They hit the ground hard—stone, slick and cold. For a moment, there was only the sound of their ragged breathing.
Above, the rumble of the serpent's pursuit faded, muffled by layers of stone. The silence here was different—thick, almost liquid, as if the air itself were holding its breath.
Kaelen pushed himself upright, fire flickering low. "Where… are we?"
The candle-bearer stood slowly, their little flame dim but steady. "We're beneath the Tower's bindings."
Lyra scanned the vast space around them. It wasn't a room, not exactly—more like a cavern carved from darkness itself. Pillars rose from the floor to a ceiling so far above it seemed infinite, each wrapped in massive chains that pulsed faintly, like veins.
"Bindings?" she asked.
The candle-bearer nodded once. "Everything you've seen—the watchers, the maze, even that serpent—they're not guarding us from entering. They're guarding something else from leaving."
A chill ran down Kaelen's spine. "What's chained here?"
The candle-bearer didn't answer. They just started walking toward the nearest pillar.
As they approached, Kaelen noticed the chains weren't metal—they were woven from light and shadow both, constantly shifting. He reached out, and the moment his fire came close, the chain recoiled—like a living thing in pain.
Then a whisper filled the cavern. Not from the candle-bearer. Not from any of them.
"Free me."
It was soft, almost tender, but it slammed into Kaelen's mind with the weight of a star. Lyra staggered, gripping her head. The candle-bearer's flame flickered violently.
"Free me, and I will give you what you seek," the voice continued, threading through their thoughts. "The Tower's end. The serpent's death. The truth of what you are."
Kaelen backed away, chest heaving. "What… what is that?"
The candle-bearer turned, their face pale, voice tight. "The reason this place exists. The first fire. The thing even the infinite feared."
The chains pulsed faster, brighter. The whisper grew louder.
"Kaelen. Lyra. You were born for this. You are mine."
And far above, as if answering the call, the serpent screamed—a sound of pure, enraged denial—and began tearing its way down toward them.