Lilith, Yuria, and I descended through a sealed arch near the west wing. The air grew colder, heavier with each step. My Codex glowed faintly, as if wary of what lay ahead.
We arrived in a chamber vast as the Grand Library—five crystalline columns lined the walls. Four glowed faintly. One pulsed erratically, a crack snaking down its spine.
Valmira arrived moments later, breathless. "The Pillar's failing because something is feeding off its energy."
A flicker moved in the darkness. Then another. Shapes. Dozens. We weren't alone.
Shadow-husk creatures—like twisted remnants of wraiths—began to pour in from the far corners, drawn to the cracked Pillar like flies to blood.
Yuria didn't hesitate. "I got the left flank."
I nodded to Lilith. "How do we fix it?"
She stepped forward, placing her palm to the crystal. "You don't fix a Pillar. You restore it."
"How?"
She turned to me. "With the Architect's light."
I hesitated, then reached out. As my hand met the Pillar, the shard in my palm blazed to life. Images flashed—this Pillar once stood beneath a demon citadel. Betrayal shattered it. A thousand lives burned in its collapse.
I steadied my breath. "Let me take the burden."
The light surged. The crack sealed slowly, painfully, drawing energy from me like a siphon.
Behind me, Yuria screamed in triumph as her lightning leveled half a dozen husks. Valmira's runes spiraled across the walls, caging the rest.
The chamber fell silent.
The Pillar glowed once more.
Lilith's voice was low. "You just earned the right to awaken the second."