The Fifth Layer was the last.
He knew it the moment he stepped into the chamber. The ceiling was impossibly high, lost in darkness. The walls were covered in runes, millions of them, layered on top of each other, pulsing with a light that was almost blinding. And at the center of it all stood a door.
The door was made of the same white stone as the piece in his pocket. It was massive, towering, covered in runes that burned with a steady, eternal fire. And behind it, Kaelen could feel something pressing against the barrier.
The Deep.
He walked toward the door. Each step felt heavier than the last. The warmth in his chest fought against the cold that radiated from the stone. The white stone in his pocket pulsed, pulsed, pulsed.
He reached the door. He placed his hand on its surface.
The runes blazed.
"Keeper."
