Chapter 110: The Seal
The chain broke.
The sound rolled through the chamber like thunder.
Fragments of metal struck the stone floor and disappeared beneath the dark water.
Nobody moved.
Kael kept his sword raised.
His eyes remained fixed on the sealed structure.
Another chain tightened.
The metal groaned.
Then another snapped.
BOOM.
The shockwave pushed through the chamber.
Kael planted his foot.
Behind him, Lyra grabbed the shoulder of one of the soldiers who nearly lost his balance.
"Stay together!"
Torren dropped his lantern.
It hit the ground but didn’t break.
He quickly picked it up.
"That thing is going to collapse."
The stranger with the spear shook his head.
"Not the chamber."
His eyes remained fixed on the seal.
"The seal."
Kael looked at him.
"How many chains?"
The stranger swallowed.
"Thirty-six."
Kael glanced toward the broken pieces.
"How many are left?"
"Thirty-five."
Kael’s expression hardened.
"So we have thirty-five chances."
The stranger stared at him.
"That’s not funny."
"I wasn’t joking."
Another chain began to shake.
Kael lowered his sword slightly.
"Everyone back."
The soldiers moved.
The three strangers followed.
Kael remained closer to the seal.
Lyra noticed.
"Kael."
He didn’t answer.
She stepped toward him.
"Don’t."
Kael looked back.
"I need to see what happens."
"From farther away."
Kael almost smiled.
"You’re becoming bossy."
"I’m becoming tired of dragging you out of trouble."
Kael finally stepped backward.
The chain stopped moving.
Silence returned.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the strange vibration beneath the chamber disappeared.
The water settled.
Kael lowered his sword.
Torren exhaled.
"Is it over?"
The stranger shook his head.
"No."
"How do you know?"
"Because it does that sometimes."
Kael looked toward him.
"Sometimes?"
The man nodded.
"It wakes."
"And then?"
"It stops."
Kael frowned.
"How long?"
"Sometimes minutes."
"Sometimes hours."
"And once..."
He paused.
"Three days."
Kael looked at the seal again.
"What happened during those three days?"
The man’s face tightened.
"The river rose."
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"How much?"
"Enough to flood the lower tunnels."
Kael looked toward the water.
"And the villages?"
"They were lucky."
Kael turned toward the tunnel entrance.
The answer was becoming clearer.
The dam wasn’t built because someone wanted to steal water.
It was built because someone was terrified of what happened when the river moved too freely.
But that still didn’t explain the missing people.
Kael looked at the stranger.
"You said twenty-three people disappeared."
"Yes."
"Did they come here?"
The man hesitated.
"Some."
"And the others?"
"We don’t know."
Kael studied his face.
He was hiding something.
"You know more than you’re saying."
The man’s jaw tightened.
"We found evidence."
"What kind?"
He looked toward the sealed structure.
"Blood."
The chamber went quiet.
"Whose?"
"We don’t know."
Kael’s grip tightened around his sword.
"How much?"
The man didn’t answer.
Kael stepped closer.
"How much?"
"Enough."
Kael stared at him.
That single word was enough.
Something had happened down here.
Something that had been hidden from the villages.
From the authorities.
Possibly from the Empire itself.
Kael turned toward the seal.
The system appeared.
[Unknown Energy Source Detected.]
He watched the words.
Then another line appeared.
[Energy signature partially matches previously detected object.]
Kael’s eyes widened.
The fragment.
He hadn’t brought it out.
He slowly reached inside his coat.
The fragment was still there.
The moment his fingers touched it, the seal reacted.
Every remaining chain pulled tight.
CLANG!
The strangers turned toward him.
"What did you do?"
Kael pulled his hand away.
The chains loosened.
Silence.
Nobody spoke.
Kael stared at the fragment through his coat.
He didn’t understand the connection.
But there was one.
The system had confirmed it.
Whatever was behind the seal was connected to the symbol.
And somehow...
The fragment was connected too.
The man with the spear stepped toward Kael.
"What are you carrying?"
Kael looked at him.
"Something I found during my expedition."
"Show me."
Kael hesitated.
Then slowly pulled the fragment from his coat.
The lantern light touched the carved surface.
The stranger’s face went pale.
"You have one."
Kael frowned.
"One what?"
The man’s eyes remained fixed on the fragment.
"That symbol."
Kael held it up.
"You’ve seen it before."
The man nodded.
"Inside the chamber."
"Where?"
"Everywhere."
Kael looked around.
The symbol covered the walls.
"Who made it?"
The stranger shook his head.
"We don’t know."
Kael looked at the seal.
"Then what do you know?"
The man took a slow breath.
"We know whoever built this place wasn’t trying to keep something out."
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"What?"
The stranger pointed toward the massive sealed gate.
"They were trying to keep something in."
The chamber seemed to grow colder.
Kael looked at the chains.
Then at the dark water.
Then at the seal.
His blood power stirred again.
But this time, it wasn’t alone.
A faint pressure surrounded him.
The system appeared.
[Unknown energy interacting with host.]
Kael’s eyes widened.
The pressure increased.
His fingers tightened around the fragment.
The seal responded.
One of the remaining chains lifted from the ground.
It stretched.
Metal screamed.
Kael immediately released the fragment.
The pressure vanished.
The chain fell.
Everyone stared at him.
Kael looked down at his hand.
He didn’t know what had just happened.
But now he understood something.
The object in his possession wasn’t merely connected to the place.
It could affect the seal.
The stranger slowly stepped backward.
"You need to leave."
Kael looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because whatever is behind that gate..."
He pointed toward the fragment.
"...recognized what you’re carrying."
Kael looked at the sealed structure.
For the first time since entering the chamber, he felt something he rarely allowed himself to feel.
Fear.
Not fear for himself.
Fear of opening something that should never be opened.
Kael turned toward his soldiers.
"We’re leaving."
They immediately began moving toward the tunnel.
Kael remained behind for one final moment.
He looked at the chains.
Thirty-four remained.
Then he looked at the darkness behind the seal.
A low sound came from the other side.
This time...
It sounded almost like a heartbeat.
Thump.
Kael froze.
Thump.
The sound came again.
He turned and walked away.
Behind him, the ancient seal remained closed.
But something had changed.
Something knew Kael was there.
And somewhere deep beneath the river...
It was waiting.