The ground didn’t just tremble.
It split.
A deep, violent crack tore through the center of the chamber, spreading outward with a deafening roar as if the earth itself was being forced open from below. Dust and fragments of stone lifted into the air, suspended for a brief second—before everything collapsed inward.
Kael’s grip tightened instantly around Luna’s hand.
“Move!” he snapped.
They leapt back just as the ground where they stood caved in completely, revealing a dark abyss beneath. But it wasn’t empty.
Something moved.
Slow.
Heavy.
Ancient.
A low, guttural sound echoed from below, not quite a growl, not quite a breath—something deeper, something older than anything that should still exist.
Luna’s heart stuttered.
“…what is that?”
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
Because h
