The entrance to the temple loomed before them, a towering archway carved into the side of the mountain. Time had worn its stones down, but the ancient markings that adorned the walls still held a strange, unearthly beauty, as if they were alive, shifting under the flickering light of their torches. The air grew heavier as they crossed the threshold, a quiet, oppressive presence settling around them, as though the temple itself were watching them, waiting for them to make the first move.
Elara could feel the weight of the power contained within these walls, a force far older than anything they had encountered before. The relic at her side hummed softly, responding to the ancient magic that permeated the place. She could sense that this was the heart of the mystery, the source of all the darkness that had begun to spread across the land.
