Chapter 200 Book 5 Xin Shan's Dilemma
The corridor outside Xin Shan's quarters was dimly lit, the walls glistening faintly with moisture from the sea above. The crystalline lights embedded in the ceiling flickered as she passed, casting her warped shadow across the jagged rock floor. Her footsteps echoed faintly, rhythmic and slow, as if each movement drew upon the last thread of strength in her failing body.
Her robe, once a symbol of authority and refinement, now hung in tatters around her shoulders, the fabric faded and stiff from the damp, the once-vibrant patterns now little more than a memory. She reached the heavy ironwood door and placed a trembling hand against it, murmuring a sequence of arcane words. The sigil etched into the frame pulsed dully, then receded with a soft hiss, allowing the door to swing inward.
