Axel abruptly stood up. Eyes blown wide like he had just been slapped.
His boots echoed against the icy stones as he stalked towards the vault in slow…deliberate steps.
The air had shifted. It was heavy, electric. It was as if the chamber itself sensed what was coming. Ivy leaned weakly against the wall, dazed, still tasting his blood on her tongue.
Her mind swam with fractured memories, emotions that did not belong solely to her, and the feeling of a soul that had brushed hers so intimately it left her breathless… Or was it Axel… the moment they shared?
Axel reached for the vault.
The sigil pulsed under his palm.It was warm now, not burning. Blood red light shimmered along its edge as the lock uncoiled like a serpent.
Clunk.
Click.
Grind.
Stone scraped over stone.
The vault
