The air thickened as Nathan trudged forward, his steps crunching against the charred ground. In the distance, the towering silhouette of a massive obelisk loomed, its surface riddled with glowing runes. They pulsed faintly, like dying embers clinging to a flame. Every step closer seemed to shift the atmosphere, the fiery haze around him whispering unintelligible murmurs.
Nathan stopped a few feet from the obelisk, his instincts prickling. The whispers weren't random—voices floated through the air, fragments of conversations that seemed to brush against his consciousness.
"First the flames… then the ash…"
"… endure only through pain…"
"… a choice, a curse…"
Nathan shook his head, his jaw tightening. "Great. Now the fire's talking to me. What's next, an actual welcome mat?"
The System buzzed into his vision, cutting through his spiraling thoughts.
