Chapter 7 - The Vault of the First Queen
The descent into the subterranean vault felt like walking backward through centuries of forgotten history. Torches along the damp stone walls flared to life automatically as Brin and Ronin stepped further down, their flames burning with an unnatural blue hue that cast eerie, dancing shadows across the high vaulted ceilings.
"Stay close," Ronin warned, drawing his broadsword. The blade hummed with a low, receptive resonance as it came into contact with the concentrated starlight radiating from Brin's pendant.
At the base of the staircase lay a massive chamber carved entirely from a single block of translucent obsidian. In the center of the room rested a raised stone dais, upon which sat an open sarcophagus carved from pure, unblemished white marble. But it was not the tomb that caught their attention; it was the murals etched into the surrounding walls.
Brin walked slowly along the perimeter, her fingers ghosting over the carved reliefs.
"Look at this, Ronin," she breathed, her voice filled with awe and horror. "The history books said the First Queen ruled alone. But the murals... they show a war."
Ronin stepped up beside her, studying the detailed carvings. "A war against what?"
"Against the Shadow Alphas," Brin pointed toward a swarm of monstrous, multi-eyed wolf-like entities depicted tearing through human settlements and noble packs alike. "They weren't just mythical beasts. They were an ancient faction of the First Pack that corrupted their blood with dark magic, seeking to consume the very essence of the moon."
Suddenly, the air in the vault grew suffocatingly heavy. The blue flames on the walls flickered violently and died out one by one, plunging the chamber into near-total darkness, save for the brilliant golden glow emanating from Brin’s eyes and the soft white light of her pendant.
From the shadows at the far end of the vault, a low, guttural growl echoed—a sound so ancient, so filled with malice and hunger, that it made even Ronin’s battle-hardened muscles tense.
"We are not alone," Ronin growled, stepping in front of Brin with his sword raised.
May you like
Two glowing crimson eyes ignited in the darkness, followed by the heavy, rhythmic padding of enormous paws against the stone floor. Out of the gloom stepped a creature that defied all natural laws: a wolf easily twice the size of a normal war-form, its coat a swirling mass of bruised purple and midnight black, dripping with a thick, corrosive shadow-mist.
“At last,” a voice echoed directly inside their skulls, cold as a winter tomb. “The bloodline is complete. The sacrifice is ready.”
