The ancient passage beneath the Temple of Bones was suffocating—walls slick with condensation, carved with glyphs too old for any living language. The only sound was the echo of Selena and Dante's footsteps, the low hum of the bond between them vibrating with tension.
Selena's voice was a whisper in the dark. "Did you feel it too? Before we entered."
Dante nodded, flame barely flickering in his palm for light. "We were being watched."
"But not by the Core."
"No," he said grimly. "Someone else."
Selena shivered. "Then someone else knows we're here."
As they continued, the air grew heavier. Glyphs on the walls began to glow faintly—first gold, then shifting to deep crimson. Selena ran her fingers along one of them.
"They're reacting to me."
"Because you're the bonded," Dante said. "And the Core has marked you."
"But it's more than that."
