The moment Richard stepped aside and allowed Akumo to take control, a strange, electric silence filled the cave. The deep glow emanating from the ancient walls pulsed slowly, as if the chamber itself breathed. Richard felt it first, a gentle pull inside his chest as if by invisible threads connecting him to something far older, heavier, and infinitely stronger.
Akumo's voice echoed from within him.
"Steady your breath, Richard. Our minds must align. This ritual cannot be forced."
Richard nodded, swallowing hard. This was the first time he had willingly offered his body to a spirit powerful enough to crush mountains. The shaking of his hands came not from fear, but a strange excitement burning beneath his skin.
The air shivered.
A faint mist of blue swirled around Richard's torso, faster and faster, tightening like a vortex. His own consciousness slid backward, gently pushed aside. A new presence expanded inside him—sharp, commanding, ageless.
And then—
Akumo woke up.
