The world dissolved into a blinding, searing flash of blue light. My talon, still pressed against the obsidian surface of the Runed Wall, felt like it had been plunged into a forge. The runes, which moments before had pulsed with an eerie, controlled glow, now erupted with a malevolent, blinding intensity, a raw, untamed power that ripped through the air. The BOOM-BOOM-BOOM that had been rattling my chest became a single, deafening CRACK! that tore through the very fabric of reality, a sound so immense it felt like the mountain itself was screaming in agony. The whispers, the ancient, sorrowful murmurs that had plagued my mind, coalesced into a single, agonizing shriek, a sound of pure, unadulterated pain that threatened to rip my sanity apart. I recoiled, a primal instinct for self-preservation overriding all else. My scales burned, a thousand tiny needles pricking my skin, and my head swam, filled with dancing blue spots and the echo of that terrible, soul-shattering scream. The force of the eruption threw me backward, sending me sprawling onto the cold, unforgiving stone floor. My vision swam, filled with chaotic flashes of light and shadow, and my ears rang with a high-pitched whine that drowned out all other sound. The scar over my left eye felt like it had been seared anew, a raw, burning line across my face, a conduit for the mountain’s agony. "Cactus!" Qibli’s voice, distant and distorted, barely registered through the ringing in my ears. He was there, a blur of gold and concern, pulling me up, his talons surprisingly strong and steady. "What in the moons was that? Are you alright?" Before I could answer, the cavern itself began to tear itself apart. The low, guttural rumble that had emanated from the wall now became a continuous, earth-shattering roar. The floor bucked and heaved beneath us, a living, angry beast thrashing in its death throes. Dust, thick and choking, exploded from the ceiling, instantly obscuring everything, turning the air into a gritty, suffocating cloud. Rocks, small at first, then larger, began to rain down, impacting the stone floor with sickening thuds. My seismic sensitivity, usually my greatest asset, was now a torment. Every agonizing groan of the mountain, every splintering crack of rock, every shifting plate, was amplified a thousandfold, reverberating through my body, threatening to shatter my bones. I could feel the very bedrock groaning, tearing itself apart, the sound a raw, agonizing rip that vibrated through every scale on my body. The whispers, now a chaotic, maddening cacophony, screamed in my mind, a thousand voices crying out in terror, their pleas and warnings indistinguishable in the overwhelming din. "The wall!" Moon’s voice, sharp with terror, cut through the chaos. Her silver teardrop scales were dim, almost extinguished, and she was pressed against the far wall, her wings wrapped tightly around her, trembling violently. "It’s I forced my eyes open, blinking away the dust and the dancing blue spots. The Runed Wall, once a smooth, impenetrable obsidian barrier, was now a jagged, fractured mess. Massive cracks, like lightning bolts of destruction, spiderwebbed across its surface, radiating outwards from the point where my talon had touched it. The glowing runes pulsed erratically, flickering like dying embers, their blue light now tinged with an angry, malevolent red. From deep within the fissures, a thick, black smoke began to seep, carrying with it the acrid scent of ozone and burning stone. "It’s not just breaking," I rasped, my voice raw and strained. "It’s The roar was deafening, a final, cataclysmic explosion of sound and force that slammed into my back, pushing me forward. The ground beneath me heaved one last time, and then, with a sickening crunch, the passage behind me sealed itself shut. The vibrations, the screams, the chaos – all of it was abruptly cut off, replaced by a sudden, oppressive silence. I lay sprawled on the cold, damp stone, gasping for breath, my body aching, every muscle screaming in protest. Dust coated my scales, clinging to my throat, making me cough. My head throbbed, and the scar over my eye burned with a dull, persistent ache. The thump- thump was still there, a low, agitated beat, but it was distant now, muffled by tons of newly fallen rock. "Cactus!" Moon’s voice, trembling but relieved, broke the silence. She was huddled with Qibli in a small, relatively stable alcove, their scales still dusted with grey. Qibli was cradling his shoulder, his face pale, but his eyes were fixed on me, wide with concern. I pushed myself up, my limbs stiff and sore. "I’m My scales bristled. Triumph. The malevolent presence had escaped. And I, with my clumsy touch, had been the one to set it free. A wave of crushing guilt washed over me, heavy and suffocating. All this, the tremors, the screams, the danger – it was my fault. My curiosity, my desperate need for answers, had unleashed something terrible upon the mountain. I pressed my talons against the stone floor. The thump-thump was still there, a low, agitated beat, but it was different now. It was no longer a frantic plea. It was

The First Fracture