The tunnel stretched endlessly, its air thick with dampness and the scent of decayed stone. Kael could hear Rion's labored breathing beside him, could feel the unease that had settled over the group like a suffocating fog.
Maren kept her sword drawn, her eyes scanning every shadow. The Dominion's Hounds had stopped their pursuit, but that only made things worse. They weren't the type to give up.
The tunnel itself was old, older than the war, older than the Dominion's rise to power. The walls bore strange carvings, symbols Kael didn't recognize. His shard pulsed faintly, reacting to something unseen.
"We shouldn't be here," one of the Resistance fighters muttered.
Maren shot him a sharp look. "We don't have a choice. We push forward, or we die."
The silence was heavy, oppressive.
Then Kael heard it.
A faint, rhythmic sound, echoing through the stone.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Like footsteps. But not human ones.
Kael's grip tightened around his dagger. "Something's ahead."
Maren raised her hand, signaling the group to stop. She turned to Kael. "How many?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. But we're not alone."
The tapping grew louder, more erratic. It wasn't just footsteps—it was claws, scraping against the walls, the floor, the ceiling.
Then, from the darkness ahead, red eyes flickered to life.
Not one pair. Not two.
Dozens.
Rion's breath hitched. "They—how did they get here?"
Kael didn't have time to answer. The Hounds surged forward, their bodies twisting unnaturally, moving like liquid shadows. They had cut off their escape.
"We're trapped," Maren snarled.
Kael's mind raced. His body was exhausted, his shard barely holding any energy. They couldn't win this fight.
But maybe they didn't have to.
He turned to the walls, the strange carvings. There had to be something—some way out. His shard pulsed again, reacting more violently now.
"Help me find a way through!" he shouted.
Maren hesitated, then nodded, slashing at an approaching Hound to buy them time.
Rion pressed his hands against the wall, feeling for anything loose. "Kael, these symbols—they feel different!"
Kael ran his fingers over them. His shard pulsed again, stronger.
Then—
The wall shifted.
A section of the stone crumbled away, revealing a narrow path behind it.
Kael didn't question it. "Go! Now!"
The group didn't hesitate. One by one, they forced their way into the hidden passage. Kael stayed behind, covering their escape.
The Hounds lunged.
Kael barely dodged, his dagger flashing as he drove it into one of the creatures. It screeched but didn't fall. Another lashed out, claws slicing through his sleeve, drawing blood.
"Kael!" Rion called from the passage.
Kael gritted his teeth and shoved forward. The moment he crossed the threshold, the wall behind him slammed shut, sealing them inside.
Darkness swallowed them.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The only sound was their own breathing.
Then, slowly, a faint blue light flickered to life.
The passage wasn't just a tunnel. It was something else entirely. The walls were smooth, almost metallic, and the carvings from before glowed faintly, forming intricate patterns.
Kael exhaled sharply. "This place… isn't natural."
Maren wiped sweat from her forehead. "What the hell did we just walk into?"
Kael didn't have an answer. But one thing was clear:
This time it ... was far worse than the Hounds.