The phosphorescent glow from the stair edges provided just enough light to reveal their immediate surroundings as they began their descent—barely enough to see the outline of each step, just sufficient to avoid tumbling headfirst into the abyss below. The Shadow Path wasn't a continuation of the stairs—it transitioned after perhaps twenty steps into a narrow tunnel that stretched ahead into darkness the faint glow couldn't penetrate, like the throat of some cosmic beast extending into infinite depths.
The phosphorescence faded as they moved deeper into the tunnel, the glow diminishing with each step until it was practically useless, providing nothing more than a vague suggestion of where floor met wall. The darkness closed in around them like water filling a sinking ship, absolute and suffocating.
