All Chapters of Beneath the Alpha’s Mark: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

The first step felt like walking into a memory.The moment my foot touched the stone staircase, the golden key in my hand became warm.I stopped.Kael nearly walked into me.“What happened?”“The key.”I held it up.It was glowing.Not brightly.Just enough to make the ancient symbols carved into the walls visible.Eryx stepped closer.“I remember this.”I looked at him.“You've been here before?”“Yes.”His voice was quiet.“With you.”Something twisted inside my chest.I looked down the staircase.“How far?”Eryx's eyes darkened.“Far enough.”We continued.The deeper we went, the colder the air became.The sounds from the temple disappeared behind us.No wind.No footsteps.Nothing.Just silence.Then I heard something.A heartbeat.Thump.Thump.Thump.I stopped.“Do you hear that?”Kael listened.“No.”Eryx did.His expression changed.“Yes.”“What is it?”He looked at the darkness below.“Yours.”I touched my chest.My heart was beating normally.But the sound beneath us was muc

The laughter came again.Soft.Innocent.Almost playful.That was what frightened me most.There was nothing innocent about the darkness surrounding us.I stood frozen, staring at the cracked golden key in my palm.Kael moved closer.“Lira.”I didn't answer.“Lira, look at me.”I forced myself to meet his eyes.“What?”“Whatever that is, don't go toward it.”I glanced toward the floor.The laughter came again.This time, it sounded closer.Eryx drew his sword.“She's right.”Kael looked at him.“About what?”Eryx's eyes remained fixed on the floor.“We didn't close the gate.”I swallowed.“But the crack is gone.”“The gate isn't the door.”I frowned.“Then what is?”Eryx pointed downward.“The temple.”A cold feeling moved through my body.“What does that mean?”“The temple was built around the entrance.”“To the Void?”“No.”He looked at me.“To something older.”The laughter stopped.Silence returned.Then a tiny voice whispered:“Lira.”My heart stopped.It knew my name.I looked a

The mountain split open.I could only stare.A deep crack stretched across the ground, growing wider with every passing second. Rocks rolled down the mountainside. Trees bent beneath the force of the tremors.Something was rising.Something enormous.Kael stepped in front of me, sword drawn.“Stay behind me.”For once, I didn't argue.Eryx moved beside him.“Whatever comes out of there isn't ordinary.”Nia stood between us, clutching the crystal she had taken from the temple.Her face had lost all its color.I looked at her.“You know what that is.”She nodded slowly.“What?”She looked toward the mountain.“The first king."My stomach dropped.“Eryx?”He shook his head.“No.”Nia's voice trembled.“The one before him.”The ground shook again.A hand emerged from the crack.It was enormous.Black veins covered its skin, and silver markings ran from its fingers to its wrist.Kael tightened his grip on his sword.“That thing is alive?”Nia whispered,“It has been sleeping.”The hand gra

The army appeared at dawn.At first, I thought the dark line stretching across the horizon was nothing more than a shadow.Then it moved.Thousands of figures were marching toward us.Their armor reflected the morning light, but their faces were hidden beneath black helmets. Dark banners rose above them, each marked with a silver symbol I had never seen before.The warriors surrounding the temple became restless.Some reached for their weapons.Others whispered prayers.Kael stood beside me, staring at the approaching army.“How many?”Eryx looked across the valley.“Too many.”“That isn't a number.”“Because I don't have one.”Kael's jaw tightened.I glanced at him.“Can we stop them?”He looked at me.“We can try.”That wasn't the answer I wanted.But it was an honest one.I looked down at the silver Balance Mark on my wrist.It was still glowing faintly.For the first time since I had awakened my memories, I didn't feel the urge to hide it.I had spent too long being afraid of what

Something was knocking inside me.Not metaphorically.Not in my imagination.I could feel it.A slow, steady pounding beneath my ribs.Knock.I held my chest.Knock.My breathing became shallow.Knock.“Lira?”Kael's voice sounded far away.I looked at him.He was on his feet now, but his face was still pale from everything that had happened.“I'm fine.”He frowned.“You're holding your chest.”“I know.”“Then you're not fine.”I tried to smile.“I said I'm fine.”Kael stepped closer.His hand hovered near my shoulder.“Tell me what you're feeling.”I hesitated.“Something is inside me.”Nia's expression changed.“What kind of something?”“I don't know.”Another knock sounded inside my chest.I winced.Nia grabbed my hand.“Lira, look at me.”I did.“Can you hear anything?”I nodded.“A heartbeat.”“Yours?”I shook my head.“No.”Nia's face went pale.“Then it's the Heart.”I swallowed.“But the Heart is supposed to be a source of power.”“It is.”“Then why does it feel like something