Tom POV
The pipe beneath the snake-engraved tap had shifted, opening a passage into the darkness below. The faint green glow of the Chamber reached his eyes, just enough to illuminate the jagged stone steps descending into the unknown.
He paused at the top, heart hammering. His mind flashed with memories of dreams-the girl in the glass, her gold-flecked hazel eyes, the subtle nudges guiding him here.
'It's real,' he thought. 'She's here.'
He whispered the words instinctively in Parseltongue as he stepped down: "I'm coming."
The air grew cooler, damp with the ancient breath of the Chamber. The stone walls hummed faintly with magic. Every instinct in him screamed that he was finally close to the one he had been chasing for years.
---
Zaila POV
The System pulsed urgently.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Host has entered the Chamber. Mission escalation recommended.
RECOMMENDATION: Use Dream-Linked Influence strategically; maintain stealth.
NEW ABILITY AVAILABLE: Dream Projection Expansion - allows temporary manipulation of small objects and environmental cues in waking world (Labyrinth + Doctor Who)].
Zaila felt the thrill of proximity and the danger. The basilisk stirred faintly beneath its lair, but she remained calm. Her heart beat in rhythm with the System.
[MISSION STATUS: Guide Host through Chamber entrance and initial interior exploration.]
She experimented cautiously:
* Small gusts of air moved loose stones under his foot, nudging him toward safer footing.
* Flickering illusions highlighted subtle pathways and potential hazards in the Chamber (Labyrinth).
* A faint glow appeared near the coffin, just enough to draw his eyes toward her without revealing her fully.
[SC REWARD: 100 for successful environment guidance and hazard prevention]
Every movement tested the limits of her Dream-Linked Influence and Dream Projection Expansion, pushing the boundaries of what the System allowed.
---
Tom POV
He felt the pull even stronger inside inner chamber, closer than ever. The green light cast eerie patterns across the walls. Every step seemed guided, as if invisible hands led him.
'She's here,' he thought, sensing her presence even without seeing her. His subconscious recognized the subtle cues-the small shifts in stones, the faint gusts, the pattern of flickering shadows.
'It's like... she's moving through the Chamber even as I walk it.'
He followed the trail carefully, his wand ready. Every instinct told him he was approaching the glass coffin, the center of the connection he had been chasing since his first year.
---
He reached the center of the Chamber, senses heightened. The coffin glimmered faintly in the green light. Something intangible tugged at him-the emotional echo, the subtle telepathic guidance, the faint movement in the shadows.
'She's here,' he thought, awe and anticipation mingling in his chest.
He knelt near the coffin, whispering Parseltongue softly. The stone beneath responded faintly, almost as if acknowledging his presence. His mind flared with recognition-the connection was alive, pulsing, stronger than ever.
He didn't see her fully, but he felt her.
Relief, encouragement, and... a flicker of anticipation radiated toward him. She was guiding him. She was waiting.