The air in the temple was thick with dust and the weight of forgotten centuries. The hooded figure remained motionless, waiting. Its presence was neither entirely threatening nor welcoming—it simply existed, as if it had been standing there for an eternity, waiting for someone to come looking.
Elena forced herself to stand taller, even though her instincts told her to back away. She had come too far for that.
“You said the answers will cost us,” she said, voice steady despite the pounding of her heart. “What kind of cost are we talking about?”
The hooded figure tilted its head, considering her. The silence stretched long enough that Kael shifted uneasily beside her, his grip on his sword tightening.
Finally, the figure spoke again, its voice brittle and dry like parchment. “Knowledge n
