The terrain grew treacherous as Damien and Anna pressed forward.
The ground beneath their feet turned into uneven, jagged stone, and the air thickened with an eerie fog that clung to their skin like a damp cloth.
Shadows danced across the broken remains of what once appeared to be an ancient battlefield—shattered weapons, cracked armor, and toppled stone statues littered the area.
Anna came to a halt, gripping her staff tightly. "This place... it feels wrong."
Damien nodded, his golden eyes scanning the basin warily. "Stay sharp. Something's watching us."
A hollow groan echoed through the mist. Then another.
Figures began to stir among the ruins—clad in rusted armor and tattered cloaks, skeletal warriors rose from the ground, their empty eye sockets glowing with a sickly blue light. Swords and spears clanked as they shifted, their movements slow at first but growing unnervingly precise.
