Chapter 8: When the Seal Looked Back
The moment Lucien stepped onto the sigil, the whisper became a roar.
Not sound in a sound rather in a *memory*.
His scar burned as if branded anew, heat flooding his skull while the ancient runes beneath his feet flared violently. The chains of light hovering above the examination circle rattled, their glow shifting from pale silver to a deep, warning crimson.
Lucien did not scream.
He clenched his jaw and stood still.
Sister Maribel's calm expression finally fractured.
"Increase containment," she ordered.
Veiled Night clergy moved instantly, raising staffs etched with warding symbols. A lattice of shadowed light descended over the sigil, pressing down like an unseen weight.
Lucien begin to fell it.
Pressure crushed against his thoughts, digging into places he never known that existed. Images flooded his mind—stone halls older than kingdoms, crowns shattered by time, blood soaking into ritual circles drawn by trembling hands.
*You remember,* the presence whispered.
Lucien staggered.
Selene, watching from the student ranks, felt her breath catch. "That's not normal," she muttered.
Inspector Halbrecht stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "He's resonating."
Darius smiled. "No. He's answering."
The sigil flared.
A shockwave rippled outward, forcing several students back. Elowen instinctively stepped forward, ignoring the gasps around her.
"Stop it!" she shouted. "You're hurting him!"
Maribel raised a hand. "The examination must continue."
Lucien dropped to one knee.
The chains screamed.
Not metaphorically.
A shrill, metallic cry tore through the chamber as one chain twisted violently, its runes cracking like glass.
Halbrecht's eyes widened. "That chain—!"
"It's reacting to him," Maribel said, voice tight. "He's not the anomaly. He's the *conduit*."
Lucien's vision blurred.
The hall dissolved.
---
He stood beneath a sky of shattered stars.
The academy was gone—replaced by an endless stone altar floating in darkness. At its center lay a massive, sealed eye carved from obsidian, veins of crimson light pulsing beneath its surface.
Chains wrapped around it.
Most were broken.
Only one remained intact.
*Welcome back,* the presence said.
Lucien staggered back. "I've never been here."
*Your soul disagrees.*
The chain trembled.
A figure appeared beside the altar—crowned, faceless, holding a blade stained with black.
*A promise was made,* the presence whispered. *And that was broken.*
Lucien clutched his head. "I don't know you!"
The eye began to open.
---
"Elowen!"
Her name tore Lucien back into his body.
He gasped, collapsing forward as hands caught him before he hit the stone. Selene knelt beside him, panic etched across her face.
"Lucien,
The sigil was in chaos.
Runes flickered erratically. The chains thrashed, light bleeding into shadow. Several clergy were thrown back as their wards shattered.
Maribel staggered, her composure finally gone. "Seal it! Now!"
Darius laughed—a sharp, exhilarated sound. "Too late."
The chain snapped.
A deafening crack echoed through the hall as the remaining restraint shattered, fragments of light dissolving into the air like dying stars.
Silence followed.
Oppressive. Absolute.
Then the sigil went dark.
Lucien lay unconscious.
The whisper receded but not entirely.
Inspector Halbrecht exhaled slowly. "The seal has lost another anchor."
Maribel's face was pale. "This should not be possible."
Elowen pushed through the stunned students and knelt beside Lucien. She placed a trembling hand against his chest, feeling his heartbeat—rapid, but steady.
"He's alive," she said fiercely. "And you will not touch him."
Darius raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness—"
"Enough," Halbrecht snapped.
Darius glanced at him, amused. "You don't command me."
"I do," Halbrecht replied coldly, "in matters of containment failure."
A tense silence followed.
Maribel closed her eyes. "Remove the students. This examination is suspended."
Whispers erupted as faculty rushed to comply.
As Lucien was carried from the chamber, Elowen walked beside him, her expression unreadable.
Deep beneath the academy, stone groaned.
The seal pulsed.
And something ancient underneath smiled.
The game had just begun.