The red eye blinked.
Once.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The entire Heart Chamber fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The single crimson eye stared from within the crack running across the Heart of Aurelia.
Watching.
Observing.
Awake.
A chill swept through the room.
Emily felt it immediately.
The temperature dropped.
The golden light filling the chamber dimmed.
Even the symbols surrounding the Heart began flickering.
The change was subtle.
But terrifying.
Because the Heart had been radiating warmth before.
Now it felt...
Wrong.
Alive in a completely different way.
The Guardian Beast growled.
The sound echoed through the chamber like distant thunder.
Its silver fur stood on end.
Its golden eyes never left the red eye.
For the first time since Emily had met the creature—
The Guardian looked frightened.
Orion immediately stepped forward.
His expression had become grim.
"Everyone back."
Nobody argued.
The urgency in his voice was impossible to ignore.
