The floor of the chamber rumbled as the Ark shifted its structure. Metal plates retracted, revealing a wide circular hatch in the center. A stairway of black alloy unfurled downward, spiraling into darkness that seemed to swallow even the Ark's glow.
Jonas peered over the edge, whistling low. "That's… inviting. Real warm welcome down there."
Selene planted her staff on the first step. Its white flame spread across the spiraling path, revealing walls carved with markings—runes older than any language on Earth.
"This was built for more than travel," she murmured. "It's a passage of remembrance."
Mara tightened the straps on her armor and stepped forward without hesitation. "Remembrance or not, it's the only way through. Let's move."
The group followed in a cautious line—Mara leading, Selene close behind, Eris in the center with Liora at his side, and Jonas covering the rear. The hatch sealed shut above them, plunging them fully into the descent.
Each step hummed faintly under their boots, as if alive. Eris reached out, brushing the wall with his fingertips. The moment he touched it, the silver veins across his arms pulsed. Images flashed—warriors long dead, shadows blotting stars, a people fleeing into the Ark's depths.
He staggered. Liora grabbed his arm instantly. "Eris?"
"I… saw them," he whispered. "The ones who built this place. They were running from something… bigger than the guardians."
Jonas muttered, "Bigger? Just what I needed to hear."
The spiral ended in a vast cavern, its ceiling lost in shadows. The floor was smooth, almost too smooth, like it had been melted rather than carved. Pools of faint red liquid shimmered across the ground, reflecting their torchlights in fractured patterns.
Mara crouched, dipping a finger into one of the pools. She jerked back. "Not water. Some kind of… energy. Like liquid fire."
Selene's staff flared brighter. "It is essence. Residue of creation's forge. To see it still flowing means something ancient still breathes here."
The Ark's voice resonated faintly in their minds, distant but guiding.
"Deeper, Descendant. The Heart is not alone. It was never alone."
Eris swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the tunnel stretching further down into red-lit darkness. His veins of silver burned brighter, pulsing in rhythm with the pools.
He whispered, almost to himself, "Then what else is waiting?"
The cavern trembled softly, as if answering.