The group emerged from the cloud of dust left by the golem's destruction, their breaths heavy but tinged with relief. The echoes of battle gradually faded, giving way to a heavy silence in the cavern. Scattered stones glowed faintly under the torchlight, remnants of their recently defeated foe.
Kido, still at the front, observed the debris with a grave expression. His red eyes, though less intense, betrayed the inner struggle he endured. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the tumult of sensations heightened by the strange ability haunting him.
Renald stepped closer, wiping sweat from his brow. "General, where did these stone creatures come from?"
Kido nodded, his gaze sweeping the cavern walls as if searching for something invisible to the others. "These golems... they didn't appear by chance. As I said, there must be something powerful maintaining them here, something linked to the war from a thousand years ago."
