The stream narrowed as they pressed forward, the sound of water softening into a distant murmur. The air grew warmer, carrying with it a faint hum—at first so subtle that Lira thought it might only be in her own head. But as they stepped through a narrow arch in the rock, the hum swelled into a resonant vibration, low and steady, like the heartbeat of the cavern itself.
Lira drew in a sharp breath. Before them stretched a chamber unlike anything she had imagined. The walls rose high, vanishing into darkness, but suspended in the vast airspace were countless floating crystals. They hovered at varying heights and distances, drifting slowly as though moved by an invisible current. Some were as small as a fingernail, others as large as her chest, and all of them shone faintly with their own inner light.
