Chapter 6

                                                                        The Coming of Age

The buzz of old power filled the air, resonating through Zara's bones. She felt feelings of horror crawl up her spine as the crystal in her hand pulsed with ferocity. Something had reacted when she touched it.

She hesitated for a second, her fingers still pressing the cool, smooth surface. The room seemed to be alive, as if it were breathing and awaiting the next action from someone or something.

The entire enormous space was filled with the expanding light from the crystal. It created unsettling shadows on the walls, giving the mysterious symbols a dancing appearance as they changed in time with the energy. Zara's heart pounded. She had no idea what to anticipate, but this? She had never anticipated anything like this.

She heard Kael stirring behind her. He was shifting, moaning, and putting his hand up to his head when she turned around. Her chest swelled with relief. They were running out of time, but he was waking up, too.

Zara said, "Kael," but the throbbing energy that pervaded the room seemed to devour the words.

Kael's face was drawn and pale when his eyes slowly opened, but he was still alive. He glanced at the glistening crystal, then at the one Zara was holding. His body tensed as though he had just realised the magnitude of what they had done, and his breath stuck in his throat.

His voice was strained and scratchy as he said, "What did you do?"

Zara felt a knot in her stomach. "I didn't intend to. I simply touched it. I had the thought—

"No." Now, Kael's words broke through the growing buzz of energy with a sharp edge. You ought not to have come into contact with it. We must go. Right now.

Wincing in agony, he clambered to his feet. Zara kept a tight eye on him, his gaze darting about the room as though he was looking for a way out. It felt as though the walls themselves were closing in, and the crystal in her fingers continued to pulse with that same intolerable brilliance.

“What’s going on, Kael?” Zara's question was hardly audible above a whisper.

Kael whispered, almost to himself, "The crystal." It has to do with something... something hazardous. If what we've unleashed is real, we may have just roused the final Imperial Sentinels, but I—I thought it was only a legend.

"The Sentinels?" Zara said the word again, shivering at the thought. "What are they?"

Kael looked back at the gem with a gloomy expression. The Sentinels served as the last line of defence for the empire. a military force—warriors strengthened by these stones' power. However, the crystals were made with the sole intent of destroying.

Zara's stomach sank with her heart. Weapons of mass devastation were linked to the energy she had sensed, the power of the crystals, and the collapse of the entire vault. And now, they had triggered a deadly, ancient force.

"You mean there's still one out there?" With a hint of anxiety in her voice, Zara enquired.

With a pallid expression, Kael nodded. It is an unstoppable force and a living thing. Destroying the crystal is the only way to defeat it. However, it's too late now. The Sentinel is going to pursue us. And it will do whatever it takes to achieve its goals.

The enormity of their predicament weighed heavily on Zara as she turned back to the gem in her hand. The black force that emanated from the old power had come alive. It had a purpose, and it was awake.

"What are we able to do?" With a hint of desperation in her voice, Zara asked. They couldn't afford to squander time. Regardless of what Kael had to say about the Sentinels, it was obvious that other people were also curious about the crystals.

Kael replied, looking around the cavern's shadows, "We run." "We must reach the surface. Nearby, I have a safehouse. We cannot remain here.

Zara agreed, but she didn't know how they were going to get to the safehouse or where it was. However, she could tell by the expression in Kael's eyes that they had no other option. They would have perished long before the Sentinel arrived if they didn't leave the ruins.

A weird sound reverberated throughout the cavern before they could move again. It began as a faint hum that was hardly audible at first, but it soon became louder and echoed through the stone like the sound of a storm far away. Zara automatically drew Kael nearer to her as her breath caught in her throat.

"What is that?" Her heart pounding, she muttered.

The sound became louder, a thunderous rumble that appeared to tremble the vault's foundation, and Kael's face lost colour. His eyes were wide with fear as he turned towards the exit.

With desperation in his voice, he murmured, "It's coming." "We must relocate. Right now!

Zara didn't require two reminders. She took hold of Kael's arm and dragged him in the direction of the small opening from which they had entered. The surrounding walls started to shake, and dense, choking clouds of dust descended from the ceiling. The air around them was heated with an abnormal heat, and the glow from the crystal had now turned into a dazzling brightness.

As the sound of the impending menace intensified, they accelerated their pace, their shoes reverberating down the hallways. The earth itself seemed to be reacting to the Sentinel's awakening, as if the entire planet were closing in on them.

They eventually arrived to the outer room, but as they got closer to the exit, the air was split by a sharp crack. Zara's heart pounded in her chest as she whirled around.

In the glaring light, a silhouetted person stood at the door. Its existence was indisputable, despite its very towering stature and obscured features. Zara could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge as the surrounding air seemed to warp and crackle with energy.

The Guard.

With his hand automatically moving for the weapon at his side, Kael moved ahead of Zara. His expression was tough and resolute, but he couldn't conceal the glint of terror in his eyes.

"Zara, please return," he requested in a low, authoritative voice.

Zara, however, did not move. She was unable to. She had never anticipated how terrible the Sentinel, the figure in front of them, would be. The very sight of it was enough to chill her blood.

"Kael," she said in a scarcely audible whisper, "what do we do?"

Kael gripped his sword more tightly. "We fight," he declared in a determined tone. "There is nothing we can do."