Even after the fire monster fell, the air still hung thick with scorching heat, as if the earth itself was violently shaking. Though a brief moment of peace had arrived, the deep darkness still unsettled us. The Doomsday Volcano, still hiding immense threats, had now become our perilous path, and we had stepped deeper into its belly, falling into even greater danger.
"This is just the beginning, not the end," Kress muttered, his eyes still gleaming with caution as he watched the fallen fire monster. "Sauron's power is right here, much stronger than we imagined."
I nodded, gripping the hilt of my sword. Though we had temporarily defeated this monster, I knew it was only a small part of the darkness within the Doomsday Volcano. The ground beneath us was still shaking violently, with molten lava continually bursting from cracks in the earth. The red-hot rocks formed a terrifying sight, as if the entire volcano mouth was roaring.
