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> "Sometimes, the deepest cuts are made not by steel, but by a forced understanding."
> — Ash's Unwritten Thoughts
>
Captain Valerius moved fast, like a dark blur across the vast cavern. His sword, gleaming cold, shot straight for Ash's chest. There was no time to run, no time to think. Ash stood frozen, staring at the incoming blade, feeling the terrifying power of the Core of Binding pulsing from Valerius's hand.
Just as the blade was inches away, a blur of dark robes flashed in front of Ash. Selene moved, impossibly fast. She didn't try to stop the sword with her body. Instead, she pushed Ash hard, throwing him sideways, while at the same time, her hands moved in a complex, quick motion. A wave of shimmering shadow energy burst from her. It didn't stop Valerius's sword, but it slowed him, just for a split second, making his strike go wide. The blade scraped harmlessly against the stone wall where Ash had been standing.
"Now, Ash!" Selene yelled, her voice strained as she tried to recover from her quick move.
Ash didn't need another push. He focused all his fear, all his desperate need to survive, onto the glowing crack he'd felt in the wall. The Shard of Harmony and Chaos in his chest flared, burning hotter than ever. This time, he didn't just feel the Ley Lines; he pushed into them. He imagined the wall opening, bending to his will.
The glowing crack in the wall responded. With a deep, grinding groan, the stone began to ripple, like water. The crack widened, then twisted, then peeled back like an ancient, stony flower opening its petals. A dark, narrow passage appeared behind it, humming with raw Ley Line energy.
"Go!" Kael roared, pushing the last of the guards back with a powerful swing of his sword. He saw the path open and knew this was their only chance. "Lyra, with Ash! I'll cover the retreat!"
Lyra didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed Ash's arm. "Through here, boy! Don't look back!" She pulled him into the newly opened passage.
Ash stumbled into the darkness, the passage instantly feeling colder, tighter, and filled with a strange, singing energy. He heard the clash of Kael's sword behind them, the shouts of Valerius's men, and the Captain's furious roar: "They're escaping! After them! Do not let them enter the Heart of the Keep!"
But Valerius could not follow. The moment Ash and Lyra were inside, the stone petals of the passage began to close. Ash felt the powerful pull of the Shard of Harmony and Chaos. He looked back, just as Kael pulled himself into the passage, his heavy armor scraping. Valerius, yelling orders, was almost at the closing entrance. He lunged, trying to slip through, his face a mask of rage.
As Valerius reached the narrowing gap, Ash felt a surge from his shard, a sudden, powerful mental push. It was unplanned, a pure reaction. The ancient magic of the Ley Lines in the wall, responding to Ash's connection, reacted violently. The closing stone petals didn't just meet; they slammed shut with a deafening CRACK, shaking the entire cavern. Valerius, caught in the sudden, powerful closing, was forced back with brute force, his arm pinned for a split second before he ripped it free, roaring in pain and fury. The connection Ash had felt to the Core of Binding through Valerius's ring suddenly became a sharp, burning link, a direct pathway of pain and rage that shot into Ash's mind.
Ash cried out, clutching his head. He was back in the familiar dark of the closed passage, but his mind was flooded with Valerius's emotions: the burning pain of his arm, the cold fury, the utter frustration, and a deep, ancient obsession with Order—an order that meant crushing anything tied to the Crown's chaos. It was too much. The shard in his chest burned with a chaotic mix of his own fear and Valerius's pure, cold rage. The two shards, his and Valerius's Core of Binding, had connected, forcing a brief, agonizing link between them.
"Ash!" Selene was there instantly, her cool hand on his forehead, pulling him away from the overwhelming mental flood. "Too much! You forced a direct connection! What did you feel?"
Ash gasped for air, still trembling. He looked back at the now-solid wall, seeing Valerius's face, clear as day, burned into his mind's eye. "He... he hates it," Ash whispered, his voice shaky. "He hates the Crown so much. And... he feels responsible. He feels a duty to end it all." He swallowed hard. "He carries the pain of his ancestor's sin, Selene. He carries it in his bones."
The passage settled, the massive stone now sealed tight. They were safe from Valerius for now. But Ash felt a new, terrifying burden. The physical connection to Captain Valerius, the direct sense of his hatred and corrupted duty, was a chilling promise. They were linked, not just by bloodlines and ancient artifacts, but by a shared, painful echo of the Crown itself.
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