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Chapter 247
The fire had burned down to embers. Most of the rebels slept in uneasy silence, their bodies curled in cloaks and blankets against the cavern’s cold breath. But the air was heavy, thick with fear. Even in sleep, men twitched, women muttered, and hands gripped blades beneath covers.Oliver couldn’t sleep. He sat with his sword across his knees, staring into the dying glow of the fire. The shadows twisted at the edges of his vision, whispering like voices he could almost hear. “They do not trust you. They will not forgive the boy. They sharpen their knives even now. Strike before they do.”His hands clenched the hilt of his blade until his knuckles whitened. He forced a slow breath, shaking his head. “Not yet,” he whispered to himself. “Not ever.”Beside him, Elias stirred in his sleep. The boy whimpered, his small body shaking. Threads flickered faintly around him, like cobwebs in moonlight, clinging to his skin. Oliver leaned closer. “Elias,” he murmured. “Wake up.”The boy jolted a
Chapter 246
The campfire was still burning when Oliver, Mara, and Elias returned. The night was heavy and cold, the flames casting long shadows across the cavern walls. Most of the rebels were awake now, stirred by the distant rumbling that had shaken the stone during the fight below. They stood in tense groups, hands on weapons, eyes flicking nervously to the dark tunnels.When the three of them stepped back into the camp, every head turned. Oliver felt the weight of those stares pressing against his skin. His clothes were torn, his face streaked with sweat and black ichor. Mara’s knives were still in her hands, her arms marked with shallow cuts. Elias’s torch was gone, his wide eyes glowing faintly with something that wasn’t just reflected firelight.The whispers coiled in Oliver’s head. “They see you. They know. They will not trust you. Strike first. Burn their doubt before it burns you.”He clenched his jaw, fighting it down. Garrick, the grizzled leader of the rebels, pushed forward thro
Chapter 245
The chamber shook as if the earth itself was waking. Roots smashed against stone, and the glow of the crystal filled every shadow. The Vessel loomed over them, tall and faceless, its chest pulsing like a second heart in the dark.Oliver’s sword trembled in his grip. He could see every thread, the ones binding the Vessel together, the ones running into the walls, and even the thin lines tied to Mara’s strength and Elias’s courage. They all pulled at him, demanding a choice. The whispers in his head were no longer soft. They roared. “Strike it. Claim it. I am already inside you. Why resist what you are becoming?”His chest heaved. Sweat rolled down his temple. He felt caught between fire and stone, unable to breathe.Mara’s voice cut through the chaos. She stood with knives flashing, her hair wild, her face fierce. “Oliver! Listen to me! If you give in now, you’re lost! Don’t you dare let it take you!”Elias clung to his torch, his eyes wide but glowing faintly, reflecting threads onl
Chapter 244
The chamber shook again. Dust fell from the ceiling, drifting through the torchlight like falling ash. The roots along the walls pulsed brighter, black veins crawling faster across the stone.The vessel at the center of the room was no longer still. Its faceless head tilted with a creaking sound, slow and deliberate. The crystal in its chest beat like a heart, light throbbing in a steady rhythm. Elias stumbled back, clutching his torch. His face was pale, his lips trembling. “It’s alive.”Mara’s knives slid free, twin blades gleaming in the sickly glow. Her voice was sharp and low. “It’s waking. We need to move. Now.”Oliver didn’t move. His eyes were locked on the crystal. His Echo Sense flared, threads exploding in his vision, hundreds of them, tangled, snarling, all connected to that single glowing heart.The whispers poured into his mind. “Strike it. Cut it. The power is yours. One blow, and the camp above will bow to you. They will see you as a savior. As king.”His breath came
Chapter 243
The thread shimmered faintly at the edge of Oliver’s sight, thin as a hair, glowing with a sickly light only he and Elias seemed to notice. It tugged eastward, toward the narrow tunnels that broke away from the camp.The rest of the rebels still slept, their snores echoing softly in the cavern. Only a few guards paced near the fires, their torches swinging back and forth.Oliver’s pulse quickened. The whispers coiled in his skull like smoke. “Follow it. Take them. It leads where you need to be. To me.”He swallowed hard. His mouth was dry. He wanted to refuse, to stay here where the campfire was warm and safe, but deep down he already knew the truth: if they ignored this threat, it would strangle them later.Mara tightened her grip on her knives. “We move now,” she said in a low voice. “Before someone notices.”Elias shifted nervously, torch shaking in his hand. His young face was pale, but his jaw was clenched. “I can lead. I can feel it pulling.”Oliver looked between them, the boy
Chapter 242
The camp was awake long before the torches were lit. People whispered in small groups, some sharpening blades, some gathering fungus sacks, others whispering prayers that echoed against the stone walls. A heavy tension filled the air, the kind that made even laughter sound wrong. Everyone knew they were going deeper soon, into the Hollow, the place where shadows never slept.Oliver walked slowly through the camp, the coin heavy in his pocket. His footsteps were steady, but inside his chest, his heart felt like a hammer that refused to stop. He could feel the whispers again. They were quiet this time, like a snake resting, waiting. They curled around his thoughts, offering answers he didn’t ask for. “Move the scouts to the western tunnel. They will be safer there. Garrick will not think of it, but you can.”He clenched his fists. He hated that the voice was right near the fires. Elias was crouched low, trying to light a torch with trembling hands. The boy’s face was pale, his eyes s
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