The path deeper introduced something new. Rivers of liquid shadow that moved against gravity, climbing the walls and dripping from the ceiling in slow, hungry tendrils that lashed out at anything warm-blooded that came too close.
"Don't touch it," John warned, cutting through a tendril with a blade of Chronolight before it could wrap around Jibril's ankle. "Chuthulos said it eats Soul Energy directly on contact."
"Noted," Jibril said, stepping back sharply.
Azelis took point here.
"Shadow Ink," she murmured, weaving her fingers through the air, and threads of true darkness bled out from her hands, merging with the ambient shadow of the river itself, blending seamlessly into it.
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen.
Then the shadow river recoiled violently, thrashing as if burned, and Azelis's expression sharpened with focus.
