The tunnel narrowed into an oppressive corridor, walls closing in like the jaws of a beast. The faint glow from their marks flickered against the rough stone, barely enough to pierce the thick darkness ahead.
Elyon led the way, his staff casting shards of pale light that barely held back the shadows clawing at their heels. Kaelis and Aloysius flanked him, every sense on edge, hearts pounding to a rhythm that wasn't their own.
The air grew colder, heavier, as if the weight of countless lost souls pressed down on them. Whispered voices brushed against their ears half-remembered names, regrets, warnings in tongues long forgotten.
Aloysius's grip tightened on the shard embedded in his palm. Its pulse was erratic now, a warning or perhaps a plea. He could feel the pull of something vast beyond the darkness, something that watched and waited.
Kaelis swallowed hard. "This place… it's not just a prison or a trap. It's a hunting ground."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled, a low rumble rolling through the tunnel like distant thunder.
From the shadows ahead, two gleaming eyes appeared cold, merciless, and endless.
The Hunter had arrived.