The deeper they walked, the stranger it became.
The frozen monsters lined the ground like a macabre forest, each one locked mid-roar, claws extended, wings stretched, fangs bared. They were all chimeric abominations, their bodies twisted as if they had been stitched together from nightmares.
Fire veins pulsed across the black ground, wrapping around the frozen beasts like glowing chains. The light was faint, but enough to make the shadows dance.
The little girl walked ahead, humming. Every step of hers echoed too loudly, too clear.
Hermes kept close, his eyes darting everywhere. His hand hovered near his weapon.
"Stay close to me." He told her.
"Always, Father." She said with a sweet smile.
Ymir shuddered. "This place is wrong. Those things are not dead. Look at their eyes."
Indeed, even through the ice, faint yellow glimmers could be seen. Dozens. Hundreds. All staring. All waiting.
