The oppressive twilight deepened into an unnatural darkness that settled like a shroud over the world. The cheerful chirping of birds, a constant backdrop to their journey within the Monolith, had vanished, replaced by an unsettling silence. Eleanor's heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drum solo in the sudden stillness. Hours, or maybe days, had blurred into a monotonous loop within the Monolith's grasp, but the crimson moon hanging heavy in the sky was a terrifying new development.
Abigael, ever the pragmatist, was the first to break the silence. "What the…" she breathed, her voice trembling slightly. "The time loop… it's broken."
The crimson moon cast an unsettling blood-red glow on the land wir. Time had indeed become a stagnant pond within its walls, the sun refusing to budge from its late afternoon position. This unnatural stillness gnawed at Eleanor's sanity. Her suspicions about Xol'thul had bloomed into a thorny garden of unease.
