Kaelen and Thane ascended the grand staircase, their footsteps were echoing in the hollow stillness of the spire. Each step felt heavier than the last, as though the very air around them was thick with a lingering sense of dread. The walls seemed to close in on them, the aged stone bearing the weight of forgotten centuries.
Thane glanced upward, his eyes were scanning the spiraling stairs that stretched far above them. His voice breaking the oppressive silence as he asked:
"How tall is this thing?"
Kaelen shrugged, with eyes that were still ahead as they climbed.
"No clue. But it looks like we've got a long way to go."
His tone was indifferent, but beneath the surface, unease stirred. The spire gave him an odd feeling. Not just the déjà vu that had been plaguing him since they arrived, but something deeper, more unsettling—like a warning, urging him to turn back. But they'd long since passed the point of no return.
