جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 113

Althea.The whisper echoed through darkness older than kingdoms.It drifted through stone corridors untouched by time.Across forgotten chambers.Through ancient seals.Past the seven archways.Until it reached the heart of the First Path itself.The name was not spoken by a person.It was spoken by the mountain.And for the first time in centuries, the mountain had chosen to remember.Far above, snow fell across the northern valley.Neither Althea nor Lucien knew why a chill suddenly crawled down their spines.But they both felt it.The bond between them tightened.Not with affection.Not with fear.Recognition.The mountain knew they had arrived.And somehow, that felt more dangerous than the First King.Around them, the wolves of Blackwood and Nightfall had begun establishing a temporary encampment at the base of the mountain.Tents rose quickly.Scouts spread outward.Healers organized supplies.Warriors sharpened weapons that might soon prove useless against whatever waited ahead

The First King smiled.Far beneath the mountain, inside halls untouched by time, he felt the resonance surge through the First Path.Not one anchor.Two.Together.At last.The sensation washed through the ancient corridors like a living heartbeat.The mountain responded immediately.Stone doors that had remained sealed for centuries began to open.Ancient runes ignited across walls.Forgotten mechanisms awakened.The First King closed his eyes.Listening.Waiting.Calculating.Then he laughed softly."You're finally here."The sound echoed through the chamber.The figure beside the Seventh Throne did not respond.It merely watched.As it had watched for centuries.As it had watched kingdoms rise and fall.As it had watched the First King lose everything.The First King opened his eyes."They've come exactly as expected."The guardian remained silent.That silence irritated him.More than he cared to admit.Because silence meant judgment.And judgment implied authority.The First King