At last, they reached the 20th floor.
The moment they set foot, the air grew colder. The walls seemed to close in, dripping with black moss that swallowed light. Countless red eyes glimmered from the shadows, staring at them with unblinking hunger.
The heroes froze.
This was the same place. The same floor where everything had gone wrong. Where Oliver had been swallowed by the abyss below.
None spoke, but the memory weighed on them all. Daniel clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Alice shivered despite her flame spell hovering at her side. Even Jason, who always carried himself with confidence, faltered for a heartbeat as the eerie silence pressed down on them.
Samuel's gruff voice shattered it.
"How long are you going to stand frozen? Being stuck in the past won't change a damn thing. Rather than grieving, turn that grief into strength. You lost someone? Then carve through the bastards that took him."
The words hit like a whip crack.
