The cavern was deathly quiet, save for the steady rhythm of approaching footsteps. Luke and Ilyrana lay pressed flat against the sandy floor beneath the canopy's cover, their bodies motionless, their breaths shallow.
Only moments ago, they had been carefully mapping out the hidden stronghold of the Association of Schadenfreude—an unimaginable discovery, one thought impossible for centuries. Now, that fragile sense of progress teetered on the brink of disaster.
They had assumed the absence of patrols meant safety. But the truth had revealed itself with chilling clarity: this place needed no guards. It thrived on secrecy. With no one supposed to know of its existence, people here moved without caution, without predictability. And that, Luke realised as his heart pounded against the dirt, made them far more dangerous.
