Chapter 152 - The Convergence of Fragments

The black lotus pulsed like a living heart, each rhythm sending shivers through the cavern as if the ruin itself had been holding its breath for centuries. Its petals, carved of impossibly dark stone, flexed and twisted with an almost organic grace, groaning faintly as if articulating some secret language. The air thickened with energy, electric and heavy, carrying the faint metallic tang of blood long dried into stone, the acrid scent of ancient incense, and the almost imperceptible perfume of decay that had seeped into the walls over untold centuries.