Chapter 11 - The Echo of the Ancient Seal
The celebration across the celestial capital lasted three days, but deep beneath the palace, the earth had not forgotten the blood that was spilled.
Queen Eleanor stood on the eastern balcony, watching the golden dawn cast long shadows over the Atlantic. Although her power had restored the realm, a cold tremor ran through her wings—a sensation she had not felt since the dawn of the empire.
Behind her, Julian entered the room holding an ancient leather bound ledger. His face was pale.
"Mother," Julian whispered, setting the book on the marble table. "The royal archivists found something in the subterranean vaults beneath the ritual circle."
Eleanor turned slowly. "What did they find, Julian?"
"When the Shadow Sovereign was destroyed, the explosion of your light didn't just break the dark circle," Julian said, his fingers trembling as he opened the pages. "It cracked the bedrock below the Abyssal Vault. Beneath the palace lies a second, far older chamber—one that predates House Veyne by tens of thousands of years."
Eleanor walked to the table, her eyes scanning the faded runes. Her breath hitched. The runes described a primal force known as the Void Matriarch—the original ruler of darkness from whom the Shadow Sovereign had merely borrowed power.
"The Sovereign was not the master," Eleanor murmured, her eyes widening in horror. "It was merely a herald."
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Before Julian could reply, a sudden, violent earthquake slammed into the palace. The massive crystal chandeliers above them shattered, raining glass onto the floor. Outside, the sky turned from clear morning blue into a sickly blood crimson in a matter of seconds.
From the courtyard below, screams echoed.
