The heartbeat from within the capsule thundered louder with each passing moment.
It wasn't just a mechanical sound.
Instead, it was a rhythmic pulse that seemed to seep through bone, stone walls, and all the way down to the earth's core beneath them.
Fine cracks slowly spread across the surface of the dark metal capsule.
Like a spider's web inching its way outward.
As if shattering the seal that had held back immense power for five hundred long years.
Before it, Guardian Omega remained kneeling in the same unmoving position.
But since its systems had activated, the blue lines of light in its eyes had shifted to a dim, golden hue.
A sign of something unprogrammed deep respect, long-buried longing, and hope that had nearly faded away entirely.
Aurelia stood frozen in place.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Her heart hammered against her ribs hard enough to feel like it might burst free.
Outside the Sanctuary's sacred chamber
