Creak*
A giant door creaked open, its heavy iron hinges groaning in protest, allowing a sliver of light to spill into the vast, shadowy chamber beyond. The dim glow illuminated the dust particles suspended in the stale air, casting them in a soft, golden haze. Cobwebs hung like tattered curtains from the ceiling, swaying slightly with the shift in air, as the spiders that wove them crawled lazily over their silken homes.
The light spread slowly, creeping across the cold, cracked stone floor. Jagged lines ran through the ancient masonry, evidence of the castle's long neglect. Shattered remnants of long-forgotten tapestries clung to the walls, their once-vibrant colours now faded to dull shades of brown and grey, marred by dust and decay. Tarnished sconces, now bereft of torches, jutted out from the walls at irregular intervals, their once gleaming metal reduced to rusted relics.
