The obsidian doors didn't simply open.
They groaned.
The sound rolled through the Archive like tectonic plates grinding beneath the earth's bones. Massive slabs of black stone drifted apart as crimson emergency lights flickered overhead, filling the air with ozone, wet copper...
and rain that had never touched the sky.
Beyond the doorway waited a darkness that possessed weight. It pressed against my chest until breathing became a conscious decision.
"Seraphina."
Damien's voice found me first.
His hand never left mine.
If anything, his grip tightened, warm and solid against the cold creeping through my fingers. The pressure grounded me just enough to remember my body was still my own.
Beside us, Elias stumbled backward.
His staff slipped from his hand and struck the stone with a s
