The oppressive silence pressed in from all sides, swallowing them whole as the shadows seemed to writhe and dance around the group. Even the air felt different—heavy, thick, suffused with a darkness that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. The only light came from the faint, glowing symbols that Zara had etched into the air, and even they flickered and faded as if struggling against the overwhelming darkness but none of them had issues with seeing so Zara's light enforcement was not necessary.
"Is it just me," Alera's voice cut through the gloom, "or does the air feel... wrong?"
"It's not just you," Zara replied, her tone uncharacteristically flat. "This place is alive. Like it's watching us."
Petne didn't say a word, but his eyes narrowed as he scanned the twisting, jagged corridors that lay before them.
