Chapter 5

                                                                         The Coming of Age

Zara felt a shock of fear run through her chest as the ground shook beneath her feet. She hardly had time to respond when the blazing crystal in Kael's hands blazed brighter, almost blinding her, and a deep, deafening rumble echoed through the vault's walls. Zara lifted her arm to protect her eyes from the quick flash of brightness, which was too much to handle.

"What's going on?" She yelled, but the loud noise drowned out her words. She could sense the floor beneath her trembling, as if the earth itself were objecting to their presence.

The light appeared to pulse more quickly than ever before, and Kael's face was twisted in concentration as his hold on the crystal tightened. "I'm not sure, but we must relocate!"

He dragged her to the closest wall, where she could hide in the shade of a big stone pillar. The walls of the vault creaked and cracked, as though the old building were struggling to stay intact. Every instinct told Zara to flee as her heart raced in her chest, but Kael's hold on her arm held her captive to the mayhem going on all around them.

The crystal's glare was now so intense that it filled the room, creating weird, unearthly shadows on the stone floor. In an attempt to restore her vision, Zara blinked frantically, but the light was so strong that it appeared to warp the air itself.

Abruptly, the ceiling above them gave way with a loud thud. Zara felt her heart lurch as dust and rock fragments poured down. They needed to leave. However, Kael appeared enthralled with the gem he was still holding, his eyes wide as he gazed at it. Her voice was harsh with urgency as she pulled at him once more.

"Please, Kael! We must depart immediately!

There was silence for a minute. Kael had an almost calm expression on his face as he stared at the glistening crystal as though it had all the answers. Zara's thoughts were racing. Given that they were in risk of being buried alive, she found it incomprehensible that he was so obsessed with it.

"Kael!" she screamed, her voice growing high in alarm.

His countenance changed from amazement to alarm as his head shot up. "Zara, we must—"

Before he could say anything further, the floor under them shook and a loud crack reverberated throughout the vault. Before Zara could even scream, the ground gave way beneath her feet and she felt herself plummeting into the darkness.

Her gut lurched at the weightlessness as she fell, the world twisting around her. She reached out frantically, but there was nothing to grip, and time seemed to slow. There was nothing solid to halt her fall. Just smothering darkness that never ends.

Then, with a startling impact, the fall came to an abrupt end. Zara hit hard on the stone floor, her body throbbing from the force, and her breath was knocked out. She lay there for a time, immobile and stunned. She could hear the distant rumble of the disintegrating structure, and the echoes of the collapsing vault echoed above her. It felt like miles, but she had no idea how far they had fallen.

Zara forced herself up with a groan, her limbs weary and tight. She was surrounded by smoke and dust, and the chamber was still dimly lit by the crystal's feeble glow. The realisation that she was alone made her heart skip a beat.

She yelled, "Kael?" in a raspy voice that was muffled by the silence surrounding her. Pushing herself to her feet, she looked around for him in the gloom.

After a while, she caught sight of him, laying on the far side of the room in a rumpled heap with the crystal still blazing dimly in his palm. Zara's heart was pounding as she hurried to him. The way his body lay so still filled her with fear, even though she had no idea how badly he was harmed.

"Kael!" Panic swelling in her breast, she crouched next to him and shook his shoulder. She sensed a slight pulse beneath his pale skin, even though his eyes were closed. He was just about alive.

There was a brief sigh of relief in her voice. Time was of the essence. They would both be buried beneath the vault's debris if they didn't leave right away.

Zara grunted as she gingerly raised Kael's arm over her shoulder and started pulling him in the direction of the glowing crystal's far-off light. It was all she had, even if it wasn't much. The heaviness of his body strained her, making her muscles hurt, but she continued to push through. She had no intention of abandoning him.

She started to notice more features as she proceeded deeper into the room. The room was enormous, much bigger than she had thought. Strange, enigmatic symbols that had lost their meaning over time were used to decorate the walls. The smell of rot and ancient strength filled the stagnant, thick air. She was drawn to the sensation that throbbed through the stone beneath her feet, not the symbols or the atmosphere.

Now she sensed it, a slight hum, a vibration that seemed to emanate from the earth's interior. The vault had collapsed due to the same energy that had previously radiated from the crystal. It felt to echo in her bones as she stepped more into the room, and it was getting stronger.

Zara looked back at Kael, who was still resting his lifeless body on her shoulder. She felt the force pushing her ahead, telling her to keep going. She didn't know what it was or where it was taking her, but she had a feeling it was related to the crystal and all they had experienced.

She finally arrived to the middle of the room after what seemed like a lifetime. An old pedestal, similar to the one she had previously seen, stood in the centre of the room, but this one was unique. It was enormous and composed of blackened stone that glistened dimly in the light from the crystal. Another crystal, bigger and much more complex than the one Kael had been holding, rested on the pedestal.

Zara hesitated, looking at the two crystals and then back again. She was unsure about what to do. The odd power that pervaded the space was beyond her comprehension. She was confident, though, that they couldn't depart without answers.

Taking a deep breath, Zara laid Kael down on the floor next to her. She knew she didn't have much time because she could feel his pulse waning. She extended her hand and touched the bigger crystal, her fingers shaking as they contacted the icy surface.

The room appeared to come alive as soon as she did. The ground beneath her feet started to shake again, and the air crackled with energy. The chamber was filled with a deep, resonant hum, and Zara sensed something strong and ancient rising beneath the surface.

And then, as though in reaction to her touch, the bigger crystal glowed, its light spreading till it filled the room.

Something was waking up. It was much more than Zara and Kael had anticipated.