The massive iron doors groaned open, revealing a throne room steeped in shadow and malice. The chamber was cavernous, stretching out before James and his companions like a maw waiting to swallow them whole. The air was thick with dark magic, oppressive and suffocating, making it hard to draw breath. Every corner of the room seemed to pulse with a sinister energy, the very walls alive with Valek's ancient power.
Massive stone pillars, each covered in twisting runes, rose toward the vaulted ceiling, their surfaces crackling with faint arcs of black energy. Torches mounted on the walls flickered with a sickly red glow, casting long shadows that danced menacingly across the cold stone floor. The light barely penetrated the darkness that clung to the edges of the room like a living thing, and every step forward felt like wading into a sea of malevolence.
