The descent felt endless.Steps carved into obsidian spiraled downward, walls breathing faintly as though the labyrinth itself were alive. The air grew heavier with every turn, each breath laced with the metallic tang of old blood.
Elyon's hand traced the wall, her voice barely above a whisper. "This place isn't just a prison… it's feeding off us."
Kaelis's torchlight caught strange markings etched into the stone not words, but jagged sigils, each one vibrating faintly as if resisting being seen. "These are seals. Whatever's below… they wanted to make sure it never left."
Aloysius's palm throbbed. The shard's glow was no longer steady; it pulsed like a heartbeat. He could feel something calling to it, pulling him toward the depths. "It's close."
The stairs ended at a massive gate of black iron, its surface woven with chains thicker than a man's torso.Every link trembled, not from the weight but from whatever strained against them.
Then a voice. Deep, resonant, and unbearably old."Bearer of the Fragments… open the way."
The shard in Aloysius's hand flared. Chains rattled. The gate groaned under the strain.
Elyon stepped forward. "Don't listen! That voice"A deafening clang silenced her as one of the chains snapped, whipping through the air and crashing into the stone beside her.
The voice grew clearer."Free me, and I will give you the rest of what was stolen from eternity."
Kaelis tightened his grip on his sword. "Aloysius, whatever's in there isn't your ally."
But Aloysius… wasn't sure anymore. The shard pulsed faster, in perfect sync with his heartbeat, and the gate before him began to open