*Chapter 19: The Echo Corridor*
The tracker pulsed faster.
Theo clutched the Heart Compass. The light wasn't just glowing now—it was *beating*, like a second heart. Whatever was waking… it was close.
Lyra stood beside him, eyes narrowed. "This place… it's not safe anymore. We need to move."
Theo nodded. "Where to?"
She turned, pulling out a map burned around the edges. "There's an old passage beneath the library. Forgotten. Sealed by Mara after the first fracture. They call it the Echo Corridor."
"Why?"
Lyra looked at him.
"Because it's filled with voices from timelines that were erased."
***
The entrance lay beneath a trapdoor, buried behind rows of rotting books. Theo and Lyra lit a lantern, then descended the spiraling stairs into the dark.
The air was cold. Too cold.
And the moment they stepped onto the stone floor, whispers surrounded them.
Not loud.
Not angry.
Just *sad.*
Lost.
"I was never born…"
"They forgot my name…"
"I loved her… I loved…"
Lyra held tight to Theo's wrist. "Don't speak. If you answer them… they'll cling to your voice."
Theo nodded, heart pounding.
And then they saw it.
A *wall of glass* in the center of the corridor. On the other side was a person—standing perfectly still.
Their face was hidden. Mask cracked. Golden eyes glowing.
It was *them.*
The Forgotten.
***
Theo stepped closer.
The figure looked up—slowly.
Their hand touched the glass.
Theo's mind exploded with images:
- Mara sealing the gates
- Elias fading
- Time burning
- And the Forgotten Guardian *screaming*, alone for centuries
Then their voice entered his head.
**"You inherited their lies.
You wear their tools.
But they left me to rot."**
Theo whispered, "Who… were you?"
The glass cracked.
*"You'll remember… soon."*
***
Suddenly, the floor shook.
Lyra grabbed Theo. "We have to go. Now!"
Cracks splintered across the glass. The whispers grew louder—*screaming* now. The tracker in Lyra's hand burned red.
As they ran up the stairs, the corridor behind them began to collapse. Voices wailed, begging, grabbing at shadows.
But just before the trapdoor slammed shut—
Theo heard *his own voice* whisper from behind:
*"Don't forget me…"*