothes patched with leather, and her eyes gleamed like polished coin. She leaned against a pillar, grin bright and dangerous.
"You feed the bells scraps," she said. "Cute. But what happens when you run out?"
Riven swore under his breath. Kael's grip on the Key tightened. Seren moved closer, eyes locked on Lyra.
The bells stirred above, chains clinking like restless snakes.
Then the gong struck.
BOOOONG.
It rolled through the vault, shaking the chains, rattling every bell. The sound sank into Kael's bones.
The far bridge quivered. The bells began to wake.