The mountains loomed before them like ancient sentinels, their jagged peaks scraping the sky, obscured by wisps of black smoke that clung to the air. The hidden path Elara had felt pulling her forward twisted and turned through the rocky cliffs, barely visible beneath the scorched earth. The deeper they traveled, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. The weight of the void's corruption clung to every stone, every breath, as if the very land was suffocating under its influence.
Elara could feel the relic pulsing softly in her hands, its glow dimmed by the pervasive darkness surrounding them. It was guiding them, yes, but it also seemed to be struggling against the weight of the void, just as they were. The closer they got to their destination, the more she felt the tremors of something ancient and powerful stirring beneath the mountains.
