"Every memory buried beneath stone waits for the one brave enough to unearth it."
The passage beneath the statue descended in a slow spiral, narrow and suffocating. The air grew colder the deeper they went, heavy with the scent of iron and something faintly sweet, like decaying flowers. Faint golden veins ran along the walls, pulsing weakly as if echoing their heartbeat.
Kael held a lantern aloft, the flame flickering against the damp stone. "If this place is truly as old as it looks, it must stretch under the whole city."
Lior's hand brushed along the wall as they walked. "These tunnels were not built for escape. They were made to hide something."
Kael glanced at him. "The crown?"
"Perhaps. Or perhaps the truth that birthed it."
The silence that followed felt like it belonged to the stones themselves. Each step sounded louder than it should, echoing endlessly in the confined space. The deeper they went, the stronger the pulse in the walls became, until it matched the rhythm of Lior's own heartbeat.
At last, the corridor opened into a vast chamber. Columns of black stone rose from the floor, etched with intricate runes that glowed faintly red. In the center of the room stood an altar carved from crystal, cracked and darkened by time.
Kael whistled softly. "This is it. You can almost feel the power leaking from the walls."
Lior approached the altar. As he reached out, his fingertips brushed the cold surface, and a surge of energy raced up his arm. Visions struck him, brief flashes of fire and steel, of men shouting and falling, of a crown shattering into fragments that scattered like dying stars.
He gasped and staggered back. Kael caught him before he could fall.
"What did you see?"
Lior's voice was unsteady. "It broke here. The Crown of Remnants. It was never stolen or lost. It was destroyed."
Kael frowned. "Destroyed by who?"
Before Lior could answer, the runes on the pillars flared bright. The air trembled, and the ground shuddered beneath their feet. A deep voice filled the chamber, low and resonant, like the earth itself speaking.
"The one who shattered the crown returns."
Kael spun around, blades drawn. "That's not the kind of greeting I like."
The space before the altar darkened, forming the outline of a figure tall and armored, its body forged from shadow and flame. Two burning eyes locked onto Lior.
"You carry the sin of flame. You swore to never return."
Lior's chest tightened. "I do not remember that oath."
"Memory does not absolve guilt."
Kael stepped between them. "He does not even know what you are talking about, old ghost."
The shadow raised a hand. "Then let him remember."
The air split open, and pain surged through Lior like fire through dry grass. He fell to his knees, clutching his head. Images flooded his mind, his own hands holding a broken crown, his own voice crying out as flames consumed a city. He saw Kael standing opposite him, blades drawn, eyes full of betrayal.
Then everything went dark.
When Lior opened his eyes again, he stood not in the labyrinth but in a vision. Around him stretched the ruins of a battlefield beneath a burning sky. At the center of it all stood the same armored figure, but now its face was clearer, his own.
The truth struck him like a blade. The shadow was not his enemy. It was his echo.
"I destroyed the crown," he whispered. "To stop the corruption spreading from it."
The echo turned toward him, voice softer now. "And in doing so, you burned everything you sought to protect."
Lior trembled. "I tried to save them."
The echo shook its head. "You saved no one. You only delayed the end."
The battlefield flickered. He heard Kael's voice calling his name, distant but urgent. The vision shattered, and he gasped awake, lying on the cold stone floor of the chamber. Kael knelt beside him, concern etched across his face.
"What happened?"
Lior rose slowly. "I remember. I was the one who destroyed the crown. It was meant to seal the power of the ancient flame, but it turned against its bearer. I broke it to contain the fire, but in doing so, I destroyed Valenreach."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Then all this… all the ruin… it was your doing."
Lior looked away. "Yes. But it was not malice. It was desperation."
Kael was silent for a long time, his expression unreadable. Then he sighed. "You should have told me sooner. I would have helped you carry it."
Lior's eyes widened. "Even after knowing what I've done?"
Kael managed a faint smile. "You are not that man anymore. The past may burn, but it does not define what rises from the ashes."
Before Lior could reply, the ground trembled again. The shadow's voice echoed through the chamber once more.
"The seal is broken. The crown stirs. The flame must rise again."
The altar cracked open, revealing a faint golden light beneath. A small fragment of crystal floated upward, glowing softly. Lior reached out and caught it, the warmth seeping into his palm.
Kael tilted his head. "That piece is part of the crown, isn't it?"
"Yes," Lior said. "One of seven."
Kael groaned. "Seven? Of course it cannot be one."
Lior smiled faintly. "If it were easy, it would not be fate."
They turned toward the tunnel, the path now lit by the faint light of the fragment. Behind them, the chamber began to crumble, the runes dimming one by one.
As they climbed back toward the surface, Kael muttered, "If this is what one piece does, I can't wait to see what the rest will unleash."
Lior glanced at the fragment in his hand, its glow reflecting in his eyes. "So can I."