Aiden stood in the Hollow King's archives with Elizabeth, Catherine, and Rael. The data crystal pulsed on the central pedestal.
It showed coordinates for the Last Oath Chamber, a sealed vault from the progenitors. The pocket dimension around it was collapsing.
Time there ran in loops and jumps. Getting in meant risking everything. Getting out meant bringing back the final binding agreement that could lock the empire's fractures for good.
"We go light," Aiden said. "Just us four. No army. The chamber only opens for small groups."
Elizabeth checked her gear. "If the guardian is really an echo of the Hollow King, this won't be a fight. It'll be a conversation. I hate conversations that decide empires."
Catherine adjusted the clasp on her formal coat. "Then we prepare answers, not weapons."
Rael strummed a quiet chord on his resonance harp. The note hung in the air longer than it should. "I'll keep us anchored. Songs cut through bad time better than blades."
