Soraya's POVThe golden light poured through the opening gate like water through a broken dam.I threw my arm up to shield my eyes, but the light was everywhere—flooding the path, the walls, and the snow. It burned through my closed eyelids, bright, warm, and ancient.The heartbeat was deafening now.Boom. Boom. Boom.It matched my own heart beat for beat, pulse for pulse, as though the mountain were breathing directly through me."Soraya!" Lucius grabbed my arm, pulling me back. "We need to get out of here!"I couldn't move, nor could I look away.The voice called my name again: Soraya.It was soft—almost gentle—and it sounded so familiar, like my own voice.Maya screamed inside my mind. Don't answer it!I froze. Maya?Don't. Whatever you do, don't answer.Why?Because it's been waiting for you—it's been waiting for a very long time.The gate opened farther as stone scraped against stone. The golden light grew brighter, and the warmth inside my chest burned hotter.And then, I saw it
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