The wind howled across the jagged plateau where the ruins of Zhara lay buried under centuries of sand and forgotten prayers.
Tahir led the way, his steps steady but cautious. Behind him, Layla scanned the horizon, her fingers brushing over the strange etchings on a broken stone marker. Amira walked slower, her head bowed, lips moving in silent rhythm — a hum that none of them recognized, not even her.
"The map ends here," Tahir said, crouching beside a half-buried obelisk. "Zhara should be beneath our feet."
Sabir stepped forward, brushing sand off a cracked relief. It revealed a series of seven circles—each carved with a different eye.
"Seven eyes," he muttered. "Just like the legend said."
"The Eyes of Zhara," Layla whispered. "Said to watch over the First King… and all his descendants."
As if summoned by her words, the wind changed direction, circling around them in a slow spiral. Sand lifted, revealing a stone ring — the edge of an ancient staircase, spiraling into the earth.
Amira froze.
"I've seen this before," she said.
Tahir turned. "Where?"
"In dreams. I walked these steps… with someone who called me 'Daughter of Memory.'"
They descended into the hollow, each step echoing into silence. The walls shimmered faintly with blue runes — a script older than any written in the cities of men.
At the bottom, the chamber waited: a circular room, each of its seven walls carved with a single, massive eye. One eye began to glow.
Then another.
And another.
Seven in all.
Each eye lit with a pulse of light that seemed to match the rhythm of Amira's breath.
Suddenly, the torches lining the walls flared.
Then — a whisper.
"Intruders."
Shadows shifted.
Figures emerged — cloaked in black, with blades drawn and faces masked.
"Malik's men!" Sabir growled, drawing his dagger.
They attacked with precision. Trained killers. No words. No mercy.
Tahir met them blade-to-blade. Layla shielded Amira, throwing smoke bombs made from desert salt and herbs.
But it was Amira who stopped the slaughter.
Her eyes turned gold.
Her hands lifted.
The chamber responded.
Seven beams of light shot from the eyes in the wall, striking down each of the shadow assassins in mid-strike. Their bodies froze — suspended mid-air like marionettes — then collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Silence.
Amira's golden eyes dimmed. She looked at her hands in horror.
"I didn't mean to…"
Tahir stepped toward her, unsure whether to comfort her or fear her.
But before he could speak, one of the seven eyes blinked.
Literally blinked.
A voice echoed through the chamber.
"The Daughter has awakened. The Heir approaches."
Then the runes dimmed, and the chamber fell into quiet again.
Layla whispered, "What just happened?"
Tahir's voice was tight. "I think the Eyes of Zhara just swore loyalty… not to me. To her.