Nina takes a deep breath, the metallic tang of fear clinging to the back of her throat. Ronan's hand, surprisingly warm and comforting despite his imposing size, remains on her shoulder. Rex whines softly, his head tucked against her leg, his body trembling slightly. The immediate surroundings are a chaotic mess of crumbled stone and unstable earth. The ground slopes downwards towards a seemingly bottomless chasm, the very air shimmering with the oppressive energy emanating from the ruined temple. The whispers, now a constant, chilling murmur, seem to claw at her mind, attempting to unravel her resolve.
The temple itself is a grotesque mockery of its former grandeur. Jagged stones, stained with an unnatural darkness, claw at the sky. Sections of the structure have collapsed entirely, leaving gaping holes that reveal the shadowy interiors. Twisted, gnarled trees cling to the precariously to the crumbling walls, their branches contorted as if in agony. The malevolent aura pulses stronger now, a visible shimmer of dark energy that dances and writhes like a living thing. Cracks spiderweb across the temple's remaining walls, glowing with an inner light that seems to mock the encroaching darkness.
She can make out various symbols etched into the remaining stones - strange, alien glyphs that seem to writhe and shift as she looks at them, as if the very stone is alive. Some of the glyphs seems familiar, vaguely reminiscent of illustrations in the ancient monster breeding texts she studied as a child, but others are completely unknown, unsettlingly alien. A chilling wind whips around her, carrying the whispers closer, their malevolent intent now clear. It is not merely a greeting; it is a threat, a promise of pain and destruction. The air crackles with anticipation, the silence punctuated only by the wind and the incessant whispers. The smell of decay and damp earth fills her nostrils, overlaid with a metallic scent that makes her stomach churn. Ronan emits another low rumble, his gaze fixed on the temple entrance, a massive, gaping maw of shadows and broken stone. He seems to be assessing the situation, planning their next move. The ground trembles again, a more violent tremor this time, causing loose stones to cascade down the slope towards the chasm. The bridge behind them groans ominously, its collapse now seeming inevitable. There is not time to lose.