The world swallowed them whole.
Not with ground.
Not with water.
Not with darkness.
But with light.
Amaya felt it first — a prickle under her skin, like gentle electricity rushing across her arms, her throat, her ribs where the golden cracks from her awakening still glowed faintly.
Then—
Boom.
The falling stopped.
Or changed.
Leo twisted mid-air, tightening his grip on her, bracing for impact — but instead of crashing against stone or water, their bodies were caught by something soft and weightless. A cushion of shimmering pressure. A glow. A hum.
Amaya gasped.
The abyss had opened into a massive underground cavern…
and inside it floated thousands of crystals, suspended in the air like frozen raindrops.
Each one glowed with soft, shifting colors — blues, golds, silvers, violets. They sparkled and pulsed gently, lighting up the cavern like a field of stars.
The air felt warm. Alive. Listening.
Leo's eyes widened, the silver in his irises glowing brighter.
