The doors groaned open with a grinding weight that shook dust from the rafters, and a faint cold draft unfurled from the darkness beyond.
Albedo stepped forward first, pistols still hot with leftover mana flickering faintly along the barrels. Elara and Lilian followed close behind, both exhausted but alert enough that every sound made them tense.
The throne chamber closed behind them with a low, echoing tremor, sealing away the battlefield of shattered constructs.
The hallway ahead stretched impossibly long, lined with towering obsidian pillars etched with faint shimmering runes.
Strange shadows slid across the walls even with no visible light source. The group walked slowly, boots echoing against the smooth stone as the numbing silence of the palace swallowed them.
Lilian stretched her shoulders with a quiet grunt. "We're burning through too much time."
