Principal Kine's sigh was deep and resigned. He stared at the curtain shrouding the shadow rift for a moment longer before saying, "I suppose we should enter. It's not going to resolve itself from the outside."
Without waiting for Byun's reply, Kine stepped forward. The curtain swayed as he passed through, his figure vanishing into the darkness beyond.
Byun followed with unhurried steps, his hands tucked behind his back as if they were simply going for a walk through the academy gardens.
The instant he crossed the threshold, the world changed. There was no ground, no sky, only an endless sea of darkness stretching in every direction. It wasn't just dark in the way of a moonless night.
This was a darkness so deep it swallowed thought, a void that seemed to press in from every angle. There was nothing tangible beneath their feet, yet they remained suspended, as if walking on invisible air.
