Chapter 99: Awakening the Deep

Emilia’s POV The door slowly started to open, creaking as stone ground against stone. forth of the darkness beyond, a surge of frigid air poured forth, bringing murmurs that made my heart tremble. Before entering, we gave each other one last look. It had been waiting, whatever was underneath the palace. And it was awake now. I sensed it. The discomfort and weight in the air had descended upon the palace like a dense mist. It tore at me, the feeling scuttling under my skin as though the ground under me was shifting, eerie. The discomfort was primal, a whisper at the back of my mind, and not the type of discomfort you could ignore. There was a problem. Something powerful, something old. Except for the sound of my footsteps as I paced the chilly stone floor, the throne room was deserted. It wasn't the jewel-encrusted crown itself that felt out of place, but rather the heavy weight of it sitting uncomfortably on top of my forehead. It was the awareness that I wasn't yet fully entitled