LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 44: The Chamber of Echoes
As the crystal continued to glow brighter, Lady Aurora felt herself being pulled towards it with an otherworldly force. She tried to resist, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot, as if bound by an invisible thread.
Mistress Luna and Lord Orion stumbled after her, their faces contorted in a mixture of fear and awe. The chamber around them was filled with a dizzying array of machinery and clockwork devices, all whirring and humming in perfect synchrony.
The air was thick with the scent of ozone and burning metal, and Lady Aurora could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She tried to speak, but her voice was lost in the cacophony, drowned out by the relentless ticking of the clockwork heart.
As they reached the center of the chamber, a vast crystal portal came into view – its surface reflecting the light of the glowing crystal like a mirror. Lady Aurora felt an inexplicable sense of connection to the portal, as if it was calling to her across the chasm of time and space.
"What...what is this place?" she stammered, her voice barely audible above the din.
Mistress Luna's eyes were fixed on the portal, her face pale with fear. "This is the Chamber of Echoes," she whispered. "A gateway to the past – or so I've been told."
As if in response to Mistress Luna's words, the portal began to glow brighter still, its surface rippling and distorting like water. Lady Aurora felt herself being drawn towards it, as if pulled by an unseen force.
"We can't go any further," Lord Orion shouted above the din, but it was too late.
Lady Aurora stumbled forward, her hand reaching out for the portal's edge. As she touched its surface, a blinding flash of light enveloped her – and everything went dark.
When Lady Aurora opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland – surrounded by nothing but dust and ash. The air was thick with an otherworldly silence, as if the very fabric of time had been torn apart.
Mistress Luna and Lord Orion stood beside her, their faces etched with shock and confusion. "Where...where are we?" Lady Aurora stammered, her voice barely audible above the wind.
Mistress Luna's eyes were fixed on a distant horizon – where a figure was walking towards them, its features indistinguishable in the haze of dust and shadow.