The cold wind seemed to sigh as Ethan stepped into the hidden pathway, the stones grinding
shut behind him, sealing off the slum's distant noise.
Darkness swallowed them at first. Only the muted glow from Ethan's conjured flame in his palm pushed back the shadows.
The walls were narrow, damp with moisture, slick like the inside of some buried beast. Muffled drips echoed as water trickled between ancient bricks.
Reyna glanced over her shoulder, gripping the hilt of her sword. "I don't like walkin' in the guts o'
the earth, don't ya?"
Daniel walked close to Ethan, grey eyes tense, jaw working as if he was chewing down his nerves.
"Feels like we're being watched…"
Ethan smirked faintly, the amber light flickering across the sharp angles of his face. "Then let 'em
watch. If anything jumps at us, it's dying first."
The tunnel continued deeper, sloping down in a long spiral. The air grew colder, the smell shifting
