Total darkness.

An oppressive silence, broken only by the faint sound of two light breaths. The air inside is colder, almost freezing. The stone walls are damp, and the ground feels hard beneath their feet.

Veil (whispering): "Are we... are we really trapped?"

Alynia moves forward slowly, her tail swaying gently, a sign of her heightened vigilance.

Alynia (dryly): "Don’t panic, Pup. Find a way to open it."

Veil stretches his arms out in front of him, his fingers brushing against the cold, rough walls. Every movement produces a faint scraping sound against the stone.

Veil (internal thought): Cold... slippery... and nothing familiar.

He carefully moves along the wall, occasionally tapping it with his open hand.

Veil (groaning): "Nothing... I’m not finding anything..."

Alynia (exasperated sigh): "Try harder."

Veil shrugs, visibly frustrated, and continues his search. He taps harder on the stone with each step, but no sound of a mechanism is heard.

Veil (panting): "I’m telling you, there’s nothing. This thing doesn’t open from the inside."

A heavy silence falls. The darkness is absolute. Veil and Alynia can’t even see each other’s silhouettes.

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Alynia (calm, almost murmuring): "If we can’t get out, we move forward."

Veil (hesitant): "Move... in the dark?"

Alynia (calm but serious): "Would you rather stay here and wait for something to come find us?"

A shiver runs down Veil’s spine. He grits his teeth and takes a deep breath.

Veil (low voice): "Alright... Let’s move forward."

They step forward cautiously, Alynia in the lead, her ears swiveling in every direction. Their footsteps echo on the stone floor, creating a distant sound that returns to them as if someone were walking far away.

Veil (nervously): "These sounds... we’re alone, right?"

Alynia (half-turning her head): "Keep moving. Talk less."

They proceed a few more meters, then—

FWOOSH!

Wall-mounted torches suddenly ignite on both sides. The flames are a bluish-black, flickering faintly with shimmering sparks. The light is strangely dim but enough to reveal the corridor ahead.

The walls are covered in carvings and intricate symbols, some of which resemble those from the outer door.

Veil (surprised): "Oh... What’s... that?"

Alynia (staring at the torches): "These flames... They’re not normal. That’s not fire. It’s... something else."

She approaches one of the torches and reaches her hand toward the flame. As her hand nears, there’s no heat. She pulls her hand back.

Alynia (serious murmur): "No heat. An illusion? No... It’s real, but it’s not fire."

Veil (looking at the carvings): "These symbols... Didn’t we see them outside? On the door?"

Alynia casts a quick glance at him.

Alynia (dryly): "Good observation. Now focus. These symbols could be clues—or warnings."

They continue forward. Their steps are more confident thanks to the light, but the echoes persist. The feeling of being watched grows stronger. The silence is punctuated by the steady crackle of the torches.

Veil (whispering): "I don’t like this. It’s too quiet."

Alynia (eyes straight ahead): "It’s never quiet without a reason."

The corridor gradually widens. The carvings become more elaborate, and the passage expands into a large chamber. Stone columns rise on either side, supporting a ceiling lost in shadow.

Alynia (dryly, in a low voice): "Stay close to me."

They advance together toward the center of the chamber. Their footsteps echo louder, amplified by the walls.

At the far end of the room, they see a staircase leading downward.

Veil (relieved): "Stairs. Do we go down?"

Alynia scans the surroundings before answering. Her ears swivel left and right, catching every sound.

Alynia (calm but firm): "We go down. But not quickly."

They approach the stairs cautiously. Their steps grow lighter, their breathing slower. The tension mounts with each step closer.

Veil (internal thought): This is it... We’re really going in now... No turning back.

They descend the steps, each footfall echoing in the empty chamber. The flickering torchlight casts wavering shadows on the walls of the corridor.

Their silhouettes fade into the darkness of the passage.