Chapter 60 – The Depths Call
The pulse beneath Ironroot had grown louder. Not just a heartbeat, but a call — resonant, insistent, impossible to ignore. Cael could feel it through the soles of his boots, through the air that pressed against his skin, through the blood thrumming in his veins.
"This isn't just the roots anymore," he muttered, eyes scanning the cavern. The walls shimmered faintly, black veins writhing like coiled serpents. "It's alive… and it's calling us deeper."
Drex shifted, the sound of his boots echoing in the vast, hollow chamber. "Deeper? Into what? The end of the world?"
"Maybe," Cael said, voice low, "or into its memory. Either way… we don't have a choice."
Lira's hand hovered near her dagger. "We should have turned back. I told you…"
"You didn't see what I saw," Cael interrupted. "The Echo. The Hollow Veins. Whatever is waiting below… it's part of me now. And it won't stop."
The group moved forward cautiously, each step sending faint tremors through the floor. The veins pulsed brighter with each beat of their hearts, almost as if acknowledging their presence.
A sudden crack split the air. Dust and fragments of stone fell from the ceiling, and the ground beneath them trembled.
Drex swore. "It's starting again."
Cael's eyes narrowed. "It's always starting again. The roots remember everything. They'll never forgive. And they never forget."
They reached a massive staircase carved directly into the cavern wall. It spiraled downward, disappearing into shadows so dense that even the faint glow of the veins above did little to illuminate the path.
Cael hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of the roots pressing down upon him. "This is it," he said quietly. "The Hollow Vein. The one the Echo warned us about."
Lira grabbed his arm. "You can't do this alone."
Cael shook his head, determination hardening his features. "I'm not alone. You're here. Drex is here. But someone has to lead."
Step by step, they descended. The air grew colder, thicker, almost viscous. It clung to their skin, sank into their lungs. Every breath was a struggle.
"You feel that?" Drex asked, voice strained. "Like the air itself is trying to… push us back?"
"It's alive," Cael said. "Everything here is alive. The roots, the veins, even the stones. And they hate intruders."
Halfway down, the staircase abruptly ended. A vast chasm opened before them, so deep it seemed to swallow light. The walls were lined with glowing veins, pulsating like the arteries of some titanic, buried beast.
Lira gasped. "How do we… cross?"
Cael studied the chasm. Shadows shifted unnaturally along the walls, forming shapes that were almost human, almost sentient. He could feel them watching, whispering. The pulse beneath the veins grew faster, more insistent.
"There's only one way," he said. "We trust the roots."
He extended a hand toward the nearest vein. The pulsating lines shimmered under his touch. For a brief moment, a bridge formed — black, alive, writhing with energy, spanning the chasm like a living spine.
Drex frowned. "That doesn't look safe."
"It's safer than standing still," Cael replied. "Follow me, but don't hesitate."
They stepped onto the bridge. It pulsed beneath their feet, almost like it was testing their resolve. One misstep, one flicker of doubt, and it could collapse, leaving them to fall into the darkness below.
As they moved forward, whispers began again. This time louder, more insistent, threading through their minds like needles.
"You cannot pass…"
"You do not belong…"
"The roots will take you…"
Cael focused on the pulse, letting it guide him. The voices were trying to unnerve them, to make them falter. He had felt this before, but here, in the depths, it was stronger, darker.
Halfway across the bridge, a shadow erupted from the veins beneath their feet. Black tendrils shot upward, attempting to ensnare them. Lira dodged, Drex slashed with his sword, but the tendrils were fast, intelligent, pulling and snapping like living ropes.
Cael clenched his fists, feeling the energy within him flare. His golden glow ignited, casting light across the cavern. The tendrils hissed and recoiled, shrinking back into the veins.
"You're stronger than they expected," the Echo's voice whispered from everywhere at once. "But stronger does not mean safe."
At the far end of the bridge, the chasm opened into another chamber. The walls pulsed violently, veins twisting, coiling, forming shapes that resembled faces screaming in silence. Shadows moved like liquid, flowing toward a central point.
There, in the center, was a figure — larger than any human, composed entirely of black roots and veins, eyes glowing a deep crimson. Its presence radiated a hunger so intense it made Cael's stomach churn.
Mordraen.
The Unbound.
The one Ashkarion had warned him about.
"I've been waiting," Mordraen said, voice deep, reverberating through the cavern. "The pulse has led you here. And now… you will choose."
Cael stepped forward, fists glowing, heart pounding in rhythm with the veins. "I will choose," he said. "But not for you. Not for anyone. For me."
Mordraen tilted his head, the mass of roots and veins forming a grin. "Very well. Let us see if you are worthy… heir of Ironroot."
The chamber shook violently. The veins throbbed like drums. Shadows leapt toward them. The bridge behind them collapsed into the darkness with a deafening crash.
Lira and Drex landed beside him, eyes wide. "There's no turning back," Drex muttered.
"No," Cael said. "And I wouldn't want to."
Mordraen surged forward. The ground beneath his feet blackened, veins extending outward like claws seeking to consume everything in their path. The pulse beneath Cael's skin flared in response, golden and wild.
He met Mordraen's approach, the first clash sending shockwaves through the chamber. Roots and shadows collided with his fists. The air exploded with tension, the smell of iron and earth filling their lungs.
Drex and Lira fought beside him, carving paths through the shadowed minions, but Cael felt the weight of the Unbound pressing against him — not just physically, but through the pulse itself. Mordraen wanted his power. He wanted the heartbeat of Ironroot.
"You cannot defeat me alone," Mordraen hissed.
"I am not alone," Cael said, voice low, steady, and unyielding. The pulse beneath him flared again, golden and immense, radiating through the chamber. The veins in the walls responded, stretching and twisting toward him.
A violent roar erupted as the roots themselves rose, coiling and striking at Mordraen. The Unbound staggered, eyes widening in shock.
Lira and Drex exchanged glances, then charged forward, slicing and striking at the minions swarming the chamber.
But Cael's focus was on Mordraen. The pulse had guided him here, and now it demanded everything. He struck forward, fists glowing with a brilliance that illuminated the cavern, veins quivering with every beat.
The chamber shook violently as Mordraen roared, the shadowed mass twisting and striking back, but Cael held his ground. Every strike, every pulse, every breath, was a test of control — mastery over the hollow veins, the Echo's whispers, the hunger beneath Ironroot.
And in that moment, Cael realized the truth:
To survive here, he had to become the pulse. Not fight it. Not resist it. Be it.
The veins pulsed violently, the cavern responding to him as he clenched his fists, golden light spreading across the chamber like molten dawn. Mordraen faltered, momentarily stunned, as if the pulse itself had turned against him.
The Echo whispered in his mind, layered and overlapping with Mordraen's voice. "Now… now you will see. Now… you are ready."
Cael's fists struck once more. The golden light flared to its maximum, pushing Mordraen backward. The cavern trembled violently, roots quivering, shadows screaming silently.
And then… silence.
The pulse beneath Ironroot settled. Slow. Measured. Powerful. Alive.
Mordraen's form retreated into the shadows, leaving only darkness behind.
Cael stood, chest heaving, golden glow dimming slightly, but the power still alive within him.
Lira and Drex approached, faces pale but determined.
"The depths… they accepted you," Lira said softly.
Cael nodded, voice steady. "For now. But this is only the beginning. The veins are awake, the Echo is watching, and Mordraen… he's still out there."
A low tremor pulsed from deep below, echoing like a heartbeat through the chamber.
The depths of Ironroot had called. And the call was far from over.