The obsidian gate's runes bled golden light into the catacombs, casting long, warped shadows that rippled across the walls.
Albedo holstered Havoc and Ruin slowly, eyes narrowing as he saw it, "Stay sharp."
Then the darkness inside parted, not from any light source, but as though the shadows themselves thinned, and revealed the room beyond.
Albedo stepped forward, his boots crossing through the portal alongside Ember, and the world shifted alongside them.
The chamber that unfolded on the other side was immense. The oppressive, winding corridors of the catacombs gave way to a vast cathedral of black marble.
Pillars of polished black marble the width of siege towers lined the sides of the chamber, stretching to the vaulted ceiling above.
Banners hung between the pillars, their fabric thick and pristine despite what must have been centuries untouched. Each bore the same symbol, an angular crown resting atop a skeletal hand.
