Chapter 36 Thirty six

Chapter 36 Thirty six
The entire realm groaned like a structure tearing itself apart from the foundation upward. The platform that Eryndor and Lyra stood on split down the middle and dropped half a foot. Dust sprayed upward in thick clouds. The rising heat created a shimmering red haze over everything.

Lyra grabbed Eryndor’s arm to steady herself. The stone beneath her boots trembled in a constant vibration that made balance difficult. She looked over the edge where Zariel had vanished. The molten river surged higher than before, almost reaching the level of the platform. Its glow reflected across the cracked walls in violent patterns.

Eryndor looked upward and then toward the destroyed archway behind them. “We need to get off this level. Everything here is collapsing.”

Lyra took in the surrounding destruction. Entire stone bridges that once spanned the chasms had fallen into the molten river. Pillars cracked down their lengths and dropped heavy chunks into the chaos below. The obsidian ceilings above split in widening lines as if the realm’s sky itself was coming apart.

Eryndor lifted her to her feet. The ground beneath them tilted sharply toward the molten river. “Move now.”

Lyra ran with him across the breaking platform. The stone felt unstable, as if each step would be the one that sent her through a collapsing gap. Behind them, the molten river surged again and pressured the remaining fragments of stone.

A section of the platform ahead gave way and dropped into the chasm. Eryndor reacted first. He grabbed Lyra’s waist and lifted her across the opening before leaping after her. They both landed on the remaining edge just as the rest of the platform crumbled behind them.

Lyra breathed hard. “This place is dying faster than we thought.”

Eryndor kept his wings raised. The heat around them made the feathers glow at the edges. “Once the core broke, the realm lost all stability. We will not have long.”

They reached the ruined archway that once connected to a set of descending stairways. Only fragments of the stairs remained, hanging at odd angles or already floating in the molten river below. The path that led to the upper corridor was blocked by a fallen pillar.

Eryndor placed his hand against the pillar and pushed with a burst of power. The flames that poured from his palm widened the cracks in the stone until the pillar split enough for them to climb through.

Lyra squeezed under first, careful not to shift too much weight onto the collapsing fragments. Eryndor followed and pulled himself through the gap. The corridor beyond them shook under another heavy tremor.

Lyra steadied herself against the wall. “Do we go up or out?”

Eryndor moved ahead with a clear plan. “Up first. There is still a portal chamber above this level. If it held, we can force it open.”

Lyra looked ahead at the long hallway. The floor was cracked from end to end, and sections had collapsed into the level below. The walls were covered in deep fractures that pulsed with faint red light. Dust fell in soft streams from the ceiling with every shift.

They moved quickly. Eryndor stayed slightly ahead, ready to react to the shifting stone. Lyra followed close behind. The shaking intensified as they progressed. The corridor felt narrower, as though the walls were folding inward.

One section of the floor buckled as Eryndor stepped on it. He jumped back just in time as the stone dropped away, leaving a wide opening to the lower level. The air rising from below was hot enough to sting.

Lyra looked at the gap. “Can you lift us?”

Eryndor nodded. He wrapped an arm around her waist and used a controlled burst of flame beneath his feet. The lift was short but steady, carrying them over the gap to the remaining floor on the opposite side. They landed without losing balance.

The rumbling continued as they reached the final stretch of the corridor. At the far end stood a tall set of stone doors. The carvings that once decorated their surface had been distorted by deep cracks. One door hung crookedly from its hinges.

Lyra approached cautiously. “This leads to the chamber?”

Eryndor reached the doors and placed his hand against the surface. “Yes. If the chamber survived, we can activate the portal. If not, we will need to fly out before the entire realm collapses.”

He pushed the door open enough to slip through. Lyra followed him inside.

The chamber was damaged but still intact. The floor was cracked but had not yet fallen through. The walls had lost several chunks of stone, and pieces of the ceiling were scattered across the ground. But at the center of the room stood the portal structure.

It flickered with faint energy. The frame of obsidian and gold had visible fractures, but the core inside still pulsed with a slow, unstable glow.

Lyra exhaled in relief. “It is still functional.”

Eryndor approached the portal. The energy inside sputtered like a dying flame. “Barely. If we wait any longer, it may fail completely.”

A deep tremor surged through the chamber. Several stones dropped from the ceiling and shattered on the floor.

Eryndor steadied the portal frame with both hands. His wings flared as he channeled his energy into the structure. The glow inside the portal strengthened but flickered in irregular waves.

Lyra watched the portal strain to stabilize. “Can you open it?”

Eryndor closed his eyes for a moment, gathering strength. His flames brightened. “Yes. I only need a few seconds.”

Another violent tremor cut through the room. The floor tilted sharply. Lyra stumbled but caught herself against the wall. A large crack split the ground behind Eryndor and spread outward in two directions.

The entire left side of the chamber sagged as if the floor might drop at any moment.

Lyra called over the roar. “We will not get more time.”

Eryndor pushed harder. The portal surged once, expanding into a larger and more stable vortex. The energy inside finally aligned into a steady circular motion.

Eryndor stepped back. “It is open. Go.”

Lyra started toward the portal but stopped when she felt the floor shift again. She turned back to Eryndor. “You go first.”

He shook his head as another piece of the ceiling fell behind him. “I need to make sure it holds until you are through.”

She did not move. “I am not leaving unless you are right behind me.”

The room shook again. The crack beneath Eryndor widened and split in two directions. The chamber floor sank an inch toward the molten river below.

Eryndor reached for her hand. “Now, Lyra. Go.”

She hesitated for only one heartbeat, then grabbed his hand and pulled him with her. The portal flickered under the strain of the collapse. The chamber groaned as if it were about to tear open entirely.

They reached the portal together. The glow around its edge wavered.

Eryndor looked at her. “On three.”

Lyra nodded. “One.”

Another tremor struck. Part of the floor fell away behind them. The chamber tilted dangerously.

“Two.”

The portal dimmed and then brightened again in a stuttering pulse.

Eryndor gripped her hand tighter.

“Three.”

They jumped into the portal as the chamber gave a final violent shudder. The stone beneath the frame collapsed an instant later. The entire structure plunged into the molten river, taking the last fragments of the collapsing realm with it.

The portal snapped shut.

Everything went silent.