The underground chamber stretched endlessly, as if the Grave itself had no ceiling. Shadows flickered across jagged stone walls, stretching and twisting in impossible angles. Every step Amaya took echoed like the cries of a thousand unrealized lives, whispering promises of power, death, and destiny.
Calix stayed at her side, claws grazing the stone floor, tail coiled tight behind him. His presence was a tether, a living anchor to reality in a realm that threatened to unmake her with every heartbeat. The fox king—Leo—trailed just behind, his nine tails swirling like liquid, brushing against currents of magic that only he could perceive.
"They're waiting," Leo said quietly, voice calm but edged with tension. "The next three Unwritten Kings are aware of your awakening. They've sensed your victory over the first, and now they gather. They will attempt to unmake not just you, but him, and every bond that anchors you to this realm."
