Chapter 30: Beneath the Womb

Back at the fork, Old Li waited—but something had changed. The tunnel behind him was gone. In its place: a solid wall of flesh, veined and breathing.

He backed away. "Yang?! YANG!"

No answer. Only the Womb's heartbeat—slow and thunderous—echoed beneath his feet.

Inside the chamber, Yang stood before the floating sphere, now pulsing in time with his own heart. The copper seal glowed in his hands.

The floor cracked, revealing a spiral staircase of teeth descending deeper still.

"I'm not the first," he murmured. "I'm the key."

A dozen mummified children rose from their alcoves, silent, eyes glowing faintly.

They pointed toward the spiral.

The sphere spoke again.

"Below lies the truth. The Core's heart. Return… or all above will forget the sun."

Yang turned once more toward the stairs. He looked back—Old Li's face flashed in his memory, along with his own childhood… before the fall, before the dreams.

He descended.

With every step, the whispers grew louder.

With every step, his memories unraveled.

And far above, in the real world, the earth began to shake.