The air shimmered with an almost otherworldly glow as Marcus and Elara stood before the towering Gateway Spire. Its surface was engraved with ancient runes that pulsed faintly, as if alive. A sense of foreboding hung heavy in the atmosphere, amplified by the massive serpentine creature coiled at the base of the Spire.
The beast, an Astral Wyrm, was a creature out of legend. Its scales glittered like molten silver, each one reflecting distorted images of the floating islands around it. Twin eyes, golden and luminous, stared down at the intruders. It uncoiled slowly, revealing its full length—easily the size of a small village.
"Well," Marcus said, his voice tinged with both awe and sarcasm. "I was really hoping for something less... ginormous."
Elara shot him a look, daggers already in her hands. "Focus. This isn't the time for jokes."
The System interrupted their brief exchange with its usual monotone precision.
