Strax took the first step inside—and the tomb groaned like an ancient animal awakening.
The doors behind him began to close slowly, not out of threat… but as a reflex, an instinct of the ancient structure itself responding to the power of the egg he carried.
Crossing the threshold, Strax began to descend a long spiral staircase, made of ice so ancient it seemed to vibrate with its own memory. The air was too cold for any human to bear, but around him the gentle warmth of the egg kept everything warm, comfortable. Each step echoed deeply, resonating like the beats of a colossal heart buried beneath the world.
And then… the tomb began to change.
First, a crack.
Then another.
Then a sequence of cracks spreading across the walls like frozen lightning.
The entire structure began to SHAKE violently.
Mercedes, still in the garden behind, could hear it—and instinctively recoiled, shocked.
