CHAPTER TWELVE
The chamber beneath the shattered sanctum was unlike anything I had ever seen. Its walls shimmered with molten silver and deep shadows, pulsating in time with the artifact at the center: a crystalline monolith, swirling with molten light and dark energy, alive with power that radiated straight into my chest.
Lyra stepped closer, hesitant, yet drawn as if the artifact had been waiting for her alone. Her pulse slammed through the bond, fierce, rapid, intoxicating. I could feel it in my bones—the fire, the shadow, the hunger—not just magical, but physical, primal.
“Kael…” she whispered, voice trembling, lips slightly parted. “I… it’s—it’s calling us. I can feel it. The bond… it’s… insane.”
I took her hand, and the artifact responded instantly, light coiling along our arms a
