Chapter 74 THE CHAMBER OF SILENCE
The air in the tunnel froze instantly. Kael’s finger was on the trigger, his eyes locked on the veins starting to blacken on Serra’s arms.
"Lower your weapon, Kael," Dorian said. His voice came from deep within, raspy and strained.
"Boss, you heard the man! That woman is a time bomb!" Kael shouted.
"I told you to lower your weapon!" Dorian roared. His eyes turned crimson, and the Alpha energy he radiated shook dust from the tunnel ceiling. Reluctantly, Kael lowered his muzzle to the ground.
Dorian turned to the trembling Serra. She was clutching Atlas to her chest as if she wanted to protect the child even from him.
"Is it true?" Dorian asked. "That voice inside you... is it Valerius?"
"I don't know, Dorian... I swear I don't know," Serra sobbed. "It was just a whisper. It kept saying, 'The time is coming.' I’m your wife, the mother of your children. How can this be?"
"Because you aren't a miracle, Serra," Marcus interjected. "You are a masterpiece of engineering. Dorian, time is running out. Those assassins were just the scouts. We must enter that room before the main army blows Sector Zero to pieces."
"Where is this room?"
Marcus tightened his grip on the key in Dorian’s hand. "Right beneath us. Exactly seven levels below the throne room’s projection. The Chamber of Silence."
(ON THE WAY: BRIEF AND HARSH)
They began to infiltrate the lowest layers of the palace through a secret passage in the mine tunnels. No one spoke. Only the echo of boots on rusted metal could be heard.
"If Marcus is right," Lukas whispered, "Serra’s blood means the end of Atlas."
"Shut up, Lukas," Dorian said.
"I’m just stating the facts, boss. If that child awakens and Serra 'harvests' him, Valerius won't just be a king; he’ll be a god."
Dorian stopped. He grabbed Serra’s arm. The black veins had now reached her elbow. Serra groaned in pain.
"Does it hurt?" Dorian asked.
"It feels like my soul is being drained," Serra said. "Dorian, if something happens to me... if I lose control... do not hesitate."
"That’s not going to happen."
"It will!" Serra looked into his eyes. "Look at me, Dorian. I’m his daughter. I carry the blood of your enemy. If I’m going to hurt Atlas, leave me here, in this darkness."
Dorian didn't answer. He simply took her hand and kept walking.
(AT THE CHAMBER DOOR: THE TRUE TWIST)
Finally, they stood before a massive metal door, jet black and void of any ornamentation. The door seemed to have darkened even the rocks surrounding it.
Dorian inserted the black key into the slot. The mechanism groaned with the sound of thousands of turning gears. The door opened slowly.
The interior wasn't a laboratory or a treasure room.
It was a room covered entirely in mirrors. But these mirrors didn't reflect images; they reflected time.
In the center of the room, inside a transparent display case, stood two masks. One made of pure white ice, the other of glowing, burning fire.
"This is the 'Dual Mask'," Marcus said. "But these masks weren't meant for you, Dorian."
Dorian approached the display. An inscription beneath the masks read: "Atlas and Lyra: The Final Act."
"What did my father plan, Marcus? Speak!"
"Your father," Marcus said, pointing to one of the mirrors. In the mirror, the final moments of Dorian’s father before his death were visible. "Your father knew Valerius would return. He knew Serra was his daughter. But here is where the twist begins: It wasn't Valerius who placed Serra there; it was your father."
Serra froze. "What?"
"Your father kidnapped you and raised you with false memories to steal Valerius’s power, Serra. You are a poison designed to destroy Valerius. But there was a side effect..."
"What is it?" Dorian asked.
Marcus looked at the chest where the babies lay. "While Serra releases the poison, she won't just kill Valerius; she will kill Atlas too. According to your father, the only way to save the world was to destroy both the evil (Valerius) and the potential apocalypse (Atlas) at the same time."
Dorian recoiled. "My father... wanted to kill my son?"
"No," Marcus said. "Your father wanted you to make a choice. Only one life can be saved in this room. Either your wife lives and uses Atlas’s energy to destroy Valerius... or Atlas lives, but Serra turns into a pile of ash."
At that moment, the mirrors in the room began to crack.
A shadow appeared at the door.
"There’s no need to make a choice, son," a voice said. A voice as cold as ice and raspy.
Standing at the door was Valerius. But his frozen form was gone. Now he wore golden armor, and his eyes were completely black. Beside him... stood Valeria. Kael’s sister.
Valeria pressed her gun against Dorian’s head.
"I’m sorry, Dorian," Valeria said. "But there’s one more thing Marcus didn't tell you. I’m an experiment too. And my job is to stop you from making a choice."
Dorian looked at the black key in his hand and the babies in his lap. His wife was a poison, his son was a target, and his ally was a spy.
"Now," Valerius said, stepping into the room. "Give my grandchildren to me. And watch your wife die."