Chapter 7

The halls of the palace felt colder than usual as Seraphina followed Elias through the winding corridors, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpets that lined the floors. The silence between them was tense, the weight of their mission pressing down on both of them. It was strange, this alliance they had formed. Seraphina had once viewed Elias as a distant figure, someone on the periphery of her royal life, but now he was her only ally in this fight against the destiny that seemed to be closing in around her.

She glanced at him as they walked. His face was set, the usual warmth in his eyes replaced by a determined focus. She couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration for him. There was something about his resolve, his willingness to do whatever it took to stop Aldric, that made her believe in the possibility of winning. But that belief came at a cost, and Seraphina couldn't help but wonder if Elias had his own secrets—secrets he was keeping from her. She didn't have time to ask, though. The hidden passage they were heading toward was their immediate concern.

They reached a narrow door at the far end of the corridor, tucked between two high stone walls, almost invisible to anyone who wasn't looking for it. Elias pressed his ear to the door, listening for any signs of movement on the other side. Satisfied, he turned the handle and pushed the door open, revealing a darkened stairwell that led deep into the bowels of the palace.

"Are you sure about this?" Seraphina whispered, her voice tinged with doubt. She hadn't known about this secret entrance until Elias had mentioned it, and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into something they weren't prepared for.

Elias gave her a reassuring glance. "There's no turning back now, Seraphina. This is our only chance to find out what Aldric is really up to. We have to trust each other."

With that, they descended into the darkness, the faint glow of torches mounted on the walls their only guide. The air grew cooler the further they went, the walls damp with age. It felt as though they were entering the heart of the palace—its deepest, most hidden secrets, where the history of their kingdom was written in forgotten scrolls and lost knowledge.

Seraphina's breath came in shallow bursts as they made their way down the stairs. Every creak of the wood beneath their feet made her heart race. The further they went, the more she felt the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders. They were about to uncover something that could change everything, and yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that what they found might be more than they were prepared to handle.

Finally, they reached the bottom. Elias pushed open a heavy wooden door, revealing a vast chamber lined with shelves of ancient scrolls and books, some covered in dust and others so old that the pages had started to crumble at the edges. This was it—the royal archives. The knowledge that had been hidden from the world for centuries.

Elias stepped into the room first, his eyes scanning the shelves with a practiced gaze. "It's here," he muttered to himself, more to reassure himself than Seraphina. He moved quickly, pulling down scrolls and flipping through pages as if searching for something specific.

Seraphina, meanwhile, hesitated. The room felt oppressive, the air thick with the weight of history and forgotten truths. She walked further into the chamber, her eyes wandering over the rows of books. There was a strange sense of familiarity here, as though she had been in this very place before. It was almost as if the archives themselves were calling to her, urging her to discover what they held.

"Here," Elias said suddenly, his voice breaking the silence. "I found it."

Seraphina turned to find Elias holding a thick leather-bound book, its cover worn and cracked with age. The title was faded, the words barely legible, but Elias's eyes were alight with recognition.

"This is it," he said, his voice a mixture of awe and urgency. "This is the key to everything."

Seraphina crossed the room, her curiosity piqued. She reached out to take the book from his hands, but as her fingers brushed the cover, a strange surge of energy pulsed through her, making her blood run cold. It was as though the book itself had recognized her touch.

She recoiled slightly, but Elias was quick to steady her, his hand on her wrist. "It's alright," he said quietly. "You're the one the prophecy spoke of. This book… it's bound to you."

Seraphina didn't have time to ask what he meant, because at that moment, the entire room seemed to shift. The air around them thickened, and a low, rumbling sound echoed from somewhere deep within the palace. She glanced around, her heart pounding in her chest.

"What was that?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Elias's face darkened. "It's too late," he muttered. "We've triggered something. We have to leave, now."

But before they could move, the door to the archives slammed shut with a deafening bang, trapping them inside. The torches on the walls flickered violently, casting long, eerie shadows across the room. Seraphina's heart raced as she spun around, desperately searching for a way out. The room seemed to be closing in on them, the walls pressing closer with each passing second.

"Stay close," Elias commanded, his voice sharp with urgency. He pulled Seraphina to him, his hand gripping hers tightly. "We can't stay here. There's something… something ancient in this place. We have to get out before it finds us."

The rumbling sound grew louder, now accompanied by a strange, otherworldly hiss. It was like nothing Seraphina had ever heard before—something ancient, primal, and alive.

A sharp, cold wind whipped through the room, extinguishing the torches in an instant. The darkness swallowed them whole, and Seraphina's pulse raced in her ears. She could feel it—the presence in the room, something dark and powerful, watching them.

"Quickly!" Elias urged, dragging Seraphina toward the far wall, where a small door seemed to appear out of nowhere, hidden in the shadows. "We can't waste any more time."

Seraphina didn't need to be told twice. She followed Elias toward the door, but just as they reached it, a voice—low and guttural—whispered in the darkness.

"You cannot escape," it said, the words vibrating through the very air around them.

Seraphina froze, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. Elias didn't hesitate. He yanked open the door, and together, they stumbled through, the voice's echo still ringing in their ears as the door slammed shut behind them.

But even as they ran, Seraphina couldn't shake the feeling that whatever they had uncovered in the archives was only the beginning. They had woken something, something powerful—and now, they would have to face the consequences.