The First Seal
Hailey
The deeper we descended, the quieter the world became.
Not silent.
Worse.
The kind of quiet that felt unnatural.
Like the mountain itself was holding its breath.
Waiting.
Watching.
Listening.
The platform continued lowering through darkness.
Ancient stone walls slid past endlessly.
Silver runes glowed intermittently.
Some remained bright.
Others flickered.
Dying.
Weakening.
The sight unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.
Because those runes weren't decorations.
They were wards.
Protections.
Seals.
And some of them were failing.
The Queen's Mark burned beneath my skin.
Not painfully.
Urgently.
As though it recognized every damaged symbol we passed.
As though it could feel the prison weakening.
The bond wrapped around me.
Steady.
Protec
