The chamber quaked under the weight of ancient power.
Elena hovered midair, her eyes glowing silver, surrounded by spiraling glyphs that pulsed with resonance energy. Her scream hadn't been pain alone it was an awakening cry, something older than memory itself.
Ethan's heart pounded,
He could feel the vibration in his bones, like the frequency of her voice was unweaving the very stone around them.
Elena!
He shouted again, voice drowned beneath the sonic waves.
Vane formed a seal and slammed his palm into the ground. A Barrier of Stillness shimmered to life, suppressing the frequencies just enough to move without collapsing.
She's activating the Virellen Core, Vane muttered. It's embedded in her soul. If it fully awakens now without proper containment her spirit could shatter.
Ethan gritted his teeth.
Tell me how to stop it.
You can't stop it,
Aeliria's voice whispered from the sword. But you may be able to help her.
Ethan dropped his sword and stepped into the whirlwind of runes. The energy burned cutting like invisible blades but he pushed forward, calling her name.
Elena, it's me.
You're not alone.
I'm here.
Her body convulsed in the air, lips moving rapidly speaking in a language lost to the modern world.
Then, in a sudden pulse, a wave of memory struck Ethan's mind.
He saw it.
A field of silver flowers. A massive palace of harmony and sound. Disciples dressed in silk. A young girl Elena singing to the stars as warriors bowed before her voice.
Then, fire.
The Virellen Palace, burning.
A betrayal. A massacre.
A woman Elena's mother sealing her away into an enchanted jade scroll.
Ethan's vision snapped back to the tomb.
Elena, listen to me! he shouted.
You're not in the past anymore. You're here. With me!
His voice cracked not with fear, but with desperation. Emotion surged in him like a flood memories of training, fighting, laughing, protecting her.
And then something changed.
Elena gasped her body frozen midair then slowly lowered into Ethan's arms. The runes faded. The wind stilled. Her silver glow dimmed, and her heartbeat stabilized.
She whispered faintly,
I remember everything.
Vane dropped to one knee, panting.
She did it. She survived.
Aeliria appeared beside them, her spirit form flickering.
She's only begun.
Her bloodline hasn't fully awakened but now that the seal is broken, others will come for her. There are those who still fear the Virellen name.
Ethan held Elena tightly. She trembled, her breath still ragged.
I won't let anyone touch her, he said quietly. Not while I breathe.
A low rumble answered his vow.
The wall across the chamber cracked revealing a spiral staircase, descending deeper.
Golden mist leaked from the stairwell. The scent of dragon marrow, ancient ore, and something darker.
Aeliria turned slowly.
That wasn't part of the original tomb.
Ethan rose, sword in hand.
Then what is it?
Vane bent forward,
That is a hidden chamber. No sects marked this. It wasn't meant to be found.
Aeliria's voice dropped, haunted.
This tomb belonged to the Dragon Slayer, but that door leads to what he sealed away.
A soul too powerful to destroy.