The obsidian corridors ran deeper and did not end. Footfalls went thin, and breath felt counted by the walls. Reflections matched them now, no more lag.
Ace and Seraphina walked a half step apart. "Still good?" he asked without looking.
"Good," she said. "Burn if I must."
"Save it if you can," he said. "Spend it if you have to." Her lips curved once, then calmed.
Chaewon and Tyler followed another branch. "Hands?" he asked.
"They answer," she said. "Your pulse helps." "I will keep it steady," he said.
Alex and Mercer took the third way. "You ready?" Alex asked, rolling his shoulders like a door frame waking.
Mercer checked the buckles on his gloves and the set of his satchel. "I will be," he said. "I stay close."
"Do that," Alex said. "I'll keep things in front of us."
The corridors opened at once, each pair into a cave of lightless width. The air held weight. Dust drifted and never landed.
Shadows stepped forward to measure them. Ace and Seraphina faced two.
