[Lost City of the Dead]
In the castle at the center of the city, the situation had changed drastically since last time.
So much so that Elena and the rest of her group were now afraid to approach the girl, unsure of what exactly she was trying to do.
They stood at the back of the hall, even the two members of Elena's team who'd fainted earlier were now awake, watching as the girl, no longer in her transformed shape, carried the massive sword, its size utterly disproportionate to hers, making the whole scene look almost absurd, toward the cocoon in front of the throne.
The cocoon had changed. It was no longer silent as before, now it pulsed with a slow, steady rhythm they could faintly feel, one that grew almost imperceptibly stronger with every beat. Barely noticeable at first, it became far easier to detect as the sword drew closer.
It was as though it were responding to the sword's presence, and the sword, in turn, seemed to respond in kind.
