Lucen gestured vaguely to the warped geometry ahead. "Time doesn't count the same in here."
Varik started walking toward him.
"You're still alive."
Lucen held his arms out for a second. "Yeah, I was this close to monologuing my way into insanity."
Varik gave him a look.
Lucen dropped his arms. "Fine. No jokes. How much of that upstairs did you see?"
"All of it."
"Did you leave Elaren breathing?"
Varik nodded once. "For now."
Lucen grunted. "Well, lucky him."
They stood in silence for a beat.
The floor under them pulsed once. Not violently. Just enough to remind them it was watching.
Lucen glanced down.
"You feel that?"
"Yeah."
"You think it's sentient?"
Varik stepped to the side and crouched down beside a glyph ring carved into the floor. He touched two fingers to it. The ring responded, barely. A flicker. Like an eye half-opening.
"I think it remembers," Varik said. "That's worse."
