The passage narrowed, forcing them into single file. Their boots crunched against red dust that seemed older than memory itself. Each step echoed as though the walls were hollow, the sound stretching and twisting until it no longer belonged to them.
Mara kept one arm braced under Selene's shoulders, her other hand hovering near her sidearm. The older woman's breathing was ragged, but her eyes stayed sharp, scanning every flicker of light.
"This place," Selene whispered, her voice barely audible. "I thought I'd die here a thousand times. But the walls kept me alive… or maybe just trapped me."
Liora's gaze traced the walls. Strange markings emerged — not scratches, but deliberate carvings. Spirals within spirals, etched so deeply the grooves still shimmered faintly as though charged with energy. She reached out, fingers hovering.
Selene caught her wrist. "Don't. The stone remembers touch. It doesn't always forgive."
Jonas snorted softly. "You talk like the walls are alive."
Selene met his eyes. "Tell me they don't sound alive to you."
As if answering, the whispers surged, weaving into tones that almost formed words. Eris stumbled, pressing a hand to his chest where the Heart's glow pulsed brighter. For a moment, the voices overlapped with his heartbeat, like they were speaking through him.
"Eris?" Mara steadied him. "You alright?"
He forced a nod, though his vision blurred at the edges. The carvings weren't just marks anymore — they moved, spirals turning slowly, symbols shifting as though the wall itself breathed.
Selene stopped suddenly, raising her hand. "Quiet."
They froze.
From deeper in the tunnel came a sound — a low scraping, metal against stone. Then, a faint glow emerged. Not the steady glow of their lights, but a flickering green, like fireflies trapped in crystal.
Shapes followed — tall, angular forms that walked like men but bent wrong, their limbs too long, their faces nothing but shadow stretched over bone-like frames.
The crew's breaths caught.
"Keep walking," Selene hissed. "Don't let them notice."
But Jonas's boot struck a loose stone. It cracked sharply against the floor.
The nearest figure froze, its head snapping toward them. The glow in its chest flared. Then it screeched — a sound that rattled the marrow of their bones — and all the others turned.
"Run," Selene spat, shoving herself forward with renewed strength. "Now!"
The tunnel erupted into chaos as the shadows lunged.