Part Four
The forgotten halls of the forty-sixth floor seemed reluctant to release the expedition. Every corridor curved just enough to obscure what waited beyond the next corner, while the weathered statues lining the ancient passageways stood frozen in silent vigil, their faces long since surrendered to centuries of erosion. Dust rested undisturbed upon broad stone ledges, yet the floor beneath their boots remained surprisingly clean, as though unseen hands still cared for these forgotten places.
No one spoke above a whisper.
Not because Garrick had instructed them to.
Because the dungeon demanded it.
The deeper they ventured, the more every member of the expedition began to feel it. There was no visible enemy stalking them through the ruins, no monsters leaping from the darkness or traps springing beneath careless feet. Instead, there was only the persistent sensation that unseen eyes continued watching every decision they made.
Adrian had experienced that feeling before.
Not in a dungeon.
In Stonehollow.
As Mayor.
Every decision mattered.
Every action carried consequences beyond the obvious.
This place...
Felt strangely similar.
The corridor eventually widened into an immense chamber unlike any they had crossed before. Massive pillars rose from a perfectly polished marble floor, each wrapped with carved vines and faded murals depicting scenes far older than any living kingdom. Although time had stolen much of the artwork, enough remained for Adrian to recognise warriors standing beside creatures that resembled familiars rather than beasts.
Foxes.
Wolves.
Owls.
Stags.
Even creatures he couldn't name.
None wore collars.
None were chained.
They stood...
Beside.
Never beneath.
Adrian slowed almost unconsciously.
Theron noticed immediately.
"You've seen something."
Adrian stepped closer to one of the murals, carefully brushing away a thin layer of dust with the sleeve of his coat.
"I don't think these are decorations."
Ruby joined him, studying the faded carvings.
"They're telling a story."
"They are."
Adrian nodded.
"Look."
He pointed toward one section where several figures stood before an enormous doorway.
"They're entering together."
His finger traced the next panel.
"Then they're fighting."
Another.
"Then..."
He frowned.
"...they're leaving."
Mira tilted her head.
"What's strange about that?"
Adrian remained silent for a long moment.
Finally...
"They're leaving with more companions than they entered with."
Silence settled over the chamber.
Mirelle slowly approached the mural.
Her fingers gently rested against the ancient stone.
"...I'd never noticed that."
Theron looked between them.
"What are you saying?"
Mirelle smiled softly.
"I think..."
She looked toward Ember.
"...familiars have always been part of the dungeons."
Ember had quietly climbed from Adrian's shoulder and now sat directly before the ancient mural.
His little head tilted.
He chirped once.
Then softly placed one tiny paw against the weathered carving of another red panda almost completely hidden beneath centuries of dust.
Everyone froze.
Adrian knelt beside him.
"There..."
He whispered.
"I didn't even see it."
The carving was small.
Easy to overlook.
Yet unmistakable.
A tiny red panda sat proudly beside a traveller whose face had long since been erased by time.
The pose...
Was almost identical to the way Ember currently sat beside Adrian.
Mirelle slowly exhaled.
"...Remarkable."
Theron scratched thoughtfully at his beard.
"So familiars have accompanied dungeon expeditions for centuries."
"It would seem so."
Mirelle answered.
"But..."
She looked around the chamber.
"...that knowledge disappeared."
"How?"
Nobody had an answer.
Their discussion ended as Garrick quietly raised one hand.
"Listen."
Everyone fell silent.
At first Adrian heard nothing.
Then...
Very faintly...
Children laughing.
Mira looked around.
"Did anyone else hear that?"
The laughter echoed again.
Soft.
Playful.
Almost joyful.
Yet...
It carried no source.
The empty chamber remained exactly that.
Empty.
Ruby frowned.
"There aren't any children down here."
"No."
Garrick answered quietly.
"There aren't."
The laughter echoed a third time.
This time closer.
Then it vanished completely.
One of the veteran hunters made the sign of the World Tree over his chest.
"I've always hated this floor."
Adrian looked toward him.
"You've heard it before?"
The hunter nodded.
"Every expedition."
"What is it?"
"We don't know."
He smiled uneasily.
"...We've stopped trying to find out."
They continued onward.
The corridor narrowed once more before opening into a series of collapsed halls where enormous stone blocks had fallen from the ceiling centuries earlier. Ancient roots forced their way through cracked masonry, while glowing fungi transformed the ruined passages into an underground forest of pale blue light.
Here...
The Watchers finally revealed themselves.
One by one.
Not emerging to attack.
Merely watching.
They resembled slender humanoids carved from smooth grey stone, though closer inspection revealed skin rather than rock. Their enormous silver eyes reflected every lantern carried by the expedition, while long white hair hung almost to the floor behind them.
None carried weapons.
None spoke.
They simply observed.
One stood atop a broken archway.
Another watched from behind a fallen pillar.
A third crouched effortlessly upon the ceiling itself, its luminous eyes following Adrian as he passed beneath.
Mira instinctively whispered,
"They're creepy."
Theron smiled faintly.
"They'd probably say the same about us."
Adrian couldn't help laughing.
The nearest Watcher tilted its head.
Almost...
Curiously.
Then...
Something unexpected happened.
Ember hopped down from Adrian's shoulder.
The little red panda walked several paces toward the nearest Watcher before stopping.
The pale creature blinked.
Ember chirped once.
The Watcher slowly lowered its head.
Not fearfully.
Respectfully.
Then stepped backward into the shadows and disappeared.
One after another...
Every remaining Watcher followed.
Within moments...
The ruined hall stood empty once again.
Mirelle stared after them.
"I have..."
She shook her head slowly.
"...never seen that before."
Garrick looked equally stunned.
"They acknowledged him."
"No."
Theron corrected quietly.
His eyes rested upon Adrian.
"They acknowledged..."
"...both of them."
Silence lingered.
Not one person present could explain what they had just witnessed.
Several hours later the expedition finally reached another enormous stone stairway spiralling downward into darkness.
An ancient marker stood beside its entrance.
The carved letters had faded badly with age, but enough remained to identify it.
FLOOR FORTY-SEVEN
Garrick slowly rolled the map closed.
"We've made excellent time."
Theron nodded.
"No serious injuries."
"No unnecessary battles."
Ruby smiled.
"Exactly how I like my expeditions."
Mira looked down into the darkness below.
"So..."
She swallowed.
"...what lives on the next floor?"
Garrick's expression became noticeably more serious.
He looked toward Adrian.
Then toward Ember.
Finally...
He answered.
"The Flooded Kingdom."
Even speaking the name seemed to make the air colder.
Somewhere far below...
Water echoed through the ancient stone.
Slow.
Steady.
Waiting.
The staircase spiralled steadily downward, each step carrying the expedition farther beneath the world above until even the faint blue glow of the Forgotten Halls disappeared behind them. The deeper they descended, the cooler the air became. Moisture gathered naturally upon the ancient stone walls, while a constant rhythmic sound slowly grew louder with every passing minute.
Water.
Not dripping.
Flowing.
Slowly.
Patiently.
As though an unseen river had carved its path through the mountain long before history itself had been written.
No one rushed.
Even Mira, whose endless curiosity usually pushed her to the front of every journey, remained close beside her father. Something about the staircase felt... heavier. Every footstep echoed strangely, swallowed by the darkness before returning seconds later from directions that made no sense.
Adrian found himself unconsciously gripping the hilt of his sword.
Not from fear.
Instinct.
Ember mirrored him.
The little red panda had become unusually quiet again, his amber eyes sweeping endlessly across the descending stairwell while his ears flicked toward sounds too distant for anyone else to hear.
Theron noticed.
"He doesn't like this floor."
Mirelle gently shook her head.
"It isn't dislike."
She listened for a moment before smiling sadly.
"He's listening."
"To what?"
"I don't know."
She looked into the darkness below.
"I don't think any of us do."
The staircase finally ended.
Before them stretched an enormous underground cavern unlike anything Adrian had imagined.
The Flooded Kingdom.
The name suddenly made perfect sense.
Ancient stone streets disappeared beneath crystal-clear water that reflected the glowing mana crystals embedded high within the cavern ceiling. Half-submerged buildings lined broad avenues that vanished into the distance, their elegant towers leaning slightly after centuries beneath the earth while graceful bridges connected rooftops rising above the flooded streets.
It wasn't a ruin.
It was...
A city.
A silent city.
One that had simply never awakened again.
Every building displayed remarkable craftsmanship despite the passage of countless years. Marble columns remained standing where entire kingdoms above would have long since crumbled, while delicate carvings of leaves and flowing rivers decorated balconies now occupied only by moss and flowering vines nourished by the endless water surrounding them.
No one spoke.
Even Theron stood quietly admiring the forgotten city stretching endlessly before them.
Mira finally whispered,
"...People lived here."
"They did."
Garrick answered.
"No one knows who."
Adrian slowly walked to the edge of the nearest stone walkway before kneeling beside the water.
It was perfectly clear.
He could see the ancient road disappearing beneath its surface, worn smooth by feet that had passed this way thousands upon thousands of times.
He reached down cautiously.
The water was surprisingly warm.
Not hot.
Comforting.
Almost...
Alive.
"The water isn't natural."
The elderly royal mage crouched beside Adrian, dipping two fingers into the flooded street before lifting them once more.
"It contains mana."
Ruby joined them.
"Healing mana."
The old mage nodded.
"Very pure healing mana."
Adrian looked around the silent city.
"So the entire floor..."
"...is infused with it."
"It appears so."
The expedition resumed their journey, following the broad stone pathways winding through the ancient settlement. Although much of the city lay beneath several feet of water, elevated walkways still connected the larger structures, allowing travellers to move through the ruins without becoming completely submerged.
Everywhere Adrian looked, he found signs of ordinary life frozen in time.
Broken market stalls.
Weathered fountains.
Stone benches overlooking peaceful canals.
A child's wooden toy boat rested upon the edge of one flooded courtyard, somehow preserved despite countless centuries beneath the mountain.
Mira carefully picked it up.
"It's still here."
Her voice carried a quiet sadness.
"Like someone forgot it."
Theron looked toward the surrounding buildings.
"Or never had the chance to come back."
Farther ahead, the expedition entered what had once been an enormous town square.
Dozens of statues surrounded the flooded plaza.
Unlike those on the previous floor, these remained almost perfectly preserved.
Every one of them depicted ordinary people.
Children laughing.
Merchants trading.
Families walking together.
No warriors.
No kings.
Just...
Life.
Adrian slowly turned in a complete circle.
"This doesn't feel like a dungeon."
"No."
Garrick agreed.
"It feels like..."
He stopped.
Searching for the right word.
"...a memory."
Ember suddenly jumped from Adrian's shoulder.
Before anyone could react, the little red panda bounded across several broken stones before stopping beside one of the statues depicting a mother holding the hand of a young child.
He sniffed the base carefully.
Then...
He sat.
Perfectly still.
His ears lowered.
His tail slowly curled around his tiny body.
Adrian walked over.
"What is it?"
Ember looked up.
His bright amber eyes seemed strangely... sad.
The little familiar reached one tiny paw toward the stone child before gently touching the weathered carving.
No chirp.
No excitement.
Only silence.
Mirelle arrived beside Adrian a moment later.
She knelt quietly.
"He's feeling lingering emotions."
Adrian frowned.
"After all this time?"
She nodded.
"Powerful feelings can leave echoes."
Her hand rested lightly upon the ancient stone.
"This place wasn't destroyed by hatred."
"It wasn't?"
"No."
She smiled sadly.
"It was loved."
Those words settled heavily over the expedition.
Loved.
Not conquered.
Not abandoned.
Loved.
Somehow...
That made the silence hurt even more.
A faint splash echoed somewhere deeper within the flooded streets.
Everyone froze.
Another splash.
Then another.
Slow.
Measured.
Not fish.
Not falling stone.
Footsteps.
Something...
Was walking through the water.
Theron quietly lifted Frostrender from his shoulder.
The giant sword reflected softly in the glowing canals.
"Garrick."
The Guild Master had already drawn his weapon.
"I heard it."
The Forest Wardens silently spread into formation, their bows already nocked while Ruby guided Mira toward the centre of the group without saying a word.
The splashing stopped.
Silence returned.
Then...
From beneath the crystal-clear water...
Dozens of pale blue lights slowly opened.
Eyes.
Not above the surface.
Below it.
Watching from the flooded streets hidden beneath their feet.
Adrian instinctively stepped back.
The lights didn't move.
They simply...
Observed.
Waiting.
Patiently.
Just as every creature within the dungeon seemed to do.
Ember's ears flattened once more.
His tiny growl echoed softly across the forgotten city.
This time...
The eyes blinked.
And one by one...
They began rising toward the surface.
The pale blue lights continued rising through the crystal-clear water with agonising slowness.
No ripples spread across the flooded streets.
No splashes disturbed the glass-like surface.
Instead, the water seemed to part naturally around whatever approached, as though recognising its passage after countless centuries. One by one the glowing eyes broke the surface, followed by graceful heads covered not in scales or fur, but in smooth, translucent skin through which veins of soft blue mana pulsed like gentle streams beneath ice.
Mira instinctively tightened her grip on her bow.
"...What are they?"
No one answered immediately.
Even Garrick stared in silence.
The creatures slowly revealed themselves.
Long serpentine necks rose from the water before broad bodies emerged behind them, each nearly the length of a carriage yet moving with astonishing elegance. Four powerful legs ended in webbed claws instead of talons, while delicate fins extended from their shoulders like flowing cloaks beneath the water's surface.
Most striking of all...
None of them looked aggressive.
Their brilliant blue eyes simply studied the expedition with quiet curiosity.
Almost...
Intelligently.
The lead creature stopped several yards away.
It raised its head.
The others remained behind it.
Waiting.
Adrian slowly lowered his Energy Blade.
Theron noticed.
"You don't think they're hostile."
"They haven't given me a reason to."
One of the veteran hunters frowned.
"They're monsters."
"They live in a dungeon."
Adrian nodded.
"So do the spiders."
"So did the Watchers."
"And neither attacked us."
Silence settled over the flooded plaza.
Theron smiled beneath his beard.
"I'm beginning to think..."
"...the dungeon has better manners than some adventurers."
Several hunters quietly laughed.
Even Garrick couldn't hide a grin.
The lead creature slowly stepped onto the ancient stone roadway, water cascading gently from its body before disappearing into the glowing canals surrounding the square.
It stood nearly as tall as Theron.
Yet despite its immense size...
Its movements possessed remarkable grace.
It lowered its head.
Not threateningly.
Respectfully.
Then...
It looked directly at Ember.
The little red panda had climbed from Adrian's shoulder once again.
He stared back without fear.
For several long seconds...
Neither moved.
Then Ember gave one small chirp.
The great creature answered.
A deep, haunting call echoed gently throughout the forgotten city.
The sound resembled a whale's song more than any roar Adrian had ever heard.
Beautiful.
Ancient.
Lonely.
The remaining creatures repeated the call one after another until the entire flooded city resonated with soft, mournful melodies that drifted through every canal and empty street.
Mira slowly lowered her bow.
"...They're singing."
Ruby smiled softly.
"I think..."
She listened carefully.
"...they're greeting him."
Mirelle quietly stepped beside Adrian.
"They're River Guardians."
Her voice carried unmistakable wonder.
"I've only ever read about them."
Garrick looked surprised.
"I thought they'd all disappeared."
"So did everyone else."
She slowly approached the nearest creature.
"They're ancient spirit beasts."
"They don't belong to the dungeon."
Adrian looked towards her.
"What do you mean?"
"They were here..."
She gently rested one hand upon the creature's shoulder.
"...before the dungeon."
The words settled heavily over the expedition.
Before...
The dungeon.
Adrian slowly looked around the silent city once more.
The statues.
The bridges.
The peaceful canals.
The murals.
The healing waters.
An uncomfortable thought formed.
"What if..."
He spoke quietly.
"...this wasn't originally a dungeon?"
Nobody answered.
Not because they disagreed.
Because none of them had ever considered the possibility.
The lead River Guardian slowly turned its head toward the far side of the plaza.
Then looked back at Adrian.
It took three deliberate steps.
Stopped.
Looked back again.
Theron folded his arms.
"I think..."
"...it's trying to show us something."
Garrick nodded.
"I was thinking the same."
Adrian looked at the creature.
"You want us to follow?"
The River Guardian blinked once.
Then calmly continued walking.
Without another word, the expedition followed.
The ancient streets gradually narrowed as the Guardian led them deeper into the forgotten city. Smaller canals gave way to broad waterways lined with enormous marble buildings whose upper floors still stood proudly above the water despite untold centuries beneath the earth.
No monsters appeared.
No ambushes came.
Only silence accompanied them.
Eventually...
The Guardian stopped before an enormous circular plaza.
At its centre stood a magnificent tree unlike any Adrian had ever seen.
Its trunk had turned completely white, almost resembling polished ivory, while shimmering blue leaves continued growing from branches that should have died thousands of years ago.
The roots disappeared beneath the healing waters surrounding the plaza.
Yet...
The tree still lived.
Ruby's eyes widened.
"Impossible..."
The elderly royal mage stepped forward.
"...A Mana Heart Tree."
His voice trembled.
"I thought they were extinct."
Mirelle smiled.
"So did everyone."
Ember suddenly bounded across the ancient stones toward the enormous tree.
He stopped at its roots.
Sat down.
Then quietly looked back at Adrian.
Almost...
Inviting him closer.
Adrian walked forward slowly.
The moment he placed one hand against the smooth white bark...
Warmth spread through his entire body.
Not mana.
Memory.
For the briefest heartbeat...
Images flashed through his mind.
Children laughing.
Families crossing the bridges.
River Guardians swimming peacefully through crystal canals.
Familiars playing beneath the tree.
A city...
Alive.
Then...
Darkness.
A great rumble.
The earth shaking.
People running.
Not from monsters.
From below.
The vision vanished.
Adrian staggered back one step.
Theron caught his arm immediately.
"What happened?"
Adrian looked up at the ancient tree.
"I..."
He swallowed slowly.
"I don't think..."
His voice had become unusually quiet.
"...this city was built inside the dungeon."
Everyone stared.
Adrian looked once more toward the endless streets stretching beneath the mountain.
"I think..."
"...the dungeon swallowed the city."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the River Guardians lowered their heads.
As though...
They had been waiting for someone to finally understand.
Far below...
Deep beneath Floor Fifty...
Something ancient stirred.
Not because Adrian had become stronger.
Not because he possessed extraordinary magic.
Because...
For the first time in countless centuries...
Someone had begun asking the right questions.
No one spoke for several long moments after Adrian withdrew his hand from the Mana Heart Tree.
The vision still lingered behind his eyes.
Not every detail.
Only fragments.
Children laughing.
Water flowing peacefully through bright canals.
River Guardians swimming freely beneath graceful bridges.
A city full of life.
Then...
Darkness.
The mountain trembling.
People running.
Not from war.
Not from monsters.
From something...
Far below.
Adrian slowly exhaled before looking back toward the great white tree. Its silver-blue leaves swayed gently despite the complete absence of wind, each one glowing softly with healing mana that seemed to pulse in time with a heartbeat far older than any kingdom still standing upon the surface.
He couldn't explain it.
But he no longer believed the Cycle Dungeons had simply appeared every fifty years.
Something about that idea no longer fit.
They weren't being created.
They were...
Awakening.
The thought unsettled him more than he cared to admit.
The River Guardians remained silently gathered around the plaza as the expedition prepared to leave. None attempted to stop them. None followed.
Instead, the great serpentine creatures lowered their heads one after another, their haunting songs echoing gently through the flooded city until the melody seemed to weave itself into the flowing canals and ancient stone alike.
It felt...
Like a farewell.
Mirelle quietly wiped at the corner of one eye.
"They're thanking us."
Theron looked sideways.
"For what?"
She smiled sadly.
"For remembering."
No one asked her to explain.
Some things...
Didn't need explaining.
The route toward the next floor carried the expedition through the oldest part of the forgotten city.
Buildings gradually gave way to immense temples carved directly into the surrounding stone, their towering archways supported by columns wider than ancient oak trees. Time had claimed much of their beauty, yet enough remained for Adrian to appreciate the astonishing craftsmanship of those who had once lived here.
Every wall carried murals.
Not of battles.
Not of conquest.
Of life.
Families gathered beneath enormous trees.
Children training beside Spirit Beasts.
Smiths working while River Guardians rested peacefully in nearby pools.
Familiars.
Everywhere.
Not servants.
Companions.
Partners.
Adrian found himself smiling.
"They never treated them like tools."
Mirelle looked up at one particularly well-preserved mural.
"No."
Her voice was almost reverent.
"They treated them like family."
Ember looked up at Adrian.
Without saying a word, the little red panda gently rested his tiny head against Adrian's shoulder.
Adrian smiled.
"I think we can manage that."
Ember answered with one happy chirp.
The temple eventually opened into an immense circular chamber unlike anything they had yet encountered.
The ceiling disappeared into darkness nearly two hundred feet above them, supported by twelve enormous stone pillars arranged around a perfectly smooth marble floor. Strange silver runes spiralled across the centre of the chamber before disappearing beneath centuries of dust.
There were no monsters.
No corpses.
No traps.
Nothing.
Only silence.
Garrick stopped immediately.
"I've never liked this room."
Theron slowly nodded.
"Neither have I."
Adrian looked around.
"Why?"
The Guild Master smiled uneasily.
"Because..."
"...nothing has ever happened here."
Silence.
"...That's what bothers you?"
Garrick looked directly at him.
"We've crossed this chamber dozens of times."
"We've searched every wall."
"Every pillar."
"Every stone."
"We've never found a purpose."
Adrian slowly walked toward the centre.
His boots disturbed a thin layer of ancient dust.
He crouched.
Brushed away a handful of dirt.
The silver runes beneath his fingers shimmered faintly.
Then...
Stopped.
He frowned.
"They reacted."
The elderly royal mage hurried over.
"...Impossible."
He knelt beside Adrian, carefully cleaning away more dust.
More runes appeared.
Then more.
An enormous circular pattern slowly emerged beneath the expedition's feet.
Not a trap.
A seal.
The mage's expression slowly changed.
"...We've been standing on this for fifty years..."
Ruby looked down.
"What is it?"
The old man swallowed.
"I..."
"...I don't know."
A low vibration suddenly rolled through the chamber.
Not violent.
Gentle.
Like a mountain shifting in its sleep.
Every lantern flickered.
The silver runes glowed once.
Then faded again.
Silence returned.
Theron tightened his grip around Frostrender.
"...Did anyone else feel that?"
Everyone nodded.
Even Ember.
The little red panda had climbed onto Adrian's head, every strand of crimson fur standing on end.
He wasn't frightened.
He was listening.
Then...
He looked downward.
Not ahead.
Not behind.
Down.
Deep beneath the marble floor.
Adrian followed his gaze.
"...It's below us."
Another vibration.
Stronger.
The dust resting across the chamber floor jumped almost imperceptibly.
Then...
Nothing.
The dungeon had gone silent once more.
The expedition resumed their journey with considerably less conversation than before.
Whatever had happened inside the circular chamber remained unexplained, yet no one could shake the feeling that something beneath the mountain had become aware of them.
Not the expedition.
Not the dungeon.
Adrian.
Nearly an hour later the corridor narrowed before ending at a pair of colossal stone doors carved directly into the mountain itself.
Every member of the expedition stopped.
The doors towered nearly sixty feet into the darkness above, their surfaces covered in impossibly intricate carvings depicting the same scenes Adrian had witnessed throughout the lower floors.
Life.
Companionship.
Cities.
Familiars.
Then...
At the very centre...
One final carving.
A lone figure stood before an enormous creature whose body resembled no beast Adrian had ever seen.
Neither attacked.
Neither fled.
They simply...
Looked at one another.
As equals.
Beneath them, written in the same forgotten language covering the temples, rested a single line of ancient script.
The elderly royal mage quietly translated what little he could.
"...Only..."
He frowned.
"...Only the worthy..."
His brow furrowed further.
"...may stand..."
A long pause.
Then his eyes widened.
"...before the Keeper."
Silence swept through the expedition.
Not the Guardian.
The Keeper.
Garrick slowly unrolled the final section of the ancient map.
There were no more corridors.
No more floors.
Only one enormous circular chamber beyond the doors.
Floor Fifty.
He carefully rolled the parchment closed once more.
"This..."
He looked toward Adrian.
"...is where every expedition either succeeds..."
"...or fails."
Ruby quietly checked everyone's equipment one final time.
Mana potions.
Bandages.
Weapons.
Everything.
Theron rested Frostrender across both shoulders before smiling at Adrian.
"You ready?"
Adrian looked toward the colossal doors.
Thought about Stonehollow.
Thought about Grandma Lilly.
Thought about Elena.
About Kael.
About everyone waiting for them to return.
Then he felt something warm brush gently against his cheek.
Ember.
The little red panda looked directly into Adrian's eyes.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Only trust.
Adrian smiled.
"Yeah."
His voice carried quiet certainty.
"I'm ready."
As though answering him...
The ancient doors groaned.
Stone scraped against stone with a deafening rumble that echoed throughout the mountain.
Dust rained gently from the ceiling.
A freezing wind poured from the darkness beyond.
The opening widened.
Slowly.
Patiently.
As if the mountain itself had decided...
The waiting was over.
Far beyond the threshold...
Two immense golden eyes opened.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Expectant.
They had waited fifty years.
Now...
The Keeper would judge those who had come to challenge it.