Head Warden Marcho stood in the observation room. Ancient runes carved into the marble walls had begun to faintly glow. These runes typically responded only to intense Xhu fluctuations. Marcho narrowed his eyes, reaching behind to feel the handle of his axe.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63iDTyKWNC
A guard burst into the room.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMngfNlfEG
“Sir, the outer circle seals are weakening. The prisoners are growing restless, and their voices are rising.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbc87dEH7gw
Marcho took a deep breath. His face showed no anger, but his seriousness was stone like.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodF1whS4HR
“Yuhen is alone in battle. If the enemy overwhelms him, they may come here I cannot leave.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvH9ieE96G
He summoned four of his most trusted men to the gate:
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmLefB4AiW
“Graum, Nedit, Hollen, Truia. Arm yourselves. You will go aid Yuhen in battle.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeRrn4GMPm
The four guards nodded and marched toward the outer passages, their steps heavy.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37gGJBSGqQ
Marcho stood alone for a moment. He placed his hands on the rune stones.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jWYkCJOnf
“If the battle has begun... these walls will soon begin to crack.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeq1lTrOIV1
The light of the floor seals was no longer stable. They flickered, pulsed, dimmed. Rouma still lay motionless but now, a faint light shimmered beneath his eyelids. His breath had deepened. Xhu moved beneath his skin, pressing against the seals etched in his veins.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡph7xoOUVfs
Rouma’s Xhu had begun to surface, slowly weakening the seal.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7izpePeVfQ
And the reason for that weakening was not an attack but a call. No a resonance. A bond.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPBrirfgcD
Pegwalsge’s Xhu was awakening Rouma’s.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75why14E03
That ancient soul thread between them was the one thing the seals could not silence, and now the Xhu Pegwalsge unleashed in battle had triggered the storm within Rouma.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjBdCUVZqQ
The stone walls remained unchanged. The chains were still in place. But thin cracks had begun to appear across the seals. Small. Seemingly insignificant. But... ancient seals do not crack.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OqTLVKvUO
From the corner of the cell, a sound arose. A faceless prisoner chained to the opposite wall turned his head.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfJyZEANpI
“Do you hear it?” he whispered, an unsettling grin on his face. “This Xhu will bring blood and wrath.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYtjOEqzZG
Marcho descended to the lower levels, pausing at the entrance. The voice echoing in his head didn’t seem like his own.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQp54u2LNd
A guard rushed to him.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3s6kMiyswa
“Sir... the seals in Rouma’s cell are glowing. The runes might be breaking. The outer layer’s been affected. But we’ve detected no external attack.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SImlAQZbV
Marcho closed his eyes, trying to understand how the runes could weaken without outside force.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPRAlY8FSl
“No external attack is needed,” he said. “Whoever is coming their Xhu is awakening Rouma’s.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRj2zzIadK
He turned back, walking faster, muttering to himself.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlstmS6OvTM
Graum, Nedit, Hollen, and Truia passed through the heavy iron gate on Marcho’s orders, leaving behind the cold stone silence of Haxar. The echoes of their armor mixed with the phantom footsteps of the dead in the dark corridors.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0WtZBHtKP
All four were silent. Yet each bore the same weight: whatever awaited them outside might not be a battle it could be a slaughter.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6h3iuocDh
Truia, the youngest of Haxar’s wardens, showed no trace of boyhood in his eyes. As he strapped his sword to his waist, he said:
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpesTrZAwG
“Who could make even Marcho uneasy?”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nzS1XDN2n
Graum didn’t answer, staring at the ground. Nedit, devout as ever, murmured a prayer. Hollen simply bowed his head, clutching the charm beneath his throat.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZC81jiyUm
Marcho walked alone toward Rouma’s cell. Each step caused the floor to tremble slightly, echoing off the marble walls, subduing the unrest of the seals. When he reached the cell, the purple glow of the runes no longer shone steadily they trembled, wavering between presence and absence.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBJip6Jpz5
He ordered the door opened. Two guards stood ready inside, but Marcho raised a hand.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLnkeEj2lT
“Out,” he said. “I will speak with him alone.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeD59Omz2ch
When the door closed, a deathly silence filled the cell. Rouma lay on his stone bed, eyes locked onto Marcho.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYLVRbJMo3
Marcho stepped closer, not lowering his axe, standing just a step away.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzF2jpHPK4
“Who is coming?” he asked. “Why are the seals weakening? Speak.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInRZqlG3MU
Rouma didn’t answer. His eyes drifted to the ceiling, then back to Marcho. His smile widened.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhSZgzpB1N
Marcho scowled. The runes on the walls began to crack. Even Marcho’s fury seemed to strain the seals. For a moment, he considered striking Rouma but that would only weaken the seals further.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMXh5hl5x8
“Answer me,” he growled through gritted teeth.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4WzOCXfb9
Rouma smiled. “Do you know your greatest fear?” he whispered. “Death, and it’s coming now and you won’t be able to stop it.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3bpf6Pa3g
Marcho stepped closer. The cell had darkened.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkSVCGjccV
At that moment, one of the seals let out a groan. A rune along the wall split. Marcho instantly stepped back, remaining still. The only sound was Rouma’s breathing.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiIqmjJE0h
Marcho turned toward the door. He paused for a moment then his footsteps grew twice as heavy.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE07VMb4IVM
Because he felt it too.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt11BltJbNw
The chains were unraveling.
ns3.19.244.133da2
