Chapter 17 – The Breaking Point
Malikye’s POV
The deeper we went, the less the temple felt like a place—and the more it felt like something alive.
Not breathing.
Not watching.
But… thinking.
Every step echoed less than it should have. The walls seemed closer now, though I knew they hadn’t moved. The silver light that guided us pulsed slower, dimmer, like the temple itself was conserving something.
Or preparing.
I exhaled quietly.
“I don’t like this part,” I said, glancing between the narrowing corridor and the shadows that seemed to linger just a little too long at the edges.
“That’s because you’re paying attention now,” Lyra said, her voice calm but edged with something sharper—anticipation, maybe.
“I was paying attention before,” I replied.
“No,” she said without looking at m
