Alina spun around as the stone door crumbled into dust, revealing the dark figures standing at the entrance. The robed man from before stepped forward, his silver *Ouroboros* emblem gleaming under the blue light of the chamber. But this time, he wasn't alone.
More figures emerged behind him, their hoods concealing their faces. But Alina didn't need to see their expressions to feel the weight of their intent.
They had come for the artifact.
Kael stepped in front of her, sword raised. His stance was tense, but his voice was steady. "You're persistent. I'll give you that."
The robed man chuckled softly. "And you are reckless. Do you even understand what you've uncovered?"
Alina clenched her fists. "I understand enough to know you're trying to keep it hidden."
The man tilted his head slightly, as if amused. "Hidden? No. *Contained.*" His gaze flickered to the floating disc. "You have no idea what you've unleashed."
Kael's grip on his sword tightened. "Then why don't you explain it to us?"
The robed man exhaled, as if speaking to children. "That artifact is not a map—it is a *seal.*"
Alina's breath hitched. "A seal for what?"
The robed man stepped forward, and the symbols on the walls pulsed in response. "For something that should never wake."
As if on cue, the deep, guttural *groan* from earlier returned—louder this time, reverberating through the chamber. The floating disc spun faster, the energy around it crackling like a storm barely contained.
Alina felt her stomach drop.
They hadn't just uncovered an ancient secret.
They had *disturbed* it.
The ruins trembled again, and a sudden gust of energy pulsed outward.
Then, from the shadows beyond the pedestal, *something* began to emerge.
Something *ancient.*
Something *hungry.*
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