dy energy that echoed through every hallway and stone of the ancient palace. Since Zayn had completed his quest-repaying the ancient debt and silencing the hidden echo-

s of unity and renewal, now shimmered with strange, dis

is soul to the ancient relic. Her memory followed him like a quiet whisper through the olive groves and the statues worn by time. Each breeze and shifting shadow seemed to carry e

a "shadow covenant" that ran alongside the known pact-a secret part of the original agreement. It warned of a hidden force that would rise if the echoes of the past became too restless. This force, the "final shroud," would fall

"It's alive, shaped by each generation. The founders added a rule: if things ever leaned too far in one direction, a reckoning would come to reset the balance." Malik's eyes, fi

ll unfinished. He thought of the moment the Ebon Prism had filled him with its power, quieting the hidden echo and renewing the covenant-if only for a time. But now that p

poke of it as a place buried deep in the hills beyond the kingdom-a dark maze of tunnels where the original power of

y. There, Malik, Ozel, and Saira listened as he explained his mission. Concern filled their faces. Some believed the sanctuary could offer solutions. Others feared it wou

moors under gray skies that never cleared. At night, dreams filled his sleep-visions of the founders, of Carina, and of the final shroud falling ov

f. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the darkness. The air was cool and still, the only light coming from glowing minerals in the stone. Shadows

silver lines. On it lay a slender crystal rod, glowing with strange light. The carvings around it told the story of the final shroud: if fate became too unbalanc

shroud threatened to crush him. He reached out and lifted the rod. A wave of energy rushed through him-feelings, memories, a

meet the covenant's last demand. Only by joining light and dark, love and pain, can you change your fate. Will

s memories, his hopes, his love for Carina. But to resist risked unleashi

hey had once made. Holding onto that, he made his decision. Slowly, he pressed the crystal rod to his chest, where her me

e human and the sacred. The pain was deep, but within it, he found clarity: this wasn't punishment. It was cha

oud, once a symbol of doom, had become a quiet promise: the balance had been restored.

Axum was filled with silence and thought. But on the horizon, dawn was breaking. And with it came a

glowed with a calm, balanced light-a blend of sorrow and healing. As he stood before them, Zayn knew hi

choice that saved them. His words moved the crowd. They understood that peace co

sacrifice, and to guide his people with wisdom. Though the final shroud had lifted, its message remai

ed, enlightened with a symbol of renewal. His life woul