Terya stepped forward, her wind magic coiling at her fingertips, her eyes alert.
"Get a room, you two lovebirds," she whispered, loud enough to make Leon flush, though Zara's smirk suggested she wasn't entirely annoyed.
Leon's grin faded as Terya's tone sharpened.
"We don't have time for romance. Stay sharp."
The ruined gate loomed, veins of living Bloodvine weaving through its arches, glowing red with wicked power, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Terya coiled her wind magic around her fist and flicked her wrist, a miniature gale slashing through the vines, parting them like curtains.
They flared away, revealing a narrow doorway, the red mist pouring through, thick and damp, pressing against them like a living thing.
Leon blinked, tasting iron, each breath heavier.
"Let's get this over with," Zara muttered, stepping forward, her boots crunching broken stone, her axe shifting.
Leon swallowed hard, adjusting his pack. "I… yeah."
