Not long after, a sound came faintly...a shrill, grating echo that rose and fell in the distance like metal scraping against stone. It cut through the abyss, sharp enough to make every heart in the group skip a beat. Then came another, louder this time, and it was followed by the unmistakable beat of heavy wings stirring the thick air. The darkness above them rippled as though something vast moved within it, circling unseen.
Everyone froze. Even the Empress stopped mid-step, her eyes narrowing toward the direction of the noise. The sound came again, closer now, the screech so piercing that it sent shivers down their spines.
Seraphine was the first to whisper, her voice trembling, "What was that?"
No one answered immediately. They all knew that sound didn't belong to anything living in the light. The crippled grandmaster's expression darkened, and he clutched his staff tighter. "They've found us," he muttered under his breath.
