The chamber beneath the Heart Tree was sealed long before any living civilization had recorded history.
A circular doorway of dark stone slowly opened as the companions approached.
No lock resisted them.
No guardian challenged them.
Instead, the doorway asked only one question.
Each traveler heard it differently.
"What are you willing to leave behind?"
No answer was spoken aloud.
Yet the door opened.
---
A spiral staircase descended into complete darkness.
Curiously, the darkness did not frighten anyone.
It simply absorbed certainty.
With every step downward, familiar assumptions became less reliable.
North and south lost meaning.
Time no longer flowed evenly.
Even Rowan admitted quietly,
"I cannot guide us here."
For the first time, the Wayfarer followed instead of leadi
