The dusty air of the library felt even more suffocating under the weight of the words "Daughter of Night, Bride of Nothingness." Sere stared at the eerie drawing on the parchment. This was a threat far different from Kael's—ancient and personal.
"What does this mean, Moaito?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Is she... human? Or something born from the Void?"
Moaito cast a long, careful look at the parchment, the weight of a millennium of knowledge in his eyes. "It could be both," he replied, his voice low and serious. "The Void is not just a power; it is a consciousness. Like Balance. And a consciousness... can choose a vessel, merge with it, even... transform it." He turned his eyes to Sere. "Kael is a believer, an apostle. But this 'Daughter of Night'... she is a consort. That makes understanding and stopping her far more difficult."
High Priestess Elara had been silently observing them. "This is an ancient text," she interjected, her voice sorrowful. "For generations, priests and priestesses thought it was a metaphor. But your emergence, and Kael's... shows these records are actual history."
This shocking discovery changed the atmosphere in Grimhold. It was no longer just a sanctuary; it was a war council. Moaito, Sere, Korvan, and Elara gathered before the door leading down to the "Heart of the Earth."
The door was made of pure, ancient stone, and the "Focus of Balance" symbol upon it was far more complex than the others. The symbols of the four elements formed an interlocking circle in the center, surrounded by nearly faded writings in the Naje tongue.
"To open the door," Elara explained, "requires a power that simultaneously represents the four aspects of Balance. Not just Light or just Shadow. Their harmony... and perhaps more."
All eyes turned to Moaito and Sere. Moaito summoned Lumer and Umbra. The two swords glowed faintly before the door. Sere touched the Threshold Stone on her chest. The stone pulsed like a warm, living heartbeat.
"Together," Moaito whispered to Sere.
Sere nodded, her eyes fixed on the door. They both directed their energy, their intent, towards the door. The moment Moaito's ancient, balanced power and Sere's pure, human will made contact, the symbol on the stone came alive. The elemental signs lit up in sequence: Fire, Water, Earth, Air. Finally, the central circle filled with a golden light.
With a deep, grating sound of stone, the massive door, closed for centuries, split in two and swung inward. Behind it stretched a narrow, dark stone staircase descending downwards. From within came a cold, earthy, and ancient smell. The breath of the world.
A wave of excitement rose from the crowd. This was a historic moment.
Moaito looked at Sere. "Are you ready? What lies below... may be far more dangerous than what lies above."
Sere looked into the darkness of the stairs. Her heart filled with a mixture of fear and excitement. But she also thought of Lyrian's words. Perhaps the answers were hidden in these depths.
"Always with you," she replied with determination.
Korvan gave them torches and a few days' worth of supplies. "May your path be clear. We will await your return here."
Elara offered a final warning. "Remember, the Spine of the Earth is not just a physical place. It is the world's memory. You may face echoes of the past there. Prepare not only your bodies, but your souls."
After one last look at each other, Moaito and Sere began their descent down the stairs. The light of their torches cast flickering shadows on the ancient stone walls. The sounds of the world above grew fainter with each step, replaced by an absolute, heavy silence.
The stairs led them ever deeper, into the world's core. The air grew colder, the pressure increased. On the walls, glowing moss and strange, crystalline formations began to appear.
Finally, the stairs opened into a vast cavern. It was even larger than the hall of Grimhold. And in the center of the cavern was a massive, semi-transparent crystal that reached from the floor to the ceiling, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic light like a heartbeat. The Spine of the Earth.
But the crystal, just like the one at the Pinnacle of the Wind, was sick. Dark veins crawled within it, some parts appearing dull and dead. The world's heart was suffering.
And before the crystal, kneeling with her back to them, was a figure. The figure seemed to be touching the crystal, whispering to it.
Moaito immediately went on the defensive. Sere stood frozen.
The figure rose and turned slowly. This was not the "Shadow that Swallows Light." This was a young Naje priestess, who looked like one of them. Her face was calm and sorrowful, but her eyes... her eyes were filled with the same cold, infinite void of the Void as Kael's.
"Welcome, Guardian," said the young woman, her voice like an echo, seeming to come from both nearby and very far away. "I am Selene. And I am here to fulfill this world's true destiny."