The first footstep shattered the wall behind Pascal. He turned just as a sheet of black stone exploded inward, sending jagged fragments across the ancient prison. The Guardian moved faster than any human eye could follow and raised one arm before Pascal, but the flying debris never reached him.Every piece stopped in midair. Not because the Guardian had blocked them. Something else had. The fragments trembled, suspended above the frozen ground as though an invisible hand had seized control of the entire chamber.Then the second footstep echoed. The stones fell. Pascal felt his heart tighten. The sound had come from the darkness beyond the ruined wall. One step.Then another.Slow.Unhurried.Each footstep caused the prison to change.Ancient symbols carved into the walls began rearranging themselves. Golden runes created by the First King twisted into symbols Pascal had never seen before. The enormous chains that had once bound the First Prisoner groaned as though they had suddenly rememb