The crippled grandmaster watched the storm with a grim expression, his old eyes reflecting the flickering light of distant lightning. "It feeds on memory," he muttered, half to himself. "Every soul that looks back too long is swallowed whole."
At that, Seraphine looked at him with slight disgust. "Then we keep our eyes forward," she said. "No matter what lies inside."
The Empress glanced at her briefly, offering a faint nod of approval, and then raised her hand. The divine dome pulsed in response to her movement, its light brightening until the air hummed with celestial resonance. The mist hissed again, recoiling violently from the radiance. Then, with a single step, she crossed the threshold.
