"Then we figure it out," Daena said, her voice steady despite the unease in her expression. "But we do it together. No one acts alone."
The moment those words left her lips, the air shifted. The pulsing glow of the runes flickered, dimming for the briefest moment before reigniting with a violent surge of energy. The shadowy figures standing around them began to stir.
A low, resonant hum echoed through the cavern, the stone beneath their feet trembling as if something ancient and powerful was finally waking up.
"...Well," Ananara muttered, his glowing form shifting uncomfortably. "That's never a good sign."
The figures, once statuesque and unmoving, now turned toward them in eerie unison. Their glowing eyes flared brighter, and one by one, they began stepping forward. Their forms solidified as they moved, shifting from ephemeral shadows into something more tangible.
