Lilith, Yuria, and I descended through a sealed arch near the west wing. The air grew colder, heavier with each step. My Codex glowed faintly, as if wary of what lay ahead.
We arrived in a chamber vast as the Grand Library—five crystalline columns lined the walls. Four glowed faintly. One pulsed erratically, a crack snaking down its spine.
Valmira arrived moments later, breathless. "The Pillar's failing because something is feeding off its energy."
A flicker moved in the darkness. Then another. Shapes. Dozens. We weren't alone.
Shadow-husk creatures—like twisted remnants of wraiths—began to pour in from the far corners, drawn to the cracked Pillar like flies to blood.
Yuria didn't hesitate. "I got the left flank."
I nodded to Lilith. "How do we fix it?"
She stepped forward, placing her palm to the crystal. "You don't fix a Pillar. You restore it."
"How?"
She turned to me. "With the Architect's light."
