Before you enter Chapter 13, pause for just a moment.

This isn’t simply another chapter.
This is where the balance shifts.
Where insult meets sacred fury.
here, reverence is not asked for, but commanded.

She was called a weapon. But what they failed to see was that a weapon breaks
Flame transforms.

This chapter marks the moment when the Living Scripture does more than stir; it defends.
When the unseen breath, silent, watching, loyal dares to lend strength without a name.
And when Max no longer defends her place.
She becomes it.

Read slowly. Breathe steadily. The fire doesn’t just burn...
…it remembers.

Let the Scripture speak. 

The shimmering golden script that once adorned my skin now hovers above us, shifting and weaving itself into an intricate design.

At first, it appears to be an endless cascade of symbols, but as the letters realign, a map takes form, etched in pure light. Rivers of living scripture carve pathways through shifting landscapes, their meanings bending and reforming as if alive.

At the center, a pulsating sigil glows brighter than the rest, marking a hidden destination. The Sepulcher of Echoes. But beneath its name, another layer of writing unveils itself. An inscription only I can read, whispering of a place unseen by all but me.

As I stare at the hovering map, a silver wisp coils from Seth’s direction, brushing faintly against the outer edge of the scripture. The golden glyphs flare in response. Softly, reverently, as if they remember him. As if they remember us.

Two forces, written in different tongues, meeting at a seam between worlds.

Seth extends his hand toward me. “Come. Sit beside me.”

I feel the invisible dagger in my back. My eyes pleaded with Eric not to take things to heart.

Seth, oblivious to it all, or so it seems, continues, “Do you understand what you see before you?”

I point at the glowing sigil. “The wording beneath it says ‘The Sepulcher of Echoes.’”

His gaze never wavers from the map. “The Sepulcher of Echoes is inaccessible at this time of year.”

The words send a ripple of tension through the room. I frown. “Why?”

Seth finally looks at me, his silver-threaded eyes gleaming. “Because its entrance lies within the Pale Expanse, a land of ice and silence, where only echoes of the past endure. The path is guarded by the Angels of Reverence. Ancient sentinels frozen in time. They watch for the unworthy.”

The map shifts again, illuminating a massive field of towering angelic sculptures, their wings spread wide, their faces unreadable. At the center of this eerie graveyard stands a lone obelisk, its surface carved with celestial script.

Seth continues, his voice softer now. “The gateway does not open freely. The passage below will only reveal itself during the Ethereal Snowfall, a phenomenon that occurs once every cycle. The next one…” His gaze darkens slightly. “Is three months from now.”

Silence stretches. Three months. An eternity. A blink.

Eric leans back, exhaling sharply. “So, what? We just sit around and wait for snow?”

Seth’s lips curl into a knowing smile. “No. We prepare. The Pale Expanse is not a place one simply walks into. The angels do not merely stand as statues. And the echoes… they will test you before you ever set foot inside.”

A weight settles in my chest. The Sepulcher calls to me, the inscriptions still whispering in my mind. But the path is not open, not yet.

And what waits beyond those frozen sentinels does not welcome the living.

As we prepare to leave the Labyrinth of Books, Eric strides over and takes my hand. There’s no softness in the gesture, just a quiet claim. His other hand holds his cell. “Got a message from my team. We’re needed back. Urgently.”

Before I can answer, Seth approaches, eyes falling on our linked hands, then rising to meet mine with calm detachment. “Can I speak with you alone before you depart?”

I rest my free hand over Eric’s and give him a gentle squeeze. “I won’t be long.”

His fingers tighten briefly, and I feel the silent war in his grip, trust versus uncertainty.

Following Seth, I step into a small, book-strewn room at the back. The space is neat but cluttered, organized chaos, much like my mind right now. A lone table sits in the center, where he gestures for me to take a seat.

“What’s up?” I cut straight to the point.

Seth doesn’t dance around it either. “I want to go with you when you leave for the Sepulcher of Echoes.”

That throws me. “Why?” I eye the room’s walls like they might answer for him. “Are you even allowed to leave? You didn’t strike me as someone who got out much.”

He chuckles, and for some reason, the sound tugs at something deep inside me. “I’m not imprisoned here, and yes, I can leave. I’m not just a librarian.” He tilts his head, searching for the right words. “I’m more like… Google.”

I blink. “Google?”

He nods. “I store and access divine knowledge from anywhere in the universe. Like an external drive. Only better.”

I huff a laugh. “So, what? You want a field trip?”

The smile fades. “No. I need to go. I can’t explain why yet, but you’ll understand soon enough.”

I study him. There’s no arrogance in his tone. Just certainty.

I stare down at my lap as if the answer might be scrawled there, then meet his unwavering green stare. “I’ll have to run it by my team, but given how much you’ve helped us, I’ll vouch for you.”

What I don’t say is that I feel tethered to him. It’s not romantic. It’s not even logical. It’s deeper, like we’re part of the same story written in different ink.

And that terrifies me.

And yet, guilt coils in my stomach. Am I betraying Eric?

Shaking off the thought, I extend my phone to Seth, smiling warmly. “Add your number. I’ll contact you a month before we leave.”