#Chapter 138: By the Pool of the Sanctuary

DEREK "I’ve been expecting you," the Priestess said. She stepped back and opened the door wide, the folds of her silver robes whispering against the stones. The air that spilled out was cool and heavy, scented with sage and damp stone and something older that had no name—something that prickled along my skin and sank straight into my bones. Elena traded a look with me. Expecting us? I didn’t have time to ask before the Priestess turned and swept back into the sanctuary, trusting we would follow. We did. Inside the doorway, the entry narrowed into a small keep, the walls made of pale, ancient stone worn smooth with time. It felt like stepping back into a world before the modern one had ever existed. At the center of the keep sat the sacred spring—the Moonpool. It wasn’t large, no bigger than a small pond, but it shimmered under the filtered light from above, silver and luminous even in the dim space. Ripples lapped gently against the edges of the stone basin, thou