Sagiri stepped through the dark obsidian archway, entering a vast circular chamber of black glass. The floor was completely smooth, reflecting the dim silver light of the Five Relics pulsing in his veins.
Arranged in a wide circle around the room were thirteen towering stone pillars, each carved with the ancient crest of an N'folu clan head. In front of each pillar stood a dark silhouette formed from concentrated memory light.
These were the martial echoes of the past Keepers, the legendary leaders who had carried the Living Memory across thousands of years. They did not speak with words of hatred, but their sharp, glowing eyes were filled with the cold weight of ancient sorrow.
"You have passed the outer memory currents, young Keeper," the central figure said, his deep voice echoing across the glass floor. "Now you must prove you can bear the martial burden of the thirteen lines."
