Chapter 7: Echoes Beneath the Sealing Grounds
The entrance to the Sealing Grounds wasn't marked on any map—only known to a handful of the academy's inner circle. But here it was, hidden beneath an abandoned bell tower cloaked in creeping vines and forgotten sigils.
Ren's steps echoed as he followed Lira into the darkness below. The air grew colder, heavier. The Codex Nullum pulsed softly at his side, its pages whispering with unease.
"Do you hear that?" he asked.
Lira stopped, eyes narrowed. "What?"
"Voices." Ren's voice was hoarse. "Like… echoes of a memory. Or maybe something trying to get in."
As the path spiraled deeper, ancient stone walls bore carvings—some angelic, others monstrous. The Codex responded, its runes flaring to life as it translated the glyphs aloud.
"Here lies the First Seal. Beneath it sleeps the Truth of the Void."
Ren touched the seal at the center of the chamber—a circular emblem engraved with a sword, an eye, and a broken crown. The moment his hand made contact, everything trembled.
The Codex snapped open on its own.
You stand at the threshold, Voidbound.
Choose: To break the seal and awaken forbidden truth—or walk away, and remain in chains.
Ren didn't hesitate.
"I came here for answers."
The seal cracked.
From the rift, a surge of memories—not his own—poured into him. Faces he never knew. Blood-soaked battles. A name, screamed in defiance.
"Nyxria."
Lira caught him as he stumbled. "Ren—your eyes…"
They glowed with the same color as the Codex's core.
And then came the laughter. Deep, distorted. Ancient.
"At last… a worthy vessel."