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Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: The Sealed Chamber

Chapter 2: The Sealed Chamber

Zhao Yuchen had never been this deep beneath the clan grounds.

The elevator hummed softly as it descended through layers of alloyed stone and reinforced spiritual metal. Walls around him shimmered faintly with protective runes—some ancient, barely legible, others etched in modern code, glowing in pale blue.

His grandfather stood beside him, silent. Not calm—focused. A kind of reverent stillness, as if even breathing too loud might disturb something sacred below.

After nearly a minute of silence, the elevator stopped.

The doors slid open with a heavy hiss, revealing a long corridor dimly lit by white flame lanterns. The air here was still—too still. As if it hadn't moved in centuries.

Yuchen followed, his footsteps echoing faintly behind Tianren's. The hallway was lined with carvings—depictions of planets, constellations, battles long forgotten, and a great tree that stretched across the walls like a map of fate. At the end stood a sealed bronze door.

Tianren raised his hand, placing his palm against its surface. A pulse of qi—thick and heavy—washed through the corridor. The runes awakened, sliding open like layers of a puzzle.

With a low groan, the door opened.

What lay beyond was not a vault.

It was a sanctum.

A circular chamber, quiet and empty, except for a single pedestal in the center. Upon it rested a blade.

It wasn't large or ornate. Its sheath was plain, its handle dark with age. But the moment Yuchen stepped inside, he felt it—a subtle tug in his chest, as if his blood recognized the weapon.

"This," Tianren said softly, "is the Starborn Edge. Forged before Earth fell. Bound to our bloodline. Only one who hears Earth's call can draw it."

Yuchen approached slowly. Each step made his pulse louder in his ears. He reached out, hand trembling slightly.

His fingers brushed the hilt.

And everything changed.

A rush of visions—fragments of memories not his own. Oceans and forests, skies without domes. A planet breathing. Laughing. Crying. Then burning.

The stars wept.

Yuchen gasped and stumbled, but the sword did not fall. Instead, it pulsed with a soft glow—like it had been asleep, waiting.

And now it was awake.

Tianren watched, expression unreadable. "Your path has begun. The Starborn Edge will grow with you. But be warned—once drawn, there is no turning back. Not from your destiny. Not from what lies ahead."

Yuchen stood tall, sword in hand.

"I never planned to turn back."

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