The descent was slow.

  Kael’s boots scraped against the uneven stone steps, dust kicking up in the narrow corridor as he followed the woman and the nameless man deeper into the tunnels.

  The air was thick—not stale, but wrong. It carried a weight to it, something unseen pressing against his skin, setting his nerves on edge.

  They walked in silence, their path illuminated only by the faint glow of the torches lining the walls. The carvings that stretched along the passage were unlike anything Kael had ever seen.

  He had trained under the Imperium’s best scholars. He knew every sanctioned historical text, every rune approved by the Eternal Sovereign’s decree. None of them looked like this.

  These symbols were older.

  Something in them felt alive.

  "These tunnels," Kael murmured, "what were they?"

  The nameless man’s voice was quiet, but unwavering. "A tomb."

  Kael exhaled. Of course it was.

  His gaze flicked over the walls again, the symbols shifting under the flickering light. Some of them resembled eyes, but not like the sigil of the Imperium—not the golden, unblinking eye of the Sovereign.

  These were different. Wider. Hungry.

  Kael kept walking.

  Ahead, the tunnel stretched downward at a steeper angle, the air growing colder with each step. The woman moved swiftly, her presence silent but sure, while the nameless man kept his distance behind Kael.

  It was a tactical position.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  If this was a trap, Kael was right where they wanted him.

  The thought made his grip tighten around the hilt of his blade. He had played along for now because he needed answers, but trust? That was another matter entirely.

  Then—the whispering started.

  Kael halted mid-step.

  The voices weren’t loud, weren’t even distinct. Just a presence at the edge of his mind. Not the Mark. Not this time.

  He turned sharply. "You hear that?"

  The woman stopped but didn’t turn. "Hear what?"

  Kael’s pulse quickened. "The whispering."

  The nameless man frowned. "There is no whispering."

  Kael’s skin prickled. That wasn’t right.

  His senses were sharp—too sharp to imagine something like this. He had spent years honing his instincts in battle, tracking enemies in the dead of night, knowing when he was being followed.

  And right now, he knew—they weren’t alone.

  A drop of water fell from the ceiling, hitting the stone with a soft echo.

  Then another.

  Then—a sound that did not belong.

  A slow, ragged inhale.

  Kael’s muscles tensed. He turned toward the darkness ahead, shifting his stance.

  The woman’s head snapped toward him. "Don’t—"

  Too late.

  Kael took another step forward. The Mark flared beneath his skin.

  And the whispering stopped.

  Silence.

  Then, something moved.

  Not from ahead.

  From the walls.

  The carvings shifted. Not the stone—the light. The way the torches flickered against the symbols changed, as if something had disturbed them.

  Kael barely had time to react before the darkness itself lunged toward him.

  A shadow—not a figure, not flesh. Something else.

  Cold gripped his arm as Kael staggered back, drawing his sword on instinct. He slashed at the darkness, steel cutting through nothing but air.

  The Mark burned.

  The woman grabbed his wrist. "Don’t fight it!"

  Kael shoved her off. "What the hell is it?"

  The nameless man’s face was unreadable, but his voice was grim. "Proof."

  The darkness receded, as suddenly as it had struck.

  Kael’s breath was uneven. "Proof of what?"

  The man’s gaze drifted toward the walls. "That this tomb isn’t empty."

  The whispering returned.

  Louder this time.

  Kael turned his head—and saw something move within the stone.

  Not a trick of the light.

  Not his imagination.

  A shape. A figure. A presence.

  Something trapped within the carvings, staring back at him.

  Kael’s heart pounded.

  The woman’s voice was steady, but her fingers had curled into fists. "Now you understand why the Imperium fears the past."

  Kael swallowed. Because the past wasn’t dead.

  It was waiting.

  Kael is beginning to realize that the Imperium didn’t just erase history—they buried it, alive. What lies deeper in the tomb? And what did he just awaken?

  Next chapter, we go even deeper.