The Womb pulsed once every hour.
Each beat stronger than the last, as if the mountain itself had a heart and it was waking with purpose.
Rivan stood before the final gate — a circular seal made of gold-threaded obsidian, rimmed with teeth. It didn't open by force. It opened by lineage.
Selina leaned against the wall, still pale but conscious. "That's not just a door. It's a lock. A sigil-sealed genetic lock."
Kael paced behind them, watching the corridor. "Then who's it coded to?"
Ava stepped forward, her face grim. "Not what. Who."
She touched a glyph beside the seal.
It lit up with Crown script.
Rivan read it aloud, voice flat: "Only blood of the Architect Seed may pass. All others burn."
Selina turned. "That's you."
Rivan didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped forward, placing a hand on the seal.
The glyphs flared.
[System Alert: Final Crown Sigil Detected – DNA Sync Required | Core Burn Warning: 51%]
The gate shimmered, then stung.
