The cavern's walls cracked. From the shadows above, massive bones began to descend—skulls larger than houses, ribcages that rattled as they fell, forming a grotesque architecture of death.
The ground split again, and within the abyssal fire, something stirred.
A pair of colossal eyes opened.
Not red. Not blue.
But endless black, void of stars.
The air froze. The knights' courage faltered. Even Orielle's flames flickered, struggling to remain steady in the oppressive darkness.
Shellia's breath caught, her staff trembling in her hand. "This… this isn't possible…"
The abyss answered with a roar that shattered stone.
And the darkness rose.
