blood returning to frozen limbs", "shallow, hitching breath", "stronger", "warmth began to spread outwards", "unnatural chill", "deathly silence", "The castle hummed quietly. Fin sat on the stone floor. Every muscle hurt. His head hurt. The Mark on his chest had a dull red light. His domain felt weaker.
Meg coughed. She pushed hair from her face. "Fin? Are you okay?" Her voice was shaky. She looked scared.
Arachne stood up. She swayed a little. One hand pressed her side. "My Lord," she said. Her voice was tight. "That was the Abyssal Lock. I never thought. The stories are real."
"Stories?" Fin asked. His throat was dry. He stood up. He felt dizzy. "What stories?"
"It is a thing that holds stuff," Arachne said. Her eyes looked far away. "The first Admins made it. To hold things they could not destroy. Things from a long time ago."
Fin did not ask "before what." He needed to know something else. He looked around the main hall. It was empty. Only the three of them were there.
