The room trembled as the dark ripple spread, its energy flooding through the stone floor beneath Kael's feet. The column, once dormant, began to hum with a terrible power, and the very air seemed to bend and distort around them. It was as if the citadel itself had come alive, a dark force stirring from a centuries-old slumber.
Kael's grip on his sword tightened, his instincts screaming that they had crossed some threshold. The markings on the floor were glowing brighter now, shifting as though they were alive, weaving together into a single, insidious pattern. The hum of the column grew louder, more oppressive, until it became a pulse—deep and rhythmic, like the heartbeat of some ancient, slumbering beast.
"We've triggered something," Morgana said, her voice strained with effort. Her staff flickered, casting erratic light across the room, as if fighting against the rising darkness. "The prison is awakening."
