The golden-black path pulsed beneath Elias's feet, each step taking him deeper into the Monarch's Labyrinth—and further from the man he once was.
Behind him, Lira and Ishael followed in silence, their eyes locked on the shifting walls of the tunnel, which warped with murmured screams and flickers of forgotten battles.
> [System Sync: 87%]
Soulflame Core: Active
Trait Update: Primordial Will – Stable
Note: Presence of Monarch-Level Signature Detected Ahead
"I feel it," Elias whispered.
"What?" Ishael asked, voice cautious.
"Something... ancient. Broken. Still breathing."
As if in answer, the walls of the corridor began to part—not like doors, but like wounds, exposing a cavern so vast it seemed carved from eternity itself.
And at its center sat a throne of glass and ash.
Upon it slumped a creature that could no longer be called a man.
---
The Monarch of Dusk
