CHAPTER 229 — THE LAST MEMORY OF THE FOUNDERS
The enormous door beneath the sanctuary continued opening with a deep metallic groan that echoed through the underground structure like the awakening of something that had slept for decades. Cold air surged upward from the darkness below, carrying with it the scent of sealed corridors and forgotten years. Elena stood motionless at the edge of the platform, staring into the opening while dozens of questions fought for space inside her mind. Every discovery they had made since Ascension emerged had shattered another assumption about the city, but this felt different. Continuity had been hidden. Ascension had been hidden. The sanctuary itself had been hidden. Yet whatever existed beneath this level had been concealed even from them all. The realization sent an uncomfortable chill through her body. Some secrets were buried because they were dangerous. Others were buried because someone desperately hoped they would never be needed again.
