It emerged silently from the darkness, thick and solid, its surface cold and metallic, casting a suffocating shadow over the entire pit.
And then… it started to close. Slowly. Relentlessly.
Isla's heartbeat spiked. "No… no!" she shouted, panic creeping into her voice.
She immediately tried to use her power, forcing her body upward, attempting to leap toward the closing gap, but it was useless.
She had no wings. No means to fly. The height was too much.
The pit was far deeper than she had initially realized. Even with all her strength, she could barely reach halfway before gravity dragged her back down.
Her boots slammed against the ground again. 'Too high… I can't reach it…!'
Her breathing turned uneven as fear tightened around her chest. 'Who did this…? Why…?'
Then... A strange drizzle began. At first, it was light.
Droplets of an unfamiliar liquid fell from above, splashing softly onto the ground and onto their bodies.
