[Location: The Abyss – Layer 1: The Ash Wastes]
[Time: Unknown]
Avoiding the changing winds, their journey began.
One man and one maid, alone in the terrifying abyss
They had been walking for hours. Or maybe days. In a world without a sun, time was just a measurement of pain.
Damien leaned heavily on Isabelle's shoulder. His boots dragged through the grey ash. Every step was a negotiation with gravity.
"Just... a bit further," Damien wheezed.
He was lying. He didn't know where they were going. The compass on his System Map was spinning wildly, unable to find North in a dimension where magnetic poles didn't exist.
"Rest, Master," Isabelle said softly. She wasn't even out of breath.
"Your heart rate is spiking."
"If we stop," Damien muttered, clutching the useless hilt of the Pantheon Sword, "we'll freeze."
CLICK.
The sound was soft. Like a dry branch snapping.
It didn't come from their feet rather it came from the fog of ash swirling around them.
