Crystal obeyed, the cold stone shocking against her bare skin. The Elders moved to form a circle around her, their hands raised as they began to chant in an ancient language. The runes on Crystal's skin began to glow with an eerie blue light.
"I feel strange," Crystal gasped, her back arching as pain lanced through her body. "Something's wrong!"
"It is merely the awakening," Elder Marcus assured her, though uncertainty flickered in his eyes. "Your body fights the change. Surrender to it."
Crystal screamed as the pain intensified, the runes now burning like brands against her skin. "Make it stop! Please!"
"Continue the chant," Miriam ordered, raising her voice over Crystal's cries. "The prophecy must be fulfilled!"
The chamber filled with the Elders' voices, rising in volume as Crystal
