The cavern groaned like a dying giant as the sleepers stirred beneath the stone. The sound rolled through the air in slow, terrible waves that made the memory roots tremble beneath our feet. A deep vibration climbed up my legs and into my ribs, rattling my bones with every breath. I staggered backward as the first root snapped loudly near the altar, shattering into glowing dust that drifted through the air like burning snow.
Talon pushed me behind him as another pulse shook the cavern. His muscles tensed like coiled steel and his eyes scanned the collapsing chamber with sharp, frantic movements. The First Sleeper stood near the entrance, its twisted frame illuminated by the flickering roots. Its expression did not change, but something moved across its face with strange, unreadable emotio
