Ava's POV
The mouth of the cave yawned wide, ancient and heavy with secrets.
I stood at the edge of the basin, damp wind rushing out to greet me like a breath from a dying god. The glyph on my wrist pulsed harder now, syncopated to my heartbeat, drawing me forward like an invisible tether. My fingers grazed the jagged archway etched with runes—some familiar, some forgotten.
Kaelis stood just behind me, her robes dark with sweat and rain. “This seal is unlike the others,” she warned quietly. “This one... was never meant to be broken.”
“I’m not here to break it,” I said, stepping forward. “I’m here to open it.”
Damon’s hand caught my arm. “That’s the same thing, Ava.”
I didn’t answer.
Because I wasn’t sure if he was right.
We descended in silence.
The deeper we went, the more the ca
