CH80


    Ari


    I snarled at him. “You’re lying!”


    He smirked. “I’m not. Let’s go<b>.” </b>


    Adrenaline surged through me. I tore away from him, turned, and ran. I heard them running after me. If they were with the king, they were probably discussing ns for the coronation. I had to make sure he knew everything was going to be ruined,


    My footsteps echoed through the empty halls. I knew I couldn’t leave the pce through the usual means, but I didn’t have to. I burst into the main corridor. My breath came in ragged gasps. I darted through the pce, my footsteps echoing through the halls. I reached a dead end, a small, windowless room that was rarely used. I burst through the door, mming it shut behind me. Panting heavily, I leaned against the wall, my heart pounding in my chest.


    I knew I couldn’t stay here long. The guards would find me eventually. <b>I </b>needed to find a way out, a way to escape the pce and warn <b>Kal’s </b>father about how things were going. My n to get Kal into the royal family had worked, but not the way I wanted.


    As I searched the room, my eyes fell on a small, hidden panel in the wall. With a surge of hope, I reached out and pushed it. The panel slid open, revealing <b>a </b>narrow, dimly lit passageway,


    Without hesitation. I crawled through the passageway, the cold, damp air chilling my bones. The tunnel was narrow and winding, and I could hear the guards getting closer. I pressed on, my determination fueled by a desperate need to <b>escape</b>.


    Finally, I emerged from the tunnel into a small hallway. It looked like the servant’s wing. I looked around<b>, </b>my eyes scanning the surrounding buildings. I needed to find <b>a </b>way out of the pce. Suddenly, the ground gave out beneath me. I screamed, falling through darkness. I faded hard somewhere <b>dark </b>and cold. It smelled like mold and mildew. Stale water, <b>too</b>.


    I got to my feet, reaching out blindly. As I stumbled through the darkness, the cold stone walls closing in around me, a wave of panic washed over me. Where was 17 My hand hit something wooden. There was no know on it, but the feeling of it told me it was dungeon’s door. I squinted<b>, </b>searching for a source <b>of </b>light, but there <b>was </b>only one very far <b>away </b>


    I was in an underground cell.


    I pounded on the door, my fists aching from the effort.


    et me out!” I screamed, my voice echoing through the empty chamber. “This isn t funny!”


    “Let


    How had I even gotten here?


    The door remained locked. Everything waspletely silent. Desperation gnawed at me<b>, </b>a burning fury that threatened to consume me just as I was about to give up, <b>a </b><b>loud </b><b>chime </b><b>echoed </b>through the pce, dinning everyone’s attention. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. I recognized that sound.


    I screamed in fury, shaking the door that didn’t give way from my strength. I continued to pound on the door, my screams echoing through the underground chamber. But no one came<b>, </b>and I didn’t think anyone would.


    Morgan


    I held my breath, waiting for what was going to happen next. With a flick <b>of </b>his wrist, the door slid open, revealing a dimly lit cave. The king stepped Inside, his footsteps echoing in the silence. It was much like the cave where the gate was back on the human realm, except I didn’t see another way out. In the center of the anom, a towering gateway stood. The doorway was filled with golden light. The gate was made of a pater of statues that seemed toe alive, their eyes glowing with an eerie light.


    “What is this <b>ce</b>!


    This is the heart of the palice, the king exined, his voice filled with a mixture of awe and reverence. It is a ce of power, <b>a </b>source of energy that sustains the kingdom.


    the churkled, ‘at least, that’s how it was


    as exined to me


    We fellend him pust the giant gate, deeper into the underground cavern, the air <b>grew </b>water and more humid with each step. If felt like it was sparkling


    were adorned with intucate carvings, depicting scenes of ancient battles and stories. I could see imaged of golden


    CHRO


    dragons and phoenixes on the wall


    Then, I stopped to look up at arge, circr <b>mural</b>. Crystals glowed<b>, </b><b>casting </b>an ethereal light onto the tform. They were the eyes of the great phoenix rising out of what looked like the voice, shedding light across the wall. The great ck dragon that twined along the edges of the circle seemed so dark that it felt more like a great shadow in rtion to the great lights.


    It was just like the story Tsuneo told me. As I stood before the mural, 1 felt a surge of power coursing through me, <b>a </b>connection to something ancient and mysterious. It was as if the mural was calling out to me, drawing me <b>closer</b>,


    I felt almost bewitched and took a step forward. The eyes of the phoenix beckoned me forward.


    <b>“</b>Father…


    Tsuneo’s voice pulled me out of the trance. I turned and sow where he’d gone. In the center of the chamber, a massive stone sarcophagus floated in shallow pool of shimmering water. The king sat beside the sarcophagus, his face etched with a mixture of sadness and reverence.


    Thave spent… so much time here… Wishing. He sighed,


    <b>As </b><b>I </b>approached, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. The sarcophagus was unlike anything I had ever seen, its surface adorned with intricate carvings and symbols that seemed to glow with an inner light,


    I leaned over, noting the phoenix imagery carved over the face of it. I looked down <b>through </b>the ss until I saw her face. She was darker than me. I could see where Tsuneo got his skin tone. I couldn’t help but feel a sense <b>of </b>connection to this woman. I reached out, my hand trembling slightly. As my fingers touched the cold, smooth surface of the <b>statue</b>, a wave of energy surged through me. Her expression was peaceful. She was dressed in the queen’s colors though the length of the robe told me that the robe had likely once belonged to the king, or perhaps she had it cut that way to make it seem that way. <b>There </b>was something mischievous in the corners of her lips, maybe the are of her eyebrows. I smiled, noting that her hair was curlier than mine, and though it looked like it had grown, I could tell from the way the diadem sat on her head and theck of extra pins that it had once been a lot shorter. I didn’t need to ask who she was to know, but I did.


    “Is she <b>who </b>I think she is? I asked<b>, </b>my voice barely a whisper.


    The king smiled, a bittersweet cxpression crossing his face. “She <b>was </b><b>a </b>phoenix,” he replied, his voice filled with a mixture of love and respect. “A creature of light and hope… my wife. My phoenix.


    Then, I saw the glint of his scales along his neck and my stomach clenched. Têxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    They were patchy as if they were falling off. What did that mean?