His silver eyes meet mine, filled with an understanding that makes the bond in my chest ache. “Perhaps you will too, Kaia. Perhaps we all will.”
With a small smile, he squeezes my hand. His touch grounding me against the pull of ancient magic as he walks into the room, leaving me there to think about what that might mean for all of us.
The runes pulse once more, beckoning, waiting for me to step through and face whatever truths the Hall of Echoes holds.
My shadows press close as I take a deep breath and follow them into the chamber, feeling like I’m crossing a threshold I can never un-cross.
Chapter 20
Kaia
Kaia
The moment I step fully into the chamber, the world changes. What seemed vast from the doorway now feels infinite inside, towering columns disappear into shadows far above, their surfaces etched with spiraling patterns that shift when I'm not looking directly at them. The air is thick with magic, pressing against my skin like a physical weight.
My shadows coil tightly around me as I take it all in, the ancient power of this place humming in my bones. The Hall of Echoes isn't just a name, whispers seem to drift through the air, fragments of conversations long past, remnants of those who stood here before.
Before I can process it all, something slams into me.
It's not physical, not even entirely magical, but it drags me down like a riptide, knocking the breath from my lungs. My knees give out before I can stop them, the stone floor cold against my palms as I catch myself.
Pain explodes in my chest.
Not an injury. Not magic.
Something else.
Something worse.
It's the same ache I've felt since arriving in this realm, the one that started as a dull pull and has only grown stronger. But now, it's unbearable, pressing against my ribs like it's trying to tear me apart from the inside out.
My shadows curl around me instinctively, but it doesn't help. Bob tries to form a protective barrier while Patricia's frantic movements blur together. Even Mouse presses against my leg, his violet eyes wide with concern, but none of it stops the pressure building inside me.
I hear movement, a curse muttered somewhere behind me, but it's distant, unimportant. The only thing that matters is the weight pressing into me, the way my lungs feel like they can't fully expand, the way the ache is sharpening instead of fading.
"Kaia."
Kieran's voice is sharp, his presence suddenly in front of me, kneeling. His golden eyes burn with something I can't name—concern, but also anticipation. "Breathe."
I try, but the pressure in my chest is suffocating.
Revna steps closer, her eyes scanning me carefully before her expression tightens. "It should have stabilized by now."
"What should have stabilized?" Finn demands, stepping forward.
"The magic, the bonds," Kieran says tightly. "This Hall was built to reinforce connections."
Finn frowns. "Then why does she look like she's about to pass out?"
I grit my teeth, pressing my palm against my ribs. "Because something is wrong."
The ache should be fading.
I don't know how I know that, but I do.
This place, this Hall, is doing something to me, something to all of us. The energy here presses against my skin, wrapping around something deep inside me, something I don't understand but feels like it has always been there.
The pull gets stronger.
