They reached her through a passage that should not have existed.
Stone folded inward like a ribcage opening.
The air changed.
Cooler.
Heavier.
Old.
At the heart of the chamber lay a woman encased in translucent crystal, suspended above a dark well that seemed to swallow light.
She looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
"Her name was Aaravika," Rehaan said quietly. "She was the first to regret immortality."
Ira stepped closer.
The moment she did, emotion struck her so violently she nearly collapsed.
Devansh caught her arm.
But the pain was not Devansh's.
It was… familiar.
"She's afraid," Ira whispered. "Even asleep."
Aaravika's face twitched.
A hairline fracture spread across the crystal.
Rehaan swore under his breath.
"She feels you," he said. "Just like the city does."
Ira placed her palm gently against the surface.
Warmth bloomed.
And with it—
memory.
A circle of people.
Symbols burning into stone.
A woman at the center, hands shaking, voice breaking.
We can bind eternity to the heart… but we will never control what the heart becomes.
Ira gasped.
The fracture widened.
Devansh pulled her back sharply.
"That is enough."
Aaravika's eyes opened.
Silver.
Filled with terror.
And recognition.
"She's here," Aaravika whispered hoarsely. "The one who didn't die."
Ira's knees weakened.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Aaravika's gaze locked onto her.
"You were never meant to be reborn," she said. "And yet… you are."
The city trembled.