The group quickly gathered at the chamber's center, their breathing ragged as they cast nervous glances toward the entrances. From this new vantage point, they saw there were more paths. Two additional corridors stretched from the chamber, narrow and ominous, each promising either salvation or doom.
"Could those be the way forward?" one of the senior disciples whispered.
"Maybe," another answered grimly. "Or maybe they're traps. If we choose wrong now, we'll only waste the little time we've gained."
The weight of uncertainty pressed down on them all. They could not afford to risk it. Not with their pursuers so close.
"There's no time," Han Yu said, his voice steady despite the pounding of his heart. "We defend here."
There was no argument.
