Five minutes later!
"Let's go and take a look inside," Wang Xiao suggested.
The trickle of people emerging from the palace was slow, and he grew impatient, eager to uncover the secrets that lay within the ancient walls.
"Mhm," Aurora assented, her expression unreadable as she followed him up the stone steps, their footfalls echoing in the quiet of the night.
The courtyard they crossed was vast, yet it bore an air of neglect, the shadows cast by the moon turning the unkempt flora into ghostly silhouettes.
It was here a small assembly had gathered upon Elara's command—servants of the castle, perhaps, or other denizens of Asmodeous's domain.
They huddled together, casting wary glances at Wang Xiao and Aurora, their murmurs a low hum in the otherwise silent expanse.
Unfazed by the hushed tones of speculation, Wang Xiao and Aurora continued on, passing through the large wooden doors of the castle.
