Beneath the Sleeping Sun
After the memories vanished and the Hall of Empty Thrones fell silent, Aurelia was left alone with the one who had remained behind.
The Guardian offered no comfort.
No explanation.
Only the truth he had guarded for centuries.
With a single gesture, the floor beneath the throne began to awaken. Ancient circles of gold burned across the marble, and the heart of the palace opened like a wound long hidden from the world.
A stairway descended into the darkness below.
Not toward a treasure.
Not toward a tomb.
But toward the secret the Dawnborn had buried beneath their own throne.
Aurelia hesitated.
Every instinct told her to turn back.
But the city had called her this far…
and whatever slept beneath the Palace of the Sleeping Sun was finally waiting to be found.
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