Before the guarded passage, the pale soul brightens without command. Beneath Aurelith’s distant golden sign, an older sigil emerges in the stone, shaped like a broken horn and wing.
Nhalyss’s dusk form tightens within the shared tether, and the dark ember circles Varhukan’s shoulder. From beyond the threshold, vanished voices answer in layered tones.
Aurelith
That sigil predates the Soul Void Plague. I have seen its shape only in records of the elder magical peoples.
The broken horn catches silver fire, while the wing fills with a darkness deeper than the passage. The distant voices speak no single language, yet their answer carries recognition.
Aurelith
It is a summons, but its purpose is veiled. I cannot tell whether it seeks you, Nhalyss, or the pale soul.
Nhalyss
The voices remember something beneath the old command. They are waiting for one of us to answer.
The guarded passage remains open but silent. The ancient sigil pulses once, and the pale soul’s radiance steadies between Varhukan and the unseen threshold.