Chapter 76 – The Call of the Sand

The sound continued.

It wasn't loud.

But constant, like the tide brushing against stone.

On the morning of the eighth day, something shifted within the Command Base.

Dust — invisible until then — began to subtly gather in corners, crevices, beneath doors.

It was sand.

Golden sand, like that of Cairo.

Helena noticed first.

— This... isn't natural, — she said.

Kael replied only with a look.

He knew.

He knew that the artifact wasn't just calling him anymore — it was now calling all who had jumped with him.

At the end of the main corridor, a new opening appeared.

A door that hadn't existed before, carved from raw stone, etched with symbols that the base's automatons couldn't register.

It was as if the door was invisible to mechanical eyes.

Kael gathered the witches.

— We're not ignoring this.

Patricia hesitated.

— What if it's a trap?

— It is, — Kael said, without smiling. — But sometimes the only way is through.

Inside the new passage, the heat grew heavier.

The ceiling seemed to press down with every step, and the air smelled of forgetfulness — of something that no longer belonged to any time.

The torches along the walls extinguished themselves.

Only the sand beneath their feet glowed faintly.

At the end, they found a second chamber.

At its center, a stone obelisk, ancient, covered in inscriptions.

Upon it, a golden hand, palm open, as if offering something unseen.

And on the ground, in letters that pulsed like heartbeats, the inscription read:

> "He who walks the sands carries both the forgotten and the promise."

Kael stepped closer.

He could feel the sound echoing inside his blood.

The artifact in its containment pulsed in sync.

Whatever was about to happen...

had already begun.

End of Chapter.

---

Can you feel the sands creeping through the corridors? Strengthen the shield with Power Stones!

The Stone advances. The Mist senses. The Sand whispers what was forgotten.