Chapter 24: Dormant Core

Chapter 24: Dormant Core

The Core Warden opened its eyes when Yuan’s foot crossed an invisible threshold approximately four meters into the cavern.

Not both eyes simultaneously; one first, the left, a deep amber that caught the crystal light and held it, and then the right, and then the creature’s breathing changed from the slow geological rhythm of deep sleep to something more present and deliberate. It didn’t move. It watched him from its position curled around the stone formation with the patient attention of something that had been assigned a purpose a very long time ago and had not yet been given a reason to deviate from it.

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