"Where are we?"
Thalia muttered before the mountain's shadow closed around her, the sheer mass of rock swallowing her presence. She staggered a half-step, unbalanced by the damp chill, before catching herself on a nearby stone.
She looked up, lips parted in silent awe.
They stood inside a yawning hollow carved into the mountain's side, as if the heart of the world itself had been torn open.
Thalia noticed someone had carved into the mountain and created this space. She stared at the rough-hewn beams, piles of wood and rocks scattered.
What's more, the area around them was kind of misty, a thin vapour that made her hair cling in damp strands to her face.
Thalia gave a confused look at Aether, her brow furrowed. "You took me to a ruin? What is this, Aether—your secret lair? Are you hiding something in these stones?"
Aether grinned, running his hand through hair dampened by the mountain's breath.
