Ren stood at the mouth of the valley, his cloak whipping in the wind, eyes narrowed as he peered into the shadow below.
The long, uneven descent of jagged rocks curved out of sight, swallowed by an unnatural blackness.
They'd been here for less than a minute and they could also feel the cold coming from the darkness. Just taking a single breath felt like dragging mist into the lungs.
The sound of the howling wind reached them from the darkness before dying down.
Ren looked up at the sky. From where they stood, it felt as if the sky was heavy with clouds that seemed too low and too close.
"So," Thorn said, standing beside him, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, "what's behind the… menacing darkness?"
Ren exhaled slowly, his voice grim. "That's wraith valley. It's dangerous. Not just because it's steep or hard to navigate. It's actually a straight path to Ur. However, what makes it dangerous is what lives inside it."
