Chapter 21

• As they ventured deeper into the Nexus, the structures grew more elaborate, their golden patterns shifting and glowing as if responding to the group’s presence. The shard continued to pulse faintly in Seraphina’s hand, guiding their path.
• They reached a massive central chamber, an open expanse encircled by towering arches that seemed to touch the swirling sky above. In the center stood a dais, its surface inscribed with the same spiraling symbols they had seen on the sanctuary’s altar. At its heart was a pedestal, empty but radiating an intense energy.
• “This is it,” Cael said, his voice trembling with awe. “This is where the shard belongs.”