Chapter Seventeen: The Heart Chamber
1097 Words
The staircase descended into darkness.
Ancient silver symbols burned across the walls beside them, illuminating black stone older than memory itself. The deeper they traveled beneath the prison, the colder the air became.
Not natural cold.
Dead cold.
The kind found inside tombs forgotten by time.
Selene walked ahead silently.
Lucien followed close behind her while the robed figure guided them deeper underground. Kael remained near the rear, silver eyes constantly scanning the shadows as though expecting the darkness itself to attack.
Above them, the kingdom continued collapsing.
Distant tremors echoed through the ancient tunnels while black corruption spread toward the surface like poison through veins.
But down here—
Everything felt still.
Watching.
The Devourer’s voice followed them from the prison above.
“Careful, little wolves.”
Its laughter rolled through the tunnels softly.
“The Heart Chamber shows truths even gods fear.”
Selene ignored it.
Or tried to.
Her thoughts already felt dangerously unstable.
Lucien’s apology still echoed inside her chest.
Then I’m sorry.
The worst part was that he meant it.
She saw it clearly in his eyes.
And somehow that hurt more than hatred ever could.
Because if Lucien truly regretted killing her…
What happened to all the anger she spent years feeding?
Kael’s voice suddenly interrupted the silence.
“You’re limping.”
Selene frowned without looking back. “I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding.”
Lucien’s gaze snapped downward instantly.
Blood stained the edge of Selene’s white gown where sharp debris from the collapsing prison had sliced through her leg earlier.
She honestly hadn’t noticed.
Too much adrenaline.
Too much chaos.
Lucien moved toward her immediately.
“Stop walking.”
Selene stiffened. “I said I’m fin—”
Lucien crouched before her without warning.
The movement startled everyone.
Even Kael looked surprised.
The Alpha King carefully lifted the torn fabric near her ankle, revealing blood running down pale skin. His jaw tightened slightly.
“You should have said something.”
Selene stared down at him silently.
Gods.
This felt too familiar.
Lucien tending to her wounds after battles.
Lucien carrying her when she exhausted herself during winter campaigns.
Lucien kneeling before her exactly like this while promising she would never face pain alone.
Lies.
All lies.
She stepped back abruptly.
“I can walk.”
Lucien slowly rose again.
Hurt flickered briefly across his face before disappearing behind royal calm.
Kael noticed.
And looked oddly satisfied by it.
Interesting.
The northern king stepped beside Selene instead.
“Lean on me if it worsens.”
Lucien’s expression darkened instantly.
Selene blinked once.
Then nearly laughed from sheer disbelief.
“Are the two of you always like this?”
“Yes,” Kael answered immediately.
“No,” Lucien answered at the exact same time.
Silence.
Kael smirked.
Lucien looked one second away from murder.
The robed figure sighed heavily ahead of them.
“For creatures facing extinction, you’re all remarkably distracted.”
No one disagreed.
The tunnels suddenly widened.
Massive silver doors appeared before them carved directly into black stone. Ancient markings pulsed across the surface like moonlight trapped beneath glass.
Selene stopped breathing briefly.
She recognized these doors.
Not from memory.
From dreams.
The same doors appeared every night after her execution.
Waiting.
Calling her downward through endless darkness.
The robed figure approached carefully.
“The Heart Chamber.”
Lucien stepped beside Selene again.
“What happens once those doors open?”
The figure’s ancient eyes shifted toward them both.
“The seal judges whether your souls remain compatible with the prison.”
Kael frowned sharply. “Compatible?”
The figure hesitated.
Then answered quietly.
“The First King and First Queen created the prison using a soul bond.”
Selene’s blood ran cold.
No.
Absolutely not.
Lucien’s expression sharpened instantly. “Explain.”
The figure looked almost reluctant now.
“The prison recognizes reincarnated bloodlines through emotional resonance.”
Kael muttered something deeply insulting beneath his breath.
Selene rubbed her forehead tiredly.
Of course.
Of course ancient magic depended on emotions.
Because the universe clearly enjoyed humiliating her.
Lucien looked toward the silver doors thoughtfully.
“And if the bond is broken?”
The figure’s silence answered first.
Then quietly—
“The prison consumes both bloodlines.”
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Kael stepped forward immediately.
“She’s not doing this.”
Lucien turned toward him sharply.
“You don’t decide that.”
“No,” Kael agreed coldly. “But neither do you.”
The atmosphere turned lethal again instantly.
Selene felt a headache forming.
“These doors require balance,” the robed figure interrupted sharply before either king escalated. “If emotional instability fractures the resonance—”
“Emotional instability?” Selene stared incredulously. “I died because of him.”
Lucien flinched visibly.
Kael looked murderous.
The figure continued anyway.
“And yet your soul still answers his.”
Silence.
The sentence struck harder than any weapon.
Selene looked away immediately.
Because she couldn’t deny it.
No matter how much hatred she carried…
Some part of her still reacted to Lucien instinctively.
The Devourer’s distant laughter echoed faintly through the tunnels.
“Love survives death beautifully.”
“I will tear your spine out,” Selene snapped toward the darkness.
The creature sounded delighted.
Kael suddenly moved closer to her.
“Listen carefully,” he said quietly enough that only she could hear. “If anything inside that chamber feels wrong, leave immediately.”
Selene frowned slightly.
“You think the prison is lying?”
Kael’s silver eyes darkened.
“No.” His voice lowered further. “I think fate already destroyed you once.”
Something painful flickered beneath his calm expression.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For her.
Selene stared at him in confusion.
Why?
Why did Kael Dravenmoor look at her like he already lost her once?
Before she could ask, the silver doors began opening slowly on their own.
Ancient light flooded the tunnels instantly.
The ground trembled.
And somewhere deep inside the chamber—
A heartbeat echoed.
Not one.
Two.
Lucien stepped beside Selene automatically.
Their shoulders brushed lightly.
The heartbeat inside the chamber quickened immediately in response.
The robed figure looked grim.
“It recognizes you.”
Selene swallowed painfully.
The chamber beyond the doors slowly revealed itself.
A vast circular room carved entirely from silver crystal. Ancient symbols floated through the air like glowing stars while moonlight poured from nowhere above.
At the center stood two enormous thrones facing each other.
One silver.
One black.
And between them—
A cradle.
Selene stopped breathing.
Because she recognized it instantly.
Orion’s cradle.
- Writer
