Having received Miss Beyas' signal, Shard grasped the two ladies before and behind him and then ignited a Bordeaux Candle. Their voices, heat, and figures vanished as the light from the candle illuminated the path in front of them.
The trio nearly burst out of the tunnel, readying themselves to face attacks from all directions, but outside, no ghastly figures awaited them.
The candlelight lit up the surroundings, and they finally relaxed.
The passageway connected to an underground space, almost the size of Shard's bedroom, barely qualifying as a cubic space. Opposite the wall dug out by the Blood of Mercury was a closed stone door. Apart from the stone door, the place was eerily empty.
This was the official entrance to the ruins, and "spartan" would be the right word to describe it. It was not the vast constructions in the cavernous depths imagined, nor was it the mausoleum of the Ancient Witch Empress of stories, but merely a dark chamber buried deep underground.
