The chamber didn't echo. That would've made it easier, if sound bounced, if the stone argued back. But it didn't. It swallowed. Whole. Like the memory it just fed Merlin. And like the demand that came after.
No questions.
Just requirement.
[Sacrifice Required: One Life for Seal Integrity.]
[No bypass. No delay.]
[Time Remaining: 03:14]
Merlin blinked once. Not to clear his eyes. Just to ground himself back in the moment. His breath fogged faintly.
The air hadn't changed, but it tasted different now, too still. Like every molecule had turned to glass.
Elara's voice came first. "What did the memory say?"
She wasn't whispering. Not anymore. Whispering made it sound like hope still had room. She just asked, calm and cold, like someone who'd already counted the exits and found none.
Merlin didn't answer right away.
He looked past her, to the crystal. Still glowing. Still humming. Still expecting. It had given him a god's last memory.
