A dense silence followed the burst of light, pressing against Rannah’s ears like the weight of an unseen force. Dust settled around her, swirling in slow, lazy patterns before vanishing into the cracks of the trembling chamber. The glow of the Heart had dimmed, yet its presence throbbed within her grip—steady, unyielding, alive.
Hannah coughed, waving a hand in front of her face as she staggered upright. "Is it over?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
Rannah hesitated. Something felt... off. The Heart had sealed itself, its fragmented power restored, but an uneasy sensation prickled at the edges of her consciousness. A void where Lorien had stood now yawned empty before them, yet his presence lingered—faint, like an echo refusing to fade.
"I don’t know," she admitted, scanning the chamber with wary eyes.
The once-imposing walls now bore deep fractures, ancient carvings marred by the battle’s aftermath. The structure groaned, protesting its own weakening state. They had minutes at most before it collapsed entirely.
"We need to leave," Hannah urged, already pulling Rannah toward the exit.
Each step forward felt heavier, as if the chamber itself resisted their escape. Rannah stole a glance over her shoulder, half-expecting Lorien to rise from the dust, his twisted smirk returning to haunt them. But the darkness remained still.
A faint whisper brushed against her ears.
You think you've won?
She froze. The voice slithered into her thoughts, icy and sharp. It was him. Not gone—merely trapped. The Heart had taken him in, but not in defeat. He had become a part of it.
Rannah’s grip tightened.
"Rannah, move!" Hannah yanked her arm, breaking her from the trance.
They sprinted toward the chamber’s entrance, weaving through falling debris as the ceiling crumbled behind them. The pathway ahead narrowed, jagged rocks jutting from the walls. A deep rumble reverberated through the cavern, the very heartbeat of the mountain shifting.
As they neared the exit, the ground beneath them cracked, sending Hannah stumbling. Rannah lunged, grabbing her wrist just as the floor caved in. She dragged her sister forward, pushing with all her strength until they both tumbled onto solid ground.
Then, with a final thunderous roar, the chamber behind them collapsed, sealing Lorien’s prison within layers of unyielding rock.
For a long moment, neither spoke. Their chests rose and fell in unison, breathless and shaken.
Hannah was the first to break the silence. "That was too close."
Rannah exhaled slowly, the weight of everything settling upon her shoulders. "It’s not over."
Hannah turned to her, eyes questioning. "Lorien’s gone. We sealed the Heart. What else is left?"
Rannah lifted the Heart, now a dull ember against her palm. "He’s inside this," she murmured. "And I don’t think he plans to stay silent for long."
The wind howled through the cavern’s mouth, carrying with it the distant sound of something stirring. Something waiting.
And for the first time, Rannah wondered if sealing Lorien away had truly saved the world—
Or merely delayed its downfall.
The wind outside was colder than before, sharp as a blade against their skin. Rannah and Hannah emerged from the cavern, breathless and weary, into a world that had not yet realized what had transpired beneath its surface. Snowflakes danced through the air, fragile and fleeting, as if mocking the weight of the burden now resting in Rannah’s hands.
The Heart of the Earth no longer pulsed with the same defiant energy—it had become subdued, its light flickering weakly, as if Lorien’s presence within was siphoning away its strength.
Hannah wrapped her arms around herself, stealing a glance at her sister. "You’re thinking too hard again," she muttered.
Rannah barely heard her. The voice had gone silent, but its presence lingered, clawing at the edges of her mind. She could feel it—a whisper beneath her skin, a shadow that refused to vanish. The battle had ended, yet an unease settled deep within her bones.
"We need to move," she said finally, breaking free from her thoughts. "Before—"
A deafening crack split the air.
The ground beneath them trembled violently, sending them staggering as ice fractured across the valley floor. The mountains groaned in protest, ancient stone shifting as if awakening from a long slumber. The weight of centuries pressed upon them, something stirring deep within the frozen expanse.
Hannah’s eyes widened. "Tell me that’s just an aftershock."
But Rannah already knew the truth.
Something else had been disturbed.
Before she could speak, a low, guttural growl echoed through the air. It didn’t come from the ruins behind them. It came from the shadows beyond, where the ice met the sky and the world seemed to fold into itself.
The storm thickened, snow whipping violently around them. A shape loomed in the distance—tall, hulking, its form barely visible through the blinding white. Eyes, like burning embers, pierced through the frost, locked onto them with something beyond hunger.
Rannah’s grip tightened on the Heart.
"Lorien wasn’t the only thing buried here."
The creature moved, its presence sending a wave of raw, ancient magic through the air. It wasn’t just any beast. It was something older, something forgotten—something that should have never been awakened.
And it was coming for them.